What should I expect from a 100+ yr old Diamond?

[IndiBlue]

Hi All!

I''m recently engaged and have been give the oppertunity to use a family heirloom diamond from my FI''s Great Aunt. I''ve not seen the diamond yet, but from what I understand it is a round .75 and that''s all I know.

My family doesn''t have any heirloom jewels at all so I don''t know what to expect!

Any thoughts?

 

[Rod]

I''m not in the business or an expert, so the real experts should chime in. But, if you like "antiquey" things, it could be nice. If you are looking for something that sparkles like what you see in today''s more modern cuts, you may be very disappointed. The stone could be ''Miners'' or
''Rose'' cut. Neither has as many facets as today''s brilliant round stones. There was a thread recently about Rose cuts (with pictures). Instead of having a flat table with facets below, it''s sort of domed and JMO, wouldn''t thrill me very much. You''ll have to see this stone in person to see if it''s what will make you happy.

Best wishes.........

 

[Kaleigh]

I love the look of old mine cuts and old european cuts. They are lovely diamonds, and sparkle like crazy. They do have a look to them that is different than todays brilliant cut stones, but are quite beautiful.

 

[smappraisal]

Hi all,
Gemologically there are a number of things that will be almost certain to prevail with a 100 year old (cut) diamond when you receive this stone. Since you said the stone is "round" the outline of the outer edge, the girdle, is "round" and will be cut to the parameters of an "Old European Cut" diamond. It will not be an "Old Mine Cut" which is characterized by a girdle outline that is squarish with rounded corners.
From my experience, OEC diamonds very often are characterized by high crowns(the portion of the diamond above the girdle line), small tables, shallow pavillions(the portion of the diamond below the girdle line and quite often very large culets that can be seen through the table. Lots of times the stone is "out of round". Because of the configuration and sizes of the facets with diamonds cut in that era, the refraction of light and the light return to the eye is very different than what will return to your eye in a modern Round Brilliant. The OEC diamonds can be really beautiful. though, if the material is white and clean. However, more often than not I''ve seen "off color" goods that have good to very nice clarity (VS1, VS2, SI1). Hope this gives you a little insight and that you are pleasantly surprised! Stephen Marino
Professional Appraiser
Boston & vicinity

 

[Mara]

maybe old euro which would be really beautiful!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I love the chunky facets of light that come from older diamonds. My mother has her grandmother''s MQ and it looks completely different from modern MQ. I actually perfer it. I think that is so special she is giving you her diamond!

 

[Rod]

I probably need to refine my earlier response. My mother''s diamond is the diamond her father gave her mother around the turn of the century. My mom is 83, so I know the stone is quite old and upon further qualification, is likely a older European round cut. But........the stone is absolutely beautiful and while it doesn''t have the same look as a more modern stone, it sure does put out a lot of sparkle.

Maybe the stone you''ll get will be much like this one too!

 

[Lynn B]

Ditto Rod. My MIL had a very old 3-stone OEC that sparkled like crazy and was really lovely.

 

[firebirdgold]

It could be really nice. I had a rose cut diamond once, and it was so sparkly with lovely broad flashes that I had it tested to see if it was real! I liked the domed top, but it is a matter of taste.
We''d love to know more!

 

[IndiBlue]

So, because of the difference in the cut- Would any of you be worried about mounting this older stone in a setting with newer stones?

The setting I like has two small diamonds on either side of the center stone- tcw (without the center) is .50....


Thanks All!

 

[Rod]

The ladies will need to chime in on this one, but it''s not unusual to have different diamond shapes in a ring, such as an assher with trillion sides, or a princess with round sides. So, to me, it shouldn''t make any difference what century the stones were cut as long as the color was close.

Again, the ladies should offer their advice here..........

 

[AndyRosse]

I believe MelissaSue has an older stone in a three stone setting. She posted pics a while ago