Vintage Diamond search from a lost husband

[Losthusband]

So, after 22 years of marriage, I finally have the means to buy the kind of ring that my wife deserves. I have read allot of informatio on this site since last night, and hope that some of you can help me further. I''m looking to purchase a vintage diamond e-ring and band of at least 2 / + crt weight.
I know that I should be more discerning in my shopping for something like this but jewelry makes me glaze over. For the last few years Christmas and Birthday jewelry has been confined to carriage trade stores. Mikimoto pearls, Cartier bracelet, etc.
I walk in point, ask the price. If I can afford it I buy it. If I can''t I tell them I''m looking for something less expensive, and move on till I find what I can afford, tell them I''ll take it. Twenty minutes max I''m out the door.
I have read some positive remarks about Single Stone in L.A. and going to someone with a good reputation would make this easier for me.
The problem is that I''m clue-less despite all of your best intentions on this site. It would help me allot to have a cheat sheat to take with me. I''ll try to keep my questions to a minimum.
Vintage / Antique setting: I think my wife would appreciate something with history.,
white diamond @ 2 / + crt.

What vintage cut shows off the diamond to it''s best advantage? ( I know that allot of this is personal preference. Please understand that I don''t have a personal preference). It''s hard to buy someone else something like this . . . I mean I''m not going to wear it.
Are most settings from the past actually silver or were they platinum?
Can vintage safely be re-sized if the setting doesn''t fit. ( I just thought how am I going to find out what size she is without asking her. Sorry I digress.
What color would you find ideal / acceptable? (I''ve learned enough from this site to understand some of the differences between old vs. new)
What grade would you find ideal / acceptable?
Are vintage diamonds more expensive than new?
What is an acceptable range of price that I can expect?
I plan on giving the ring to my wife on a trip in October when we go to Paris. Not an anniversary or birthday . . . just because.
My wife would be so please to know that I was actually asking for direction for a change while I was lost.
Thank you in advance.

 

[blueroses]

You are a sweet husband

You have a good amount of time, so you should be able to do something spectacular by October.

Any idea what sort of shape she likes? You could go in the asscher/emerald direction if she likes square/rectangular stones, or for an old mine cut or old european cut if she likes a more traditional round or cushion look.

Here are a few links to get you going. Also, check out this post by Katrina which is in EXHAUSTIVE list of her wonderful research: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/links-for-settings-antique-rings-online.16601/=


You can also get antique loose stones from a lot of vendors. Why not find her a fabulous antique stone and then get a custom setting from Leon Mege (drool, drool) at art of platinum

(Sorry, I''m just living vicariously through you.)

Another option is going for antique-STYLE vs. an actual antique. Ritani and Daniel K are both high end brands which make vintage/deco style rings. Of course, you could go the custom route with whiteflash or dirtcheapdiamonds and have something similar made w/o the brandname premium. Do a few searches for Leon, Ritani, Daniel K, antique, etc. to get the lay of the land.


http://www.antiqueengagementrings.com/

www.faycullen.com

http://www.estatediamondjewelry.com/

www.nelsonrarities.com

www.artofplatinum.com


Just a start! You could do a whole DIY project and build it from start to finish, or you could buy an existing antique ring from one of the above (and linked) websites and call it a day.....it''s up to you, but you should be able to find something marvelous!!

 

[Kaleigh]

I have dealt with www.faycullen.com to buy a replacement stone for my SIL and they were great to work with. All the sites that blue gave you are excellent. Hopefully if any were left out others will chime in and add to the list. What a wonderful husband you are and sweet too!!! Good luck in your search and let us know if we can be of further help to you.

 

[widget]

Hi, LH...

Oh, gosh...I know I'm totally biased, but I do hope you consider finding an authentic antique rather than a reproduction! There really is a difference, and there is something so special about the old ones...their history, mystique...etc..

I have purchased jewelry from www.nelsonrarities.com and am HUGELY impressed. They have a remarkable inventory of authentic period pieces which are restored to as-new condition, often removing the center diamonds, having them polished and GIA certified.

Why not call them and talk to Malcolm Logan? He's a great guy...and wouldn't steer you wrong. Also...I happen to think their merchandise is fairly priced.

Here are a few pictures I took off their site as teasers...this is just the tip of the iceberg of what they have to offer..

Best wishes,
widget

 

[widget]

If you're interested in colored stone rings, here are two I found at Nelson's that literally make my knees weak!!!

(edited to add All these rings I've posted date from the turn of the century (Edwardian) to 1930 (Art Deco).

 

[blueroses]

YUM!!!!!!

LH, Widget has a point....authentic antiques are DREAMY!!

 

[Kaleigh]

Losthusband,
Listen to widget, she sure knows what she is talking about and has a lovely collection.

 

[Mara]

I agree with the recommends of faycullen.com and nelsonrarities.com....some very worthy eyecandy on there and I LOVE authentic vintage.

Look around locally to see if you have any stores that specialize in Estate jewelry or similar, we have one in Carmel that I *love* looking around in, they have real vintage and then vintage 'style'..also there is a store in SF called Old Gold which had an amazing Cartier 1905 3c ring, I think an OEC, which was just stunning, something like $25k I think about a year and a half ago.

So if you can search around online and also locally, you should be able to find something. In terms of what type of stone, honestly I think you need to see some in person to make that decision, so many of the old stones have different 'personalities'...I personally like OMC's or OEC's and cushions, jeez I like them all! In the right setting, they are just stunning!! re: specs and 'ideal'...again with these older stones, your eye is really the best judge. Some specs and numbers can direct you (aka stay away from XYZ depth or too large or small of a table etc), but for many of these, eye and a trusted vendor will be helpful.

What a fun search, enjoy and please keep us posted!

 

[blueroses]

One more link (more for eye-candy and inspiration than anything) since Mara inspired me!

Rosyln Jewelry is a little boutique on the Upper West Side of Manhattan that first started my love affair (still unrequited, sadly) with antique and estate jewelry. I used to walk by this place every day and just staaaare through the windows

http://www.roslynjewelry.com/25801.html

 

[Losthusband]

Thank you all so much for this information. i know that my wife would love the idea of a vintage ring. The history and possible story behind the ring. Are vintage rings going for a premium or are there crt. weight and particulars similar in cost to more conventional rings?

 

[Mara]

I would imagine it''s based upon a case by case basis...aka rarity of the piece, size of the stone, age, etc.

Your best bet is to look around and see what you find, ask for pricing and then compare it to something modern and similar via the Pricescope search. Then you''ll have a comparison.

Good luck.

 

[Losthusband]

great advise thank''s. To bad I don''t have some of you diamond girls to take with me shopping. Lunch anyone.

 

[valeria101]

Hm...

About that potential premium - yes, there is some mainly for intricate old settings. Otherwise, age alone does not quite justify a premium, although you may find some seller that claims some

It would be allot easier to talk about one item (or a small selection) in particular than just "antique diamond rings"....

For once, it is hard to tell what is "antique" and what not online (and off) - because not all seller disclose origin, or do it clearly enough. It is best to know wat to look for, of course.

Among the shops mentioned on this thread, Nelson Rarities sells only vintage piecs, but Faycullen does not (they list "antique style" which are new pieces). Art of Platinum makes jewelry the old way - you would need to have a diamond before ordering a ring there (these might be exceptions to this rule, but not that many). Now, this is a rare exception - the techniques used in old jewelry are labor intensive and not very common... I would look twice and ask lots of questions before deciding that a certain jewelry shop can indeed produce vintge-looking pieces down to the relevant details. Recently, "mrssalvo" went through this process having a vintage ring design made, and hers has been quite a ride (story told down this link). You might want to take a look.

Karen Bleifer and Icestore bots use old cut diamonds in handmade platinum jewelry - no worse than any commendable vintage piece.

Vintage diamond rings with high quality diamonds are not an easy find - they must have been quite exceptional pieces to be preserved in the original state... Some new "vintage" pieces do not come close to such expectations, some definitely do.

And there are some that have not beed dis-assembled because the quality of the stones in them would not justify it: those diamonds would not be sellable without the aid of the "history" touch implied by the worn metal around them.

Just like the moren ones, some are not worth more than the diamond weight in them.

Just my 0.2, as usual.

 

[fire&ice]

Second on Nelson Rarities. I have bought and sold to them. Good people who know what they are doing.

 

[KittenKat]

My OEC is from Single Stone. (It''s a gorgeous F color too!)

They are wonderful to deal with and have great quality pieces.