Opal ring with diamonds and savorite

[Mirabella]

I have been looking at an antique ring with an pear shaped opal surrounded by diamonds and a light green stone that the dealer said is savorite. I am told the ring is approx. 100 years old. I've been trying to figure out if the asking price of $2000 is in line. According to the seller the ring is Austrainian Fire Opal- Pear shape and very good quality. It measures 13.59 mm x 8.70mm and is 4mm deep. The 9 diamonds are Tolkowski cut and in total are 75 points. There are 18 of the green stones and the outside of the ring is French enamel.

I have read the the Tolkowski cut was started around 1919 and that savorite was discovered in 1960. Is this correct? Is the dealer wrong?

What goes into determining a price for antique rings?
I wanted some reasurrance and hoped that a little browsing would do it, but I am more confused than ever. The ring is unusual and beautiful. The dealer said it a custom ring and hand set.
Should I ask for a guarentee that it will appraise for the asking price? What is the best way to protect myself?

I want to make an educated purchase and could use some help.
Thanks

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

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On 8/4/2003 7:37:37 PM Mirabella wrote:
I have been looking at an antique ring with an pear shaped opal surrounded by diamonds and a light green stone that the dealer said is savorite. I am told the ring is approx. 100 years old. I've been trying to figure out if the asking price of $2000 is in line. According to the seller the ring is Austrainian Fire Opal- Pear shape and very good quality. It measures 13.59 mm x 8.70mm and is 4mm deep. The 9 diamonds are Tolkowski cut and in total are 75 points. There are 18 of the green stones and the outside of the ring is French enamel.

I have read the the Tolkowski cut was started around 1919 and that savorite was discovered in 1960. Is this correct? Is the dealer wrong?

What goes into determining a price for antique rings?
I wanted some reasurrance and hoped that a little browsing would do it, but I am more confused than ever. The ring is unusual and beautiful. The dealer said it a custom ring and hand set.
Should I ask for a guarentee that it will appraise for the asking price? What is the best way to protect myself?

I want to make an educated purchase and could use some help.
Thanks----------------

Well I would advise you to politely ask the seller if you could send this ring to an independent appraiser for his un-bias advice on what your considering to purchase. If the ring is what he says it is maybe you and your jewler can make the sale contingent on those specifications.

There are many things to be considered when purchasing an estate piece, antique piece, or wintage jewelry. There are many things that experienced appraisers look for and can also gauge the craftsmanship and quality of the ring along with the quality of the colored gemstones, (tsavorites being a rare green garnet). There are many things that are looked at when considering the quality of a gemstone including region where it came from and clarity including visible inclusions and color along with intensity and saturation of that color. Its a lot to take in and try to understand yourself and thats why I thinksits a good idea for you to get it looked at by an independent appraiser. There advice will be un-biased and you can rest assured with a professionals opinion over that of the individual who is trying to make the sale.....

Good Luck!

-Josh Rioux
Sitka, Alaska

 

[mike04456]

Without having seen the ring (and you definitely need the assistance of an expert estate appraiser to get a definitive opinion here), this is what I think.

Assuming that the ring is indeed 100 years old, those green garnets are probably not tsavorites but demantoids. Demantoid garnets were popular around the turn of the century due to their connection with the Russian Tsars and were used in a lot of jewelry. Demantoids actually tend to be more valuable and brilliant than tsavorites, so that's good.

If in fact they are tsavorites (and determining this with such small stones would be very hard without unmounting them), it is extremely unlikely that the ring is 100 years old unless it has been modified since its original manufacture.

Marcel Tolkowsky published his design for a diamond cut in 1919, but he wasn't the only one to recommend those proportions. But for stones cut well before that date, it's unlikely they used Tolkowsky proportions. Again, how the jeweler knows this without having unmounted such small
stones is a mystery to me.

As far as the value of the opal, there is no way to know without examining it. Opal is all over the map, from a few dollars per carat to tens of thousands. Bottom line is that you need an independent appraisal from someone who knows both antique jewelry and opals. Valuing opal is very difficult and definitely not for amateurs.

 

[Mirabella]

Thanks for the input. Here is the ring

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Just Beautiful Mirabella...Congratulations...Looks like the opal has good play of color....

-Josh

 

[Mirabella]

side view

 

[mike04456]

Very interesting design, and it definitely looks Edwardian in style. Any idea what the black material around the edges is? Enamel or something solid like jet? Jet was also popular material during that era.

That's not what I would classify as a "fire opal," but it does look like a nice white opal.

 

[Mirabella]

The black on the ring is enamel. The ring was made in two separate parts. The top of the ring is one section and the shank is a separate part. The design on the side and underside of the top portion of the ring is engraved.