Object Description
A beautiful old cut diamond ring by Hancocks set to the centre with a bright and lively old European brilliant cut diamond weighing 1.75ct and of H colour and VVS2 clarity claw set to a gallery decorated with sapphires between shoulders set with calibre-cut sapphires, all to a highly ornate platinum mount with hand engraved scroll and foliate details.
Maker
Hancocks
Period
Contemporary
Origin
London
Gemstones
1.75ct H VVS2 old European brilliant cut diamond with GIA certificate (5171626993).
Calibre cut sapphires weighing 0.72cts total
Setting
Platinum with maker’s mark
Weight
3.7 grams
Dimensions
UK finger size L
Condition
New
Directors Notes
The old European brilliant cut is the forefather of todays modern round brilliant cut diamond. It was developed towards the end of the 19th Century when new machinery was invented, in particular the motor-driven saw, which allowed diamonds to be cut in attractive, symmetrical round shapes without wasting the excess rough crystal that was cut off. 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 facets, 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 spectral colour-flashes from inside the stone than we typically see in modern cut diamonds.