Photo Credit: MyDiamondZone
0.84 Carat Victorian Era Old Mine Cut Diamond
Buy It Now Price: $1,250 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)
Pros:
-Here is a wonderfully charming specimen of an antique, Victorian era old mine cut diamond. Old cut diamonds are highly sought after by knowledgeable antique jewelry and gem connoisseurs. This stone looks as if it has been hand-chiseled from a solid piece of crystal.
–Old mine cut diamonds were popular in the 19th century before the mathematics of light dispersion within diamonds was understood. Because of this, these old cut diamonds lack the icy-white, cool brilliance of modern brilliant-cut diamonds, but make up for it with a warmth and vintage elegance that cannot be found in modern cuts.
-This Victorian era old mine cut diamond weighs 0.84 carats. Although it is less than one carat, it is still a substantially sized stone and would look good in an engagement ring, period setting or other jewelry.
-This Victorian era old mine cut diamond rates a “K”, or “faintly colored”, on the GIA’s D (perfectly colorless) to Z (lightly colored) diamond color grading scale. This may seem like a mediocre ranking at first glance, but it is actually fairly good for an antique cut stone.
-This Victorian era old mine cut diamond is exceptionally well proportioned for an antique cut stone. Because they were hand cut, most old diamonds suffer from significant bulges, lopsidedness or other obvious cutting asymmetries.
-With an asking price of $1,250, this Victorian era old mine cut diamond sports a price per carat of $1,488. This is actually quite reasonable for an old cut stone, particularly one as attractive as this example. I have seen similar stones sell for close to $2,000 per carat.
Cons:
-Antique cut diamonds are not the bargains they used to be in the early 2000s. Since that time, prices have risen substantially as diamond lovers have came to appreciate the unique characteristics of these beautiful, old gems. However, I feel that even with their higher prices, old cut diamonds are still compelling tangible assets that will see strong price appreciation in the future.
-Our Victorian era old mine cut diamond has an SI2 clarity rating. This means the stone is “slightly included” or flawed. While it isn’t a great score, it is perfectly acceptable for antique diamonds, which tend to be more heavily flawed than more modern stones. In addition, the stone’s clarity rating is driven by a single inclusion which is only occasionally visible when viewing the diamond from the front.
-Diamonds, especially old cut diamonds, are fairly illiquid. If you intend to buy this gem as an investment, be prepared to hold for a bare minimum of 7 to 10 years. However, a longer holding period would be better.
