Newbie with an unidentified antique ring

[theenviousmoon]

My grandmother recently gave me this ring; it's since been cleaned and resized. It's stamped 14K on the inside of the band, but we really know nothing else about it. (If it helps, her uncle won it in a craps game during World War I.) Can anyone offer any guesses as to age or manufacturer &c?






Any help would be appreciated. I'm planning to get it appraised anyway, as it holds quite a lot of sentimental value.

 

[chrono]

Can you post a clearer picture of the top view? I cannot make out the facet pattern of the diamond, which will help date the age of the ring. No manufacturer's stamp?

 

[theenviousmoon]

These were the best pictures I could get of the stone, considering I don't have a decent magnifying glass (or camera...). I hope they're good enough for you to see the facet pattern. There are no markings aside from the 14K stamped on the band.

 

[jewelrymouse]

I'm not an expert on cuts, so I can't tell you anything about the diamond. The setting is Art Deco (1920-1935), and since the War ended in 1918, that would fit.

 

[Demerara]

There are some very simple tests to see whether the center stone is a diamond.
1. Does the stone feel cold when touching your skin at room temperature? A diamond would be cold.
2. Put a piece of newspaper beneath the center stone. Can you read the print? Is the appearance normal or do you see the letters twice?
Normally, you cannot read anything through a diamond, unless it has a "window", which is considered a cut problem today, but it is common occurrence in antique diamonds. Anything that is double-refracting is not a diamond.
3. Look at the stone with a 10x loupe or higher magnification. Either buy a cheap loupe (e.g. a Belomo), or in case you have an old laser pointer, the lens in the laser pointer can be used as a magnification lens for your cellphone camera.
- Look at the edges of the stone. Are they chipped? Diamonds are not prone to chipping, this can be a hint that the center stone is something else, probably a zircon. The edges should be very sharp and not rounded.
- Look inside the stone. This is rather tricky and most untrained people cannot see anything at all. Are there inclusions? In case the inclusion looks like bubbles, this is probably glass you are looking at.

I highly recommend to take the ring to an appraiser, since you need some documentation for insurance purposes. As for finding a qualified appraiser, have a look at the brochure from Mr. La Shawn Bauer at Gemology Online:
http://www.gemologyonline.com/LaShawn/brochure2.pdf

Regardless of its value, this is a very beautiful ring.