Can''t wait for my OEC ering!

[elrohwen]

Hi everyone! I''ve been lurking here for a bit trying to find out everything I can about OECs. My boyfriend''s family had an old men''s ring with a big OEC (worn by his great-grandfather, possibly great-great) that was passed down to us. We picked out a setting (X-prong with channel set round diamonds ... like the Vatche, but we had it custom made at a store near us) and he just picked it up on Saturday. Eek! I''m so excited. I know I don''t want to see it until the proposal (which should be in 2-3 weeks) but it is soooo tempting to peek in the box. I wish our house was bigger so that he could hide it somewhere I actually couldn''t find it.

I''m especially nervous about the ring because I have no idea what the diamond will look like. It was set in a huge yellow gold men''s setting with an illusion plate (is that what you call them?) so it will look totally different in a simple platinum setting. I''m worried that it will be dull and unpretty

I got to see the appraisal report from the jeweler and learned that it''s 1.67ct, H color, I2. It has a big chip from the girdle down around the pavillion ... it''s pretty big, but most people can''t see it with the naked eye (at least my friends can''t even when I point it out, though I can) and in the new setting it will be hidden by a prong anyway. The symmetry and polish were both fair, which worries me a little. The jeweler said that if I don''t like it in the new setting, he can have it recut/polished to get rid of the chips and things without taking off too much weight. Part of me likes the idea of having it polished, but part of me wants to keep it in its original state. I also learned that it''s much shallower than most OECs (57-58%). Is this something to worry about? The jeweler was sure it was an OEC, but the proportion seems off and I''m worried it will affect the sparkle.

I guess I''ll just have to wait and see it in person to know if it looks stunning or not (my bf says it does, but guys are so much less picky about that stuff than girls

). For now I''ll have to be content with looking at pictures of everyone else''s amazing OEC rings and hoping that mine is just as gorgeous

 

[surfgirl]

I''m not sure which percentages you''re posting about so I''m not sure what you''re referring to. Is that the depth or what? Also, you can really say that x% is the ideal/perfect percentage for an OMC or an OEC because there is SO much variation in each stone. It''s not like today''s RBs, which are cut to exact precision dimensions to give a specific look. Old cuts didn''t have that precision and therefore, each stone''s performance really depends on who cut it and how they cut it. You say you''re not sure if it''s an OEC or not. Take a look at some of the below folks threads and see if your stone looks at all similar in the faceting. My thread is below, and the others, you can look up their threads:

https://www.pricescope.com/forum/op-requested/at-last-my-antique-ering-t61580.html

Also check out threads for erings from:

ringster
facetfire
chrono

And this thread, where you can see a lot of rings with old cuts and then look up each person''s rings:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-antique-cuts-part-2.65973/

You should be able to see similarities in the faceting and then you''ll be able to see if that looks like your stone or not. Cant wait to see photos of yours!

 

[elrohwen]

Yeah, sorry, that was the depth. The appraisal says 57.9% and from what I've read, that seems shallow for an OEC. Not that it's necessarily bad, just that it's out of type.

And we know it's definitely an OEC. I'm not worried that it isn't, just that the proportions seem so different from those I've read about. When I saw it in the old setting I thought it was very pretty and I'm just hoping I still think it's pretty when I see it in the new setting. The jeweler got me worried when he warned me about how different it would look.

What's your opinion on repolishing/recutting an old stone like this (keeping it as an OEC, not recutting it as a RB)? With only fair polish and symmetry I'm sure there's some room for improvement, but it worries me to do anything to it. Is it common to repolish old stones or do most people keep them in the condition that they found them? From reading your posts it sounds like your stone is in really great condition and it shows in the pictures. I hope mine's that sparkly.

 

[surfgirl]

Yeah, my stone is indeed in very good condition for its age. It does have some very minor chipping in a couple of places but that's amazing that it's as little as it is since the girdle is extremely thin in some places. Most old stones have some wear and tear, it's very rare to get one without any minor girdle chipping. But what you describe is a big chip on a large part of the stone. I'd wait and see what it looks like in its new setting. As you said, you might not notice it so it becomes moot. OTOH, if you dont like how it looks, or the chip bothers you in the new setting, I'd look into re-polishing the stone but not re-cutting it into a RB! There are so few old stones out there and because this one has sentimental value, I'd rather see you try to maintain it's integrity by finding someone to re-polish but not re-cut it. That way, you may lose a little bit in the weight but you'd retain the unique OEC look! If you choose to go that route, I'd call Ari at Single Stone, as well as Michael Goldstein in NYC. And possibly Gus Tanenbaum (I think that's his name?) in SF. Any of those guys can recommend you to someone who has extensive experience with re-polishing old stones. However, I would NOT let your local jewelry take care of it. To me, re polishing and maintaining the old style faceting of the stone should be done by someone with a lot of experience, not just regular re polishing guys. If you decide on doing the re polishing, I'd post another thread here at that time, and call in folks like Dia Gem and Dave Atlas, who are antique experts and maybe they can recommend others besides the three I mentioned above.

 

[surfgirl]

Sorry, I got the SF contacts a little bit wrong! It's Gus Farber & Dan Tenenbaum in SF.

If it was me, I'd probably go to Ari first...He does re polishing of old stones all the time.

 

[elrohwen]

Oh yeah, I definitely wouldn''t cut it into an RB. I didn''t realize at first how special it was, but the more I read and see the more I love OECs. I''m so proud to have such a special stone for my ring. I''m so glad this forum was here because, other than this, I haven''t been able to find much useful info on OECs (other than the basic history of the cut). People here are so passionate about them and it''s making me more and more excited to have one. I hope I can bug my bf''s grandfather and find out more history of the ring (the jeweler said the setting was not original to the stone, so I want to find out what they did with it before the man''s setting). The history behind it is one of the coolest parts.

Thanks for the recommendations. I''m not sure if the jeweler was suggesting that his store do the polishing or if he''d send it out ... but if I do it I would definitely want the best person for the job. Do you think it would make a noticeable difference in the look of the diamond? I don''t want to touch it at all for sentimental reasons, but part of me wants it to be the best that it can be and polishing would be the way to do it. At least I don''t have to make that decision anytime soon. I''ll live with it for a while before I go down that road.

And thanks for your help and quick responses

 

[surfgirl]

I just think that it's important to let someone who "knows" old antique stones do the re polishing if it comes to that. I wouldn't trust any local jeweler to know a really experienced antique stone expert, to be quite honest. I think they'd probably just sent it to whomever they usually send stones to to polish out a ding. And such a person would probably not understand how to maintain the integrity of an antique stone, that's just my personal feeling. I'd go to the experts on that.

Oh, and an "almost" welcome to the OCC (Old Cuts Club)! Yes, we're passionate about our old beauties and you will be too!