Photo Credit: gemtrade
1940s Diamond, Ruby and 14K White and Pink Gold Retro Ring
Buy It Now Price: $499 (price as of 2018; item no longer available)
Pros:
-Here is a lovely diamond, ruby and 14 karat white and pink gold Retro ring straight out of the 1940s. It would be easy to envision this vintage ring sitting on the finger of some fashionable 1940s Hollywood starlet!
-This pink gold Retro ring weighs a hefty 8 grams (25.7 troy ounces) and fits a size 5 finger. It could easily be resized to fit a smaller or larger finger by any competent jeweler for a nominal fee.
-Retro jewelry came into fashion in the late 1930s and stayed in vogue through the 1950s. It was characterized by a big, bold look that was emphasized with relatively low-value gemstones, such as amethysts, citrines, aquamarines, synthetic rubies and synthetic sapphires. Retro jewelry also commonly employed multi-colored gold – especially pink gold – arranged in flashy scrolls, whimsical flutes and stylized florals.
-According to the seller, this pink gold Retro ring is set with a 0.31 carat, H-color and VS clarity white diamond. And while it isn’t possible to be absolutely sure from the photo, I strongly suspect that this diamond is a transition cut. Transition-cut diamonds were a hybrid of the old European cut and modern round brilliant cut that was popular between the 1920s and the 1940s.
-With an estimated net gold content of 4.6 grams (0.148 troy ounces) and the spot price of gold around $1,320, this pink gold Retro rink has a melt value of about $195. The diamond is more valuable however, and would have a conservative liquidation value of perhaps $200 to $300, depending on its exact grading. This gives a total estimated scrap value for the piece of $395 to $495, which is very close to the buy-it-now price of $499.
-This pink gold Retro ring is selling for a price that is stunningly close to its intrinsic value. Antique jewelry with a high intrinsic value in relation to its asking price is very desirable, as it limits downside risk. It is unusual to find an antique ring mounted with such a large diamond for such a low price these days.
-The ring is set with 6 channel-set rubies that are almost certainly Verneuil flame-fusion synthetics. While they have no intrinsic value, these synthetic rubies are period appropriate and add to the collector’s value of the piece.
-Verneuil synthetic gemstones are quite common in Retro jewelry because World War II disrupted global trade routes. This conflict cut off the European and American jewelry markets from supplies of many natural mined stones – especially those originating from Southeast Asia, like rubies and sapphires. As a result, cheap and plentiful flame-fusion synthetics were widely used as substitutes for their scarce natural counterparts throughout the 1940s.
-This pink gold Retro ring really embodies the stylistic zeitgeist of the 1940s. Its boldly sculpted form, two-tone gold and eye-catching gemstones all epitomize vintage jewelry from the World War II era. Because of its wonderful style and high intrinsic value, I feel that this ring is a great investment, with little potential downside risk.
Cons:
-This rose gold Retro ring exhibits mediocre to poor goldwork around the channel-set rubies. This is a little bit surprising, considering the goldwork on the rest of the ring looks pretty good. But I should note that most jewelers consider channel-setting stones to be notoriously difficult. In this case, I think a good jeweler (not a mall-kiosk jeweler!) could clean up the channel-settings for a relatively modest fee.
-A good rule of thumb is that any white diamond purchased online will be over-graded by one clarity and one color grade. This is not a reflection of the honesty or integrity of the seller of this pink gold Retro ring, but just a good guideline when shopping for antique diamond jewelry online. Even if we allow for the possibility that the transition-cut diamond set in this vintage ring is over-graded, I feel the gem would still wholesale for at least $200 on a bad day.
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