Old Miner''s Cut from 1880

[nnaiden]

Hello! I am new here, and found the place looking for information on miners cut diamonds. I have a tiffany ring that was a great-great (however many) grandfather''s. The stone was given to the family for a 500 dollar debt in 1880 and no one has hocked it since. I want to continue that tradition because it seems unusual to me - and am trying to get some idea of the realistic worth of it. This is hard to do, there isn''t much information out there that I can find.
Let me give you wise folks the specs.

It is approximately 1.85 carats
Diameter 8 x 7.98mm
Average diamter 7.99 mm
Depth 4.62mm
Table 4.60 mm
Clarity 4 (MJGI); vs (GIA)
Color C (MJGI); J-K (GIA)
UV Florescense: Moderate blue
Proportions:
Table 58%
Girdle Thickness is thin to medium
Culet is ''very large''
Pavilion depth is 42%
Crown angles at 36 degrees
Finish
Girdle: bearded
Symmetry: good
Polish: good

It is in a shank of yellow gold and a six prong platinum head (sort of the classic tiffany setting). Weight is 2dwt approximately.

This information came from a gemologist appraiser in Denver in 1987. There is a diagram of the stone with some tiny marks on it, flaws? They are few and small.

If anyone can give any information I would be so grateful. It''s a stone with depth (and it''s huge anyway - a Liz Taylor type thing to my eye) and a chunky sparkle that is always a bit bluish - ever so slightly a hint of blue, like the night sky sort of?

Thanks for any opinions or comments. I could photograph it and post the photo but have to figure out how. I''ll see if I can do it.

NN

 

[Hest88]

You sure know how to get my attention! It sounds like a gorgeous stone and I am very jealous!

One thing you can do is send it to Dave Atlas, who is Oldminer here on Pricescope. His company actually specializes in older cuts.

 

[nnaiden]

Yes, it sounds like he knows quite a lot. I am hesitant to mail it until I get a little more information or input? I'll try and post a photo, but don't know how good a picture I can get. It's a big honker (at least to me).

 

[Rank Amateur]

Welcome to Pricescope!

Your ring sounds like a real family treasure! I suspect Dave himself will respond to this one. They say he makes the market on old mine cuts.

Who or what is MJGI? If the appraisal is getting old you might invest in Dave's services so that you know exactly what you have. (And he can give you some good pics to post

). Dave can also fill you in on the best way to ship and insure your parcel.

Have fun with it!

R/A

 

[oldminer]

I am traveling at the Tucson Gem Show still, but we can certainly help you on the value. Please copy your pricescope posting and email it to [email protected]

He will give you some idea of what an old miner of that color and clarity are worth.....Please tell him that I said it was okay to do. (*Copy this note in your email to him)

Dave Atlas

 

[nnaiden]

Well, I tried to upload a picture of the diagram that's on the appraisal and the website kept telling me it couldn't take it, yet my file was within the parameters listed as required. Any ideas on how to post it? I can try to upload a picture, but don't know if that'll work any better.




My goodness Mr. Atlas, I am floored by your quick and generous reply! I managed to email Mr. Adamson (I never know if I should be formal or informal on the internet...) and actually send the appraisers diagram of the stone. I'll try and post the photo of it on this later, and can email that to give him some idea.




I like the idea of keeping it in the family - but if my cousin wants to buy it for say 2,000 and it might bring more elsewhere then I'd really need to think about it. I'm not wealthy by any means! And whoever had it would enjoy it, I'm sure.




It just doesn't go with a Montana lifestyle though....




Noelle

 

[Daniela]

Wow, your diamond sounds soooo cool! I can't wait to see pictures of it. What a wonderful family heirloom; I can understand why you're so in love with it. I wouldn't give it up for anything in the world, either.

It will be very interesting to see what the experts say about this one. That type of fluorescence, from what I've read, was highly coveted in the old days.

Daniela

 

[Hest88]

Please don't think about selling it, or I will be very tempted to blow my budget and snap it up!

There's something so very special about an OMC, especially one with a loving family history.

 

[valeria101]

Who labeled symmetry "good": if this is a GIA grade... oh well, there are not too many OMCs carying it. The stone should be great by all means: high colors are not all that common in ols cuts, and neither is god clarity (which your gem has). Is the setting contenporary with the stone? Solitaires were not really al the rage then but the 1910-1920 styles are among my favorites... so I could not help asking

 

[nnaiden]

New information as I read up on diamonds. The appraisal done in 87 uses a brilliant cut diagram and lists it as a "round brilliant" but I know the stone has not been recut. It has been remounted into this typical tiffany setting - gold shank, platinum head holding the stone with prongs. But no one in the family ever recut it.




Even odder - I have had jewelers look at it - one who is very good locally (see Barney Jette Jewelery for a website). Barney said it was a "miners cut" after looking at it in his scope and explained what a miners cut was. Yet the appraisal uses 'round brilliant' - I had a friend take some pictures, but don't know if they will upload. Any suggestions on how to load a photo?

 

[Rank Amateur]

It is still more or less a "round brilliant", it's just that the cut was still being developed.

I'll look for some faceting patterns to post. Iceman used to have some on his website, but the thing is all buggered up right now.

 

[Hest88]

This is also a pretty good overview:
http://www.diamondexpert.com/articles/cut.html

 

[nnaiden]

Try as I might I can't get a picture to upload. It either tells me that it won't take it (it's a jpg that is well within the size) or just goes to another screen altogether. So I sent it to someone to see if they can upload it.




The stone was appraised by a certified appraiser in 87 - that's who gave it the ratings on cut, clarity and all that. I think my other diamond - my mother's ring, is also a miners cut. It has the same characteristics, and you can see the culet through the stone. But I haven't had that one looked at. I have two other old diamonds - 1920's, but they may be modern, I'm not sure.




The setting on the large one is very tiffany - the stone stands way up above the shank. I like stones in a channel setting myself, but it's not realistic with a stone this large.


It's really NOT Montana, at least not my Montana, where I spent the day today grubbing around outside trying to finish building a dog kennel! But it has a rich quality to it - and a sort of glow (does that sound nuts?) but I am no expert on these stones.




NN

 

[nnaiden]

 

[nnaiden]

I'm sorry the image is so dang big. Try as I might I could not reduce it in IRFANVIEW, and so it ended up being huge. But at least you can get the idea with a picture.




nn

 

[valeria101]

Here it is! This is a great picture, I think, showing very nice symmetry for an old cut... Besides, look at the different reflections of white and yellow metal through the stone - great example of what those platinum settings can do to actually make stones look whiter. And the dot in the middle of the stone is than charming old-cut culet. I hope I did not mistreat the original (huge) picture too much

- this shows the essentials

, I hope.

 

[goldenringlets]

Well done. Lovely ring.

 

[nnaiden]

Well THANK YOU for uploading the picture! I sure couldn't do it dispite my efforts. I'm no good with graphics.

nn

 

[EdSkinner]

That is not an old miner. If anything it might be old European cut, but the crown looks to low, so it is probally transitional from the 30's. Well maybe the crown is about 15% but old mine cuts are cushion shaped.

 

[glitterata]

It looks quite a bit like my (pre-1921) Old European Cut.

 

[winyan]

Beautiful diamond, you have me, (old cut lover) drooling all over my keyboard!!

win

 

[valeria101]

Transitional RBC... as I know them. Quite a lovely cut, I should say.