Any important considerations when shopping for an antique eternity ring?

[Aino]

Hi all,

I saw my semi-local auction house having a lot of two antique eternity rings coming up under the hammer tomorrow. They seem of fitting style and size (both ct and diameter). So I feel like I should send a bid in. Are there though any concerns with antique eternity rings, e.g. related to the setting / replaced diamonds / structural integrity ?

They are both channel set. The small one has single cut diamonds about 0.4 ctw and the bigger has OECs about 1ctw. G-H color and SI clarity. They only have one picture in their catalog and it's hard to judge the stones or the level or wear. I am not keen on driving there to inspect them so I should make a decision based on the picture and info given. I could call them up though before leaving a phone bid. The starting price with fees and taxes is about 750 USD for the lot which sounds good to me but perhaps it's too good? It's a big auction house so why would the price be so low if all is good?

Any advice is very helpful as always to stop me over thinking this

 

[Ally T]

They are absolutely lovely rings & at that price point, I'd be tempted myself if they were in my size! Is there any way of contacting the auction house & asking some questions?

 

[kgizo]

My only caution is that sometimes you can get a ring you like the look of but not the feel. Maybe its too light/heavy, small/large, rough edges, etc. When bidding keep in mind you may have to take to a jeweler to have something done which costs $. If you are able to get auction items for what you think you could resell them for on LT or DB then there is very little risk if it turns out that you don’t like them in person for whatever reason. As for the prices being “too good”, there are no returns with auction houses. Many people aren’t willing to spend money on something they don’t get to try on or return. They are very pretty bands. Good luck!

 

[Aino]

@Alex T Thanks for the reply Alex! They are indeed lovely Yes I can call them up and ask them questions. Any suggestions for what to ask specifically? I asked about the practicalities only e.g. fees and taxes.

@kgizo thanks for the reply! That's a good call. I believe these should be quite sellable at least if price doesn't hike up too much. If they need too much work, I might be also forced to either sell them or wait till I'm abroad to sort them out. Where I currently live, the cost of any fixing is sky high. Also your explanation makes sense, and puts my mind a bit more at ease, thanks

So sounds like I should just go ahead and leave a bid, wish me luck!

 

[Aino]

They also have this ring that I just love the look of but it's massive at nearly 5 ctw so thinking it's not exactly my style but those french cuts ...

 

[kgizo]

Wow!! 5ct is totally my style, but not my budget. What is the estimate for that ring? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a french cut band with stones that big.

 

[Aino]

@kgizo if i'm calculating correctly (you add their fees AND taxes on top of their prices) the minimum is roughly 8000 USD and expecting 9-12k. For that price I would want to see & try the ring on before bidding!

 

[Aino]

Just saw this one online:
https://www.1stdibs.com/jewelry/rin...at/id-j_387892/?utm_content=test&currency=chf

So the auction price seems quite high but roughly aligned with the market.

 

[Ally T]

Oh my, those French cuts...

Definitely ask if the bands are smooth when they run a finger around them, just to ensure all the diamonds are flush set. And maybe ask the gram weight of each band, so that you can weigh something to a similar weight & see how you feel about it? I know I am NOT a flimsy girl. I like my bands nice & solid. And good luck! You absolutely must let us know if you win & then obviously come back with heaps of pictures!

 

[Aino]

Oh my, those French cuts...

Definitely ask if the bands are smooth when they run a finger around them, just to ensure all the diamonds are flush set. And maybe ask the gram weight of each band, so that you can weigh something to a similar weight & see how you feel about it? I know I am NOT a flimsy girl. I like my bands nice & solid. And good luck! You absolutely must let us know if you win & then obviously come back with heaps of pictures!

Great tips! Thank you Alex I rung them up and they said they could not check the rings for me anymore... But they did reveal the total weight: 3.2 grams together. That sounds a wee flimsy to me as one modern eternity band I have weighs 3.4 grams. But I could survive with that though, just need to wear them together and pics are obviously guaranteed if I win!

 

[KittyKatEve]

I would love to hear how it goes! When do you know about if you win or not? Eternity bands cannot be resized, so the work I would be worried about is just if the channels need to be rebuilt and if you would want to rhodium plate it or not.

 

[Bron357]

Are they Platinium or white gold?
From my own auction experiences, and I always view in person, is that some of the diamonds may have chips or fractures. This is quite common with eternity rings seeing as the diamonds go all the way around.
Decide your limit before you start bidding, remembering the fees etc on top.
The estimate can end up being way lower than the actual sale price, often times the auctioneers either set that as the reserve and/or underquote to encourage more interest, knowing that once people start bidding, it gets hard for them to stop!

 

[Aino]

@KittyKatEve thanks for the reply! That was kind of my worry too if they are all damaged but they don’t mention anything and they look fine in pictures. My bad that I found them so late so they won’t inspect it for me anymore. The auction is today so I will find out soon!

@Bron357 thanks Bron again for your help with my questions! They are 18k white gold both. Had I found them earlier I could’ve planned a day/weekend trip around the auction but now I just must take a calculated risk as you said. Fingers crossed there aren’t too many interested bidders and they turn out fine! It’s really a shame that it is too far since I feel an ever growing itch for that French cut eternity (and PS FC threads aren’t helping) but throwing thousands at it without inspecting is crazy right? Could they omit to mention about damage to the diamonds? They say the diamonds are vvs G-H so they are kind of promising very clear stones.

 

[Aino]

I got the rings !! Not for the minimum price but just at my max so I am happy. Now I am just really really hoping they turn out to be in a good shape. Can't wait to get them

I was tempted to make a bid for the FC eternity too as NO ONE bid for it and the lot was eventually passed. But those fees, shipping costs and taxes weren't in my favour plus obviously the fact that I had not seen the ring in person.

Thank you for everyone here for you advice and help, I really appreciate it and it made this easier for my nerves. I will be posting pictures when I finally get them home.

 

[KittyKatEve]

Yay!!! Congrats! I can't wait to see them!

 

[DAF]

I don't know, five carats may not look as big as you think on the finger.