April Jewel of the Month

This fabulous diamond bombe ring combines everything Hancocks holds dear when it comes to jewellery. Beautiful gems, creative design and the finest craftsmanship.

It is set with a wonderfully bright and lively old European brilliant cut diamond weighing 3.12ct, claw set within a handmade platinum mount. This has been exquisitely pierced throughout to create a repeating pattern of fine fish scale motifs. Each of these perfectly formed tiny motifs has been set with a single cut diamond and given a millegrain edge for a lighter decorative feel.

The diamonds we select at Hancocks for use in our ring collection and bespoke jewellery were cut during the 19th and early 20th centuries. At this time, all stone cutting was done by hand and eye, unlike today when the majority are cut using computer technology and lasers. It would take years for a cutter to become skilled and experienced enough to cut the finest stones, to be able to ‘see’ into a rough crystal and know just how to facet it to realise the full potential beauty of the gem. Like Michelangelo releasing David from the marble, these cutters worked to remove the unwanted parts of the rough material to reveal the inherent beauty of mother nature’s diamonds in all their glory.

Diamonds of this period dazzled even in the dimly candle-lit rooms of the turn of the century. Along with their characteristic polished culet facets, finely cut old European brilliants such as this one can be distinguished from their modern counterparts by their higher crowns and smaller table facets. These features combine to create a greater number of spectral colour-flashes from inside the stone than we typically see in modern cut diamonds.

Guy Burton Director Hancocks comments “The stones we select are the best of the best and diamonds as lovely as these can only be the result of exceptional human skill coupled with the earth’s finest creations.”

Click here to see more images and a video of the ring in motion.