Antique Box Illusion Setting?

[couriernew]

Hi All,
Long time lurker, first time poster. I never cared much about rings until I got one! Suddenly I''m very interested in the rings everyone else has.

I recently received a family heirloom ring from my parents which we are using as my engagement ring. We had it appraised and they said it was a box illusion setting from the 1920s with a transition cut center stone. It''s not worth a ton, but it''s got a lot of sentimental value to me. Also, I have been searching high and low online and have yet to find a ring that looks anything like it. Which I guess makes me like it more. I''ll try to attach pictures we got from the appraiser-- does anyone have a ring that looks anything like this? When I look for ''box illusion setting'' I don''t seem to find particularly similar rings.

Thanks for reading!

-C

 

[Sam82]

do you have more pictures? it''s hard to see what''s going on from that one phote.

 

[Hest88]

C - welcome.

I''m not an expert so...I know what a box setting is supposed to be and I know what the modern definition of an illusion setting is (are there multiple diamonds set in the head that, from far away, make it look like one bigger diamond?).

 

[LGK]

I'd guess late 1930s to 1940s on the age, actually- and most likely the '40s. Transitional cuts usually date to around then, and the yellow gold was beginning to come back into popularity at that time, especially in a mixed metal look with white gold used as well in the same setting. Also that type of square head setting was very, very popular then, and continued to be so through the early '50s, but the height of popularity for that type of square head was in the '40s I believe. (This was before there were princess cuts, so that was pretty much the only way to get a really sharply square looking diamond.)

The term "box illusion" isn't terribly common. "Illusion" is sometimes used to refer to the square head settings with some extra metal around the center diamond like that, but it's also used for four princess cuts set in a square too, in modern jewelry, so if you google it that's probably what you'll find mostly. Honestly, I rarely see antique jewelry dealers use a particular term to refer to these types of pieces- they just tend to date them approximately and list the carat weight and that's about it, lol. (Not to say it isn't the right term- just that a lot of people don't *know* it, including antique jewelry dealers, so you may not find a lot of info if you're googling it.)

They're pretty common, especially with the center diamond being around .20 to .50 carat. My mom has one very similar I got for her last Xmas, she wears it as a pinky ring- the first diamond she's ever owned actually. I work at an antique mall with a number of estate jewelry dealers and there's a bunch of very similar pieces in their showcases as I type- I can think of around a half dozen off the top of my head.

That being said, they're gorgeous I think, especially when you find them with the original antique cut diamond intact (many have been swapped out witha round brilliant over the years, sadly).

ETA: My first wedding set was really similar actually, same type of square illusion head with a .20ish carat center diamond, but without the yellow gold. It was from the late 1940s. Unfortunately it pretty much fell apart eventually

so I don't wear it, I replaced it finally.

 

[tyty333]

My Mother''s first and second engagement rings are both illusion settings. Here are links to serveral examples...
http://www.circa1930s.com/c30shop/engring/wedset.htm
http://www.aboutengagementrings.net/antiquerings1.html

Congratulations on your engagement!

 

[couriernew]

Thanks for the great info and background everyone! Here is another picture in case it is helpful.

Going back to the appraisal document, the center stone is about .15 carat and the 3 stones on each side are about .015 carats each. Not particularly flashy or big, but they catch the light really well, especially low light or candlelight. Also apparently it is a good setting for rings that are worn daily, because the stones are secure and well-protected.

This is such a helpful forum! I''m really glad I found it.