Victorian Old Mine Cut Diamond Cluster Ring

A splendid late 19th c Victorian diamond cluster ring, set with a glittering array of seventeen diamonds of mixed cushion and round old mine cuts, together weighing approximately 1.93 ctw. Of solid 14k yellow gold, the granulated and openwork buttercup settings give the diamonds an airy and weightless appearance, as if suspended in a halo of warmth. The diamonds are bright and lively, with pronounced culets, high crowns, and chunky charm that makes old miners one of the most beloved old cuts. Formed during an age before computer-generated proportions, each old mine cut was measured by eye and cut by hand, meaning no two such diamonds are ever identical. The ring shank and shoulders feature revival designs, with the sculpted and scrolled shoulders neo-Renaissance in style, and geometric tracery in the Gothic-revival fashion. The black enamel inlay, a technique called taille d’epargné, was popular during the last quarter of the 19th century, having evolved from the champlevé enameling used to decorate Celtic revival jewelry of the 1860s. Initially developed in France, possibly to satisfy consumer demand for tasteful mourning jewelry, taille d’epargné enameling soon spread to the rest of Europe and the United States, shedding its mourning associations to become an attractive decorative technique in its own right. A considerable portion of 1880-90s diamond cluster jewelry were set in yellow gold with taille d’epargné accents, the black-and-yellow palette favored as a suitably dramatic and gorgeous backdrop for diamonds. This decorative style was so well-regarded that it enjoyed a second wave revival during the 1930-40s.
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