Advice please: Old Miner Cut Diamond Ring

[Neophyte Miner]

My fiance and I have been looking for my wedding ring for several months and finally, this ring has just reached out and grabbed us. We have learned everything we know about diamonds (not much!) in this recent search, so we know very little about old mine diamonds, except that they are gorgeous! The(online)jeweler says the ring is platinum/18k YG, main stone is 0.45ct, F, VS2; the rosecut stones are 0.25tw,F,VS1. We would have seven days to get it appraised. If we chose to return it they would charge a 2.9% restocking fee ($60). My fiance says he likes this ring a lot...I, however,fear that I am hopelessly in love with this ring! However, although we shop online all the time, this is unfamiliar territory, and since its in the $2K price range it''s making us both a little nervous. Any advice from this group will be much appreciated!

P.S. This is my first posting, I tried to attach a photo but do not see it in preview mode. If it didn''t work I''ll keep trying to get the photo posted, it''s only 4 KB.

 

[oldminer]

The ring really looks like a new reproduction and the diamond, from the very limited clarity due to small file size, looks more like a modern oval than an old mine cushion cut. It is very hard to say.

Does the seller claim the mounting is 75 or more years old? What description beyond color and clarity is given. The exact weight being given makes it sound as if they had the diamond out to weigh and grade it. Is there a document on it for quality?

These questions might be passed along as if they were your own to the seller. You may get a better amount of info in this way,.

 

[oldminer]

clearer image

 

[Neophyte Miner]

Thanks for your reply, Oldminer. No, there was no other info given, other than an e-mail response to my questions in which they said that it was c.1900, but they also said that was just a guess. I asked for the specs of the stone and they said they didn''t have that info.

I could e-mail you a link to their site with better photos if that''s okay - just not sure about protocol here.

Your initial assessment sure rings true though...it DOES look in very good condition to be so old.

 

[oldminer]

Could be 1900 range, but it sure looks like a new one to my eyes. There are some reproduction exactly like that ring. It just does not look worn a bit, but totally fresh. Also the rose diamond decor is a new way to adorn these. Few really old rings of that period were set with rose cuts.... I just can''t be certain on this however.

Funny, they have excat weight, exact color, exact clarity, but don''t have more specs. I think they are holding back something, but maybe I am just a suspicious guy. If you know certain things like they seem to know, it should mean the diamond wass examined by them unset. The any specs such as measurements also should be known. Howcome they only know weight, color and clarity exactly and know nothing else. Sounds fishy.............or secretive, to me.

It could be a nice value and a pretty ring. Don''t get me wrong. It is a matter of disclosure and honesty more than the money here. Its up to you how to respond. I don''t want you to blow the deal if you really know it is the right piece and a fair value. The age is meaningless unless you want total assurance of age................

 

[Neophyte Miner]

Here''s a larger photo...

 

[Neophyte Miner]

...and one more.

 

[fire&ice]

Not much is telling me that this piece is older. It looks newer.

 

[Neophyte Miner]

Since it is important to me that the ring be an antique for several reasons, I''m going to pass on this one. I really appreciate all of your expert input...at this point it seems obvious, even to me, that this ring is not what it is being presented to be. So, the search continues - arghhh! Any idea where I might find an authentic antique ring in this style? Have visited all the vendor links found in relevant threads and in the FAQs section on this site - so far, haven''t seen anything similar in current inventories. Thanks.

 

[belle]

have you checked fay cullen?

 

[widget]

You might try calling Malcolm at www.nelsonrarities.com . (I recommend calling rather than emailing...they''re sometimes a bit slow at responding to emails.) While they show a lot of diamond rings on their site, I know that they have many others that aren''t listed.

I have a question for oldminer and f&i: Sometimes antique dealers have their old pieces repolished, and even occasionally have the center stone repolished...which would account for the stone having been removed from the mounting and weighed.

Couldn''t this account for an old ring looking "new"?

widget

 

[fire&ice]

I can only speak from my own experiences - limited compared to Dave. But, usually if a ring is polished to the point of "looking" new - you would see some un-evenness in the shank. Look at the rings you wear vs new. By virtue of attrition you will see the difference. The subtilties of age is nearly always there.

 

[diagem]

Dave is 100% right, its an modern Oval Shape diamond, it even shows the strong bowtie if I see it right!!!

Beware!!

 

[Neophyte Miner]

Omigosh. You''re right. I don''t really know what that means, but I sure can see a couple of bowties. I am SO glad I found this website and posted those photos, I was *this* close to buying that ring! You guys rock! (sorry, I bet that one''s really old, huh?)

I''ll keep looking...oh, and just for the record, the "jeweler" in question is not on any of the vendor lists on this website, I stumbled onto his site before I found this one.

 

[oldminer]

Widget:You asked:

"I have a question for oldminer and f&i: Sometimes antique dealers have their old pieces repolished, and even occasionally have the center stone repolished...which would account for the stone having been removed from the mounting and weighed.
Couldn''t this account for an old ring looking "new"?"

There are two dead giveaways here. The air-line between the top of the ring and the shank is joined by heavy handed, block sections. Old rings used delicate connections and generally used open tubing, but not heavy connectors. Also, the age of the diamond is in question. It looks like a modern cut in the photo.

Secondarily, the rose diamonds set into this ring are a typical reproduction style of the past 10 years and not an old style. The ring has a modern carat stamp inside.... Just too many things that scream NEW NEW NEW and nothing saying old old old. That''s why I have said what I said.

 

[valeria101]

Most of the rings at faycullen are new as well... Neslon was mentioned, and you might want to take a look at estatediamondsjewelry.com and Adin.be and Singlestone.com on the web. There are sites with estate jewelry like Trocadero.com (better for introducing shops than the merchandise itself!) and surely others that I don''t remember right away.

Virtually any of these (not Nelsorarities) carry antiques, estate and reproductions side by side. It is always worth asking before going for one. This ring here was a pretty obvious case - some are more subtle (especially the better made modern rings).

Hope some of this helps a bit

 

[widget]

Thanks, oldminer....good things to know to look for when considering vintage pieces.

That there are "new" rose cuts and "old" rose cuts was news to me~

Thanks again..

widget

 

[oldminer]

There are new and old sytle rose cuts, BUT I was referring to using rose cuts in these mountings as a repro style in itself. The old ones used single cut or full diamond brilliants. The British used some rose cuts in 18kt white gold and/or silver topped items, but not so much when they used platinum.

 

[Neophyte Miner]

Valeria101 wrote,

This ring here was a pretty obvious case - some are more subtle (especially the better made modern rings).

The more I read here the more I learn...thanks for all the vendor recommendations too. I wish they would all list the prices instead of requiring a phone call (in some cases). Again, I''m relieved that I didn''t take the leap of faith on this one without researching and finding this site...the vendor actually said in one of his em''s to me: "Trust me." That, of course, was my first red flag!

 

[KittenKat]

I purchased my Old European Cut from Single Stone... www.Singlestone.com

We loved working with them.. They have a wonderful selection every time I''ve gone in there.

 

[diagem]

Yes, I know they are trustworthy!!! And profesional!!!

 

[pad3006]

Hi;
If you are looking for an old ring, maybe you could go to jewelers who purchase items from Estate sales and such. My mom got a miners cut diamond for her engagment, and she and her fiancee picked out an old setting from a jeweler who bought pieces from an estate sale. It turned out to be beautiful, they got a signed piece from a famous designer who did work for the Rockafellers. I hope that you have the same luck.
Take care

Phil

 

[Neophyte Miner]

Dear Phil,

Thank you for the idea. As it turns out, Katrina refugees are flooding our city today and our mayor says that many more are expected. We have volunteered our home, so it may be that the funds for my ring go to help these poor abandoned elderly, children, and other innocent victims of this national crisis. I am relieved all over again that I found this site and did not waste our measly $2,000 ring fund on a fraudulent ring. Instead maybe we can now help a few of these horribly abandoned people, if they can make it out of NOLA alive. Thank you again.

Cathy
Austin, TX.

 

[jennalyns]

Cathy,

When I saw on the news that Houston had volunteered to shelter the people, I hoped that Austin would help out too, being that I am most recently from there and I know the spirit of the people there. If I were still there I would open my home too, but I am in Japan now so other than donating money there is not much I can do from here to offer immediate help, and I feel powerless. I am proud to be from a state that has opened its doors to try to make some difference in this horrible crisis.

Bless you for opening your home and for planning on using your ring fund to help the situation. As somebody on here said awhile ago, it''s only money, you''ll make more. Even if you have to wait to buy your ring, helping people now will make whatever ring you buy later that much more special, since you did all you could to help those people who have lost everything.

Best of luck to you.

Jen

 

[Neophyte Miner]

I didn''t mean to imply that I had donated my entire ring fund in one fell swoop...just that, thanks to the response of Oldminer and others to this thread, I still have that money to dip into as needed instead of having just blown it all on a bogus antique. Thanks again y''all.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

I could just add one little comment on this obvious repro:

The white overlay section is too thin - if a white platinum ovelay is soldered ontop of the gold, it must be thicker because the digging out of the pave'' grains results in going thru the white layer and revealing the yellow underneath.

the top of this ring was rhaodium plated - a process that I do not know the earliest date for - but i think it might have been between the wars.

Can anyone help me?