Best Places To Fine A Mine, Euro, or Cushion

[alexandrite_lover]

Hi fellow Pricescopers! I have been searching for quite some time with no luck, so decided to turn to you masters about this: where is the best place to find an antique mine, cushion, or european cut? I have looked at Good Old Good (GOG), Old World Diamonds (I have onbe picked out there, but was trying to see if y''all had better ideas), and even eBay

.

I am looking for something around .85-1.60 carats, D-F color, flourescence, IF-VS2 clarity, no chips/cracks, and symmetry is not a must, as I like one-of-a-kind''ers

.

Thank you so much for posting and letting me drool over all your stunning rings!

 

[dani13]

Hi Alex and welcome!

You might try Mark at ERD (www.engagementringsdirect.com), www.jewelsbyericagrace (Erica and Grace are PS-ers too!) and Ari at Singlestone (www.singlestone.com). All of these vendors have found great stones (for many people here) like the ones you mentioned. Good luck!!!

 

[NeverEndingUpgrade]

NelsonRarities.com has some nice antique cuts, but they are complete rings, not loose stones. Nice stuff, though.

 

[surfgirl]

If you want that high of a color grade, you may be looking for a very long time, and if/when you find an antique stone in the D-F/IF VS range, you can expect to pay much MUCH more than a similar quality stone of newer cut. Also, old stones in the best color gradings are very rare simply because they're more likely to be kept in the family. I believe most of EricaGrace's stones are lower colors in the J and below range, at least from what I've seen of their inventory, but I'm sure they'll weigh in here. If you really have your heart set on a very high color grade, then call Ari at Single Stone and give him your criteria and he'll tell you if he has access to call one in, if one is in his current inventory, or that he'll call you when he finds one in your range. From what I've seen, he has access to the best quality if you're looking for a really high color grade (and he supplies a lot of dealers as well so you might as well go directly to the source and save some money!). You can look all over obviously, always being on the look out, but again, an antique stone in the D-F range will be very difficult to find and very very expensive. Just a heads up! Enjoy your shopping process!

ETA: If you really want a high color stone, you might look at new cushions at ERD. Mark can get them with a chunkier look. Check out Boston Jeff's amazing stone - that would be the easiest way to get the chunky faceting with the higher color and not pay a premium for an antique stone in the same color range.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/2-26-cushion-old-mine-brilliant-leon-mege-solitaire.62389/

 

[alexandrite_lover]

Dani: Thank you so much! I checked them out, and will pursue much further with Ari

. Your ring is stunning!

NeverEndingUpgrade: Ooh, definite possibilities. I called on one ring, but they said they do not sell stones out of the ring, but rather as a unit

.

Surfgirl: Your words are so helpful! I compared a few old stones to some new ones (same color, carat, and clarity) and they were much more. I am prepared to pay whatever I need, but am not so sure about waiting too, too long (I am starting the search about a year and a half early). With that having been said, the longer I wait, the bigger my budget gets (this is for a RHR). Thank you for referring me to lok at Boston Jeff''s ring! I fell in love and was floored

. Your ering is one of my all time favs

. Chunkier cushions from Mark are now in the mix; do you know if he always has them in inventory, or if he special orders them?

Alex

 

[neatfreak]

Alex, Mark has access to almost anything relatively quickly because he is in the diamond district in NY. But he doesn't actually own the stones if that makes sense. Just does the legwork to get them for you once you describe to him what you want.

I bought a cushion from him. He's fantastic and will work very hard for you.

 

[LGK]

Also, if you''re against chips, you could be narrowing your field down a LOT. Many, if not actually most, antique diamonds have some small ones at least. Often, even if you can''t see them with your naked eye, they can be the clarity grader. For example, I have a OEC with a couple of chips that I can''t see but they make it a VS2, rather than the original grade it would have had of IF or VVS1. (I have had three OECs and two of them were graded by wear & tear related issues, not inclusions- the other one was probably a VS1 originally, and an SI2 with chip.)

The girdles on many antique diamonds are awfully thin and that, as well as the wear & tear of a century or so, are the reason so many are chipped. You''ll also find bearding on a lot of them too (little teensy feathers creeping in from the girdle).

Good luck! It sounds like you''ve got most of your bases covered for your search- definitely try Single Stone, though; they get some higher color grades in I think.

I''ve bought two OECs off ebay and yeah, it can be done, but it can also be a bit hairy. Buy from an established vendor, who has a good return policy & good feedback, preferably who specializes in antique jewelry, and who is responsive to questions and provides lots of info and pics upon request. Also get an independant appraisal immediately. That cuts down on the chances of having a bad experience by a LOT. Oh, and if they own a real world store, all the better.

 

[Circe]

I just saw this post! If you''re still considering an older cut at all, try looking at these ladies ... they specialize in older stones, and seem to have a great selection.

 

[surfgirl]

How''s your search going Alex? Can you tell us where you live? If so, perhaps some of us will know some smaller shops in your area that you could check out. I also highly recommend looking at every nice antique shop that might sell fine jewelry...I found my ering in a shop that sells fine estate and antique jewelry and I always check such shops just in case I find a treasure..you never know.

 

[Imdanny]

Alex, check this out. This is one of Mark''s cushions.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/finally-the-yanni-variant-arrived-courtesy-of-erd.85914/

No chips/ cracks, because it''s new. Amazing.

(And didn''t Surfgirl find the treasure of a lifetime- wow! Another one of my favorites definitely.)