Description
Date: c. 1840 – 60s, early to mid Victorian era
Size: USA 7, UK N, EU 54 (resizable– see “FAQ” section for more info)
Materials: earth mined diamonds, solid 15k gold (unmarked; tested with nitric & muriatic acid), enamel
Marks: [crescent? Letter E?] illegible maker’s mark
Weight: 4.4 grams
Dimension of ring face: 9.5 x 10.4 mm
Dimension of diamonds:
– one 4 x 2.8 x 3 (approx. 0.15 carat)
– eight 2.4 x 2.2 x 2 (approx. 0.045 each)
The estimated total carat weight of nine diamonds is approx. 0.5 ctw
Approx. color & clarity of diamonds: color varies from J to P (one of the diamonds in the halo is noticeable more yellow than the others). Clarity is mostly I1 – I3 (a few diamonds have surface-reaching inclusions; though most inclusions are not visible to the naked eye). Please note that due to imperfect available mining and cutting technologies, historic diamonds are frequently “flawed” when graded by modern standards.
Width of shank: 2 – 5.3 mm
Thickness of shank: 0.66 – 2.4 mm
Condition: overall in great antique condition. The diamonds are secure in their mountings, which are in pristine original condition. Under 60x magnification, I can see that one of the small diamonds in the halo is chipped at the corner; another halo diamond has some nibbles and fleabites at the facet edges. There is a gap where one of the shoulders meets the bezel/ring face. There are also some wearing away of the black enamel, and normal age-related surface wear to the gold.