What cut are these diamonds?

[LD]

All I know is that they''re old ............... any ideas please?

 

[neatfreak]

They look just like RB's to me...but not 100% sure. They've been cutting RB's for many years now.

 

[LD]

I know they''re over 100 years old. I wondered if they were a mixed cut of some sort?

 

[HeartingDiamonds]

They do look like modern RBs.

If I may ask, how do you know that they are over a hundred years old?

 

[LD]

The ring belonged to my Grandmother who gave it to my Mother and it then came to me. My Mum wore it for most of her life as an engagement ring.

 

[JulieN]

a lot can happen to a ring over the span of 100 years.

they look like RBs to me, too. the characteristics of older cuts don''t seem to be there.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 10/24/2008 7:39:07 PM
Author: HeartingDiamonds
They do look like modern RBs.


If I may ask, how do you know that they are over a hundred years old?

I was also wondering how/why you think they are a hundred years old. They don''t look like stones that were cut 100 years ago...

 

[LD]

Well that''s very strange! I don''t recall my Mum saying anything had happened to make her (or my Grandmother) change or update the diamonds! That''s most peculiar. Unfortunately I''ll never know the answer because my Mum died in 2003.

 

[neatfreak]

I''m sorry to hear that Loving! You could always take the ring to an appraiser who specializes in older diamonds. They might be able to tell you if you are really interested...

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

clean them in boiling water ammonia and detergent

photograph pn white paper and get your pink fingers out of the field of view

but they look like a case of lost and replaced by ins company

 

[Itgirl76]

They look like RBC''s? They don''t look like oder cuts of diamonds. I would reccomend taking them to an appraiser they would know best

 

[oldminer]

These certainly look like modern cut diamonds, but why couldn''t your our grandmother have received them in 1950 and later passed them along to your mother? I would imagine she didn''t give them to your mother until your mother was at least an adult, or even after you were born. This would easily put them into the modern cut time zone.

 

[denverappraiser]

One rather nice thing about diamonds is that they usually hold up pretty well from one generation to the next so it''s not all that unusual to see older stones that are still being worn daily. That said, how did you come by the 100 year old figure? Most people acquire diamond rings as an adult and even if grandma got it as a very young woman, it was probably quite a bit more recently than 100 years ago although I suppose this depending on both her age and yours. Are you thinking it was owned by an ancestor before her?

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[LD]

My grandparents were married in 1915 and I was led to believe that this ring was her engagement ring. However, after everybody's comments I'm guessing that at some point, somewhere along the line, the diamonds must have been changed for some reason.

My grandmother had my mother very late in life (in her mid 40s) and my mother had me when she was in her 40s. So the ring is just under 100 years old. The hallmark is too worn to see the date unfortunately and the shank has thinned considerably with age.

Never mind, it doesn't actually matter what the diamonds are or how old they are, this is a loved and most cherished ring and, for me, that's the most important issue. My memories of my mum wearing it will never fade. If I close my eyes, I can still see it on her hand. She had a wonderful collection of inherited jewellery and she let me play "dress up" with it all when I was little!!!!

I posted out of curiosity because the cut seemed somehow "different". I can't quite put my finger on it.

Thank you all for your input and comments. It's most appreciated.

 

[Rhea]

The way the claws are is a bit different, I like them! From my understanding, round brillants have been cut a long time. The ring could be 100 years old and still have round brillants without the stones having been changed out.

 

[Sharon101]

I also think the diamonds look abit different to modern ones. Like more chunky or something like that??? The exact fine precision cutting of todays diamonds doesnt seem to be there???

 

[Cocosgirl]

I am no expert but found this question to be so interesting that I''ve been googling and wiki-ing round brilliants -- which led me to a page on the WhiteFlash website:

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds_info/t/all_about.aspx?articleid=15&zoneid=22

and to summarize there is a little piece of the timeline that states:

"1860: Henry Morse opens a diamond cutting firm in Boston. By 1880 he is recutting traditional old-European cut diamonds without regard for weight loss to produce the most beautiful round brilliant of his time. "

So perhaps they are, in fact, what is considered modern round brilliants, however this was prior to Tolkowsky brilliiant cuts debuting in 1919. Actually this link from whiteflash is a great little timeline on the history of diamonds cutting and grading!

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 10/26/2008 6:05:44 PM
Author: Sharon101
I also think the diamonds look abit different to modern ones. Like more chunky or something like that??? The exact fine precision cutting of todays diamonds doesnt seem to be there???

Just because they are "modern" RB''s doesn''t mean they were cut in the same era as the precision cut stones we see today. RB''s have been cut for many many years now, but the technique has certainly been refined over time.