Edwardian
Edwardian Five Stone Diamond & Ruby Panel Ring
An antique Edwardian diamond and ruby panel ring, circa 1910. The ring is centred on a row of five old European cut diamonds in platinum millegrained bezel settings, within an oval surround set with calibré rubies, bordered by old brilliant cut diamonds, and flanked by diamond set bows, all to a yellow gold band.
£16,500.00
Information
Subtitle
Edwardian
Period
1900-1940
Period
circa 1910
Gemstone
Total diamond weight - 1.92ct
5 x old European brilliant cut diamonds
86 x old brilliant cut and rose cut diamonds
28 x calibre cut rubies
Setting
Yellow gold and platinum
Dimensions
UK finger size M 1/2, US size 6.5 (can be adjusted)
Head: 2.7cm x 1.5cm (1.0" x 0.5")
Weight Description
7 grams
REF
131229
Discover this Jewel
0.5CT
0.5 carat
1.0CT
1 carat
1.5CT
1.5 carat
2.0CT
2 carat
3.0CT
3 carat
4.0CT
4 carat
5.0CT
5 carat
6.0CT
6 carat
(Diagrams not to precise scale)
Today, this C is often the first thing someone asks about but it is worth remembering that not all diamonds that weigh the same will look the same size to the eye because it will depend on the cut of the stone and particularly its depth. With regards to the impact of weight on price then the price per carat will obviously rise as the carat weight increase. However, it must be noted that as larger diamonds are rarer than smaller ones the price does not rise evenly, for example a 2ct diamond is not simply double the price of a 1ct diamond.
D
Exceptional White +
E
Exceptional White
F
Rare White +
Colourless
G
Rare White
H
White
I
Slightly Tinted
J
Slightly Tinted White
Near Colourless
(Diagrams not to precise scale)
In terms of how this affects price, essentially, the whiter the diamond and higher the colour grade the greater the value of the diamond. However, it is important to remember that a lower colour grade does not equate to a lower quality, the grade is a measure of rarity, the whiter stones are simply rarer and therefore command higher prices.
The chart below shows the colour grading scale used by the GIA, the Gemmological Institute of America.
FL
Flawless
No inclusions or blemishes of any sort are visable to a skilled diamond grader using 10x magnification.
IF
Internally Flawless
No inclusions and only blemishes are visable to a skilled diamond grader using 10x magnification.
VVS
Very Very Slightly Included
Inclusions are difficult for a skilled diamond grader to see using 10x magnification.
VS
Very Slightly Included
Inclusions are noticeable to a skilled diamond grader to see using 10x magnification.
SI
Slightly Included
Slight inclusions are noticeable to a skilled grader using 10x magnification.
(Diagrams not to precise scale)
All these factors are taken into account and a judgement is made as to how detrimental they are to the overall appearance of the diamond. It is worth remembering that, unlike colour grading, clarity grading is done under 10x magnification with a microscope so any inclusion in a diamond will be far less noticeable to the naked eye than it is to the diamond grader. Ultimately the cleaner the diamond, the fewer the inclusions and less impact they have – the better the clarity grade will be. The table below shows the grading system used by the GIA.
(Diagrams not to precise scale)
1. Brilliance: This refers to the reflection of white light from both the surface and the inside of a diamond.
2. Fire: This is the term we give to the coloured flashes you see in a diamond resulting from the splitting up of white light into its spectral colours.
3. Scintillation: This is the sparkle a diamond displays, the pattern of light and dark flashes caused by reflections of light as a diamond is moved. Other considerations include symmetry and the quality of the polish which impacts how well the light reflects off the surface of the diamond.
Rubies
Burma Ruby
Rubies mined in Burma have long been held as the absolute ideal in terms of colour for a ruby, they are an exceptionally beautiful rich deep red with neither too much brown nor pink in it.
The term ‘pigeon’s blood’ has historically been used in an attempt to define this colour that is found in the best examples produced by this region. The Mogok Valley in Upper Burma (now known as Myanmar) has been the world’s primary ruby source for centuries and the origins of the mines are swathed in mystery and legend. What is certain is that references to these gems have been found dating back to the Shan Dynasty in the 6th Century. The mines were taken over by the King of Burma in 1597 and all rubies over a certain size had to be given to him on discovery rather than sold. Today there are many different mines in the area both privately owned and government run. New deposits were found in the Mong Hsu area of the country in the 1990’s and more recently a new source has been discovered in the northern region of Namya.
The design of the French cut had developed from the addition of extra facets to old table cut diamonds thereby altering them into much more lively stones. This style of cut has changed very little to this day and its evolution marks one of the earliest milestones in the development of the brilliant cut diamonds we know today.
Pigeon’s Blood Rubies
Historically, the term ‘pigeon’s blood’ has been used to describe the most beautiful and coveted colour for rubies, allegedly due to its similarity in colour to the blood of a pigeon.
Opinions differ as to the exact origin of the term with some saying it came from the Burmese, others that it was first used by the Chinese who had previously owned the area where the Burmese ruby mines were discovered and yet others sighting it as having Hindustani origins where lapidaries compared the colour to the blood red of a pigeon’s eye. Whatever the truth, one thing everyone agreed on is that only rubies of the finest vivid red colour with deep saturation and which showed a soft red fluorescence in daylight were referred to this way. Today rubies from both Burma and Mozambique can show this coveted colour and be certified as such.
Mozambique Rubies
The first significant ruby deposit in Mozambique was discovered in 2009 in an area called Montepuez. Remarkably, in less than fifteen years this country has become the world’s most productive source of gem-quality rubies.
Importantly, the output is not only significant in quantity but also in quality. The rubiesoccur in a wide range of qualities and characteristics but the best of them are low in iron and high inchromium like those from Burma and exhibit a similar vibrant colour with a strong fluorescence. The bestof the best of these will be given with the coveted ‘pigeon’s blood’ colour grade. A percentage of thesecombine this highly desirable colour with a level of clarity that means the stones require no treatment toimprove them. This means that excellent quality, untreated stones are available and these are the oneswe select for our jewellery.
This revolutionised the industry and gradually, through a process of trial and error, cutters discovered which proportions produced the finest balance of brilliance and fire within these new round stones. Diamonds were now able to dazzle even in the dimly candle-lit rooms of the turn of the century. Along with their characteristic polished culet facet, finely cut old European brilliants can be distinguished from their modern counterparts by their higher crowns and smaller table facets.
These features combine to create a greater amount of fire (the coloured flashes of light you see in a diamond) from inside the stone than we typically see in modern cut diamonds. During the 1900s and 1910s the profile of these old European cut stones slowly starts to flatten out and later stones lose the depth of the older stones.
