Help me date this piece?

[hoshiakari]

Apparently rather decent seller guarantees it with 100% money back, and I'm going to take it for appraisal, but someone on another forum said something alarming to me about this piece (and then was totally awesome by refusing to elaborate). I really want it to be an antique. I love it. I don't care that the stone is yellowish or that the I1 inclusion is so visible, but if it's a repro the deal is off. Again, I am going to pay for appraisal, but I'd like some feedback in advance if I can get it.

Here are the photos I have. (URLs instead of direct photos because PS is having some problems with their image uploader/server right now I guess).

Thank you in advance for your input.



http://imgur.com/052UabG

http://imgur.com/NWj0Sk4

http://imgur.com/BhUDYFe

http://imgur.com/f7JzwpL

 

[kroshka]

I'd say art deco period so roughly around 1920s-1930s. It doesn't look like a repro to me, but hopefully others will chime in as well. It's a lovely ring and the center stone looks like an old mine cut with french cut and calibre cut blue sapphires - would be interesting to see what the appraiser says about the sapphires if they are natural or synthetic. They did use genuine and synthetic sapphires during that time.

Edited to say that after looking at it again, looks more like an old european cut for the center.

Kroshka

 

[hoshiakari]

Greetings everyone.

I believe the ring I posted above is part of a larger fraudulent antique jewelry operation.

I've spent the past couple of days researching very hard to understand what I've got. The ring arrived today, and while I do plan to take it to an appraiser, I feel I already know the answer based on what I've learned, but I have additional questions so please bear with me

This is the ring in question (which I purchased:

http://imgur.com/c9yCCcU

Here's the back/underside (relevant to my question):

http://i.imgur.com/f7JzwpL.jpg

I received it today, and looking at it, I agree that the setting looks new - there is no wear on the millegraining and it's a bit too shiny to be antique - but the build quality seems high and the seller argues it could not have been made in recent history and then for the price I got it for - it would be too expensive.

I couldn't find anything like it, either - then I suddenly did. The key word in my image search was "deco pinwheel ring" and suddenly I found a few that are similar in style - not exact copies, but they have common elements, such as the detailing between the design of the upper shank and the plainness of the lower shank. The decorative underside of the ring that elevates the top is a theme consistent through some of these pieces as well. All are new-looking and shiny, set with old stones.

Example of similar ring from what I suspect is the same maker:

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/ODAwWDgwMA==/z/RV4AAOxyBjBTVsWR/$_57.JPG

Backside of similar ring:

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/ODAwWDgwMA==/z/jY4AAOxy0x1TVsWY/$_57.JPG

Example 2, front and underside

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/ODAwWDgwMA==/z/YJgAAOxyUylTTGh6/$_57.JPG
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/ODAwWDgwMA==/z/IfgAAOxySoJTTGiA/$_57.JPG

Fine, mine's a repro, but here's where my question comes in:

The seller responsible for selling the sister-rings of mine calls everything he has an antique - calls his business an antique dealing business, when it's clear his collection is largely, if not completely, composed of reproductions. I have no idea where he gets his stock, or how a piece of it ended up in the hands of my seller who clearly believes what she was selling me was legitimate. The seller who is obviously up to something skeezy has like 2300 perfect feedbacks on eBay and counting, and an A+ rating with the BBB.

...so what do I do about this? What can I do? Obviously I can get my money back for this ring that I've purchased if I want it (it's really nice so I haven't decided, plus I want to see what the appraiser says), but someone who makes a business selling repros as real antique - is that just something we have to tolerate? If not, what next?

Thanks for any/all advice.

 

[chrono]

I was going to ask about the cut style of the melee diamonds as another way that might help assess the authenticity of the ring but it looks like you've come to your own conclusion. There are many such vendors who resell reproductions of antique jeweller without truthful disclosure. eBay feedback can be enhanced (friends jacking up the positives, paying off the negatives and neutrals) and the BBB has no power to do anything, it seems.