August Jewel of the Month
A show-stopping, scene-stealing Art Deco ring by Cartier is Hancocks’ Jewel of the Month for August.
Centred with a stunning cushion shaped old mine brilliant cut diamond weighing 6.30cts it is enhanced by shoulders set vertically with rectangular faceted pieces of coral and black onyx. The handmade platinum mount has an open gallery and fine band, it keeps the metal to an absolute minimum allowing the gemstones to shine.
The ring was made around 1930 and the combination of onyx, coral and diamond was particularly popular at this time. It can be seen in many other Cartier jewels, including some of those exhibited at the prestigious 1925 L’ Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes. This wonderful ring with its glamourous and vibrant Jazz Age feel is quintessential of Cartier jewels of this period. The Jazz Age saw plenty of interesting designs and bold colour combinations for jewellery as designers explored different ideas and cultural references, embodying them in jewels to reflect the fun and frivolous spirit of the era. However, the chunky central diamond predates this period entirely. It is an old mine brilliant cut diamond, a style of cut that developed during the 18th century and is characterised by either a square or rectangular outline with obviously rounded corners and sides.
The profile proportions of these stones echoed those of the rough crystal with the crowns being relatively high and the top table facet generally fairly small. Another typical feature of these stones is the point at the bottom of the stone, known as the culet, was usually polished flat. These features enable old mine cuts to display a huge amount of fire (the coloured flashes of light you see in a diamond) and life.
Guy Burton, Managing Director, Hancocks London, comments: “This ring utilises an old diamond and sets it in a strikingly contemporary new ring. Something Hancocks knows all about. We are delighted to be able to offer this for sale.” For more information click here.