Object Description
An old cut three stone diamond and 18ct yellow gold ring by Hancocks. The handcrafted ring has a 3.00ct old European cut diamond in the centre and is set between two more old European cut diamonds of 1.87ct and 1.90ct, all claw set in platinum to a 18ct yellow gold band with signature hand engraving with decorative detailing and millegraining.
Maker
Hancocks
Period
Contemporary
Origin
London
Gemstones
3.00ct M VS2 Old European cut diamond – with GIA certificate
1.87ct J VS1 Old European cut diamond – with GIA certificate
1.90ct K VS2 Old European cut diamond – with GIA certificate
Setting
18ct yellow gold and platinum
Weight
6.1 grams
Dimensions
Can be adjusted to any finger size
Centre front: 10.1mm
Band width: 2mm
Condition
New
Directors Notes
The old European brilliant cut is the forefather of today’s 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 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.