Photo Credit: Oakgem
1970s 18k Gold Diamond Cufflinks
Buy It Now Price: $750 (price as of 2016; item no longer available)
Pros:
-This is a pair of solid 18 karat white gold and diamond vintage cufflinks from the 1970s. They exhibit a classic modernist look, with textured gold enhancing the small, brilliant cut diamonds in a deceptively simple, yet timeless design.
-The rectangular cufflink faces measure 17 mm (0.67 inches) long by 9 mm (0.35 inches) wide and have beveled edges. These pieces are fairly heavy for cufflinks, weighing in at a substantial 10.9 grams (0.35 troy ounces).
-The goldwork on these cufflinks is good, clean work. There are no metal burrs or pitting indicating subpar quality. This is most evident when examining the reverse of the cufflinks.
-The cufflinks are set with 6 brilliant cut, white diamonds of equal size. Although the measurements of the diamonds are not disclosed by the seller, we can infer the weight of the stones using the overall measurements of the cufflinks. Using this method the diamonds conservatively weigh an estimated 5 points each or 0.30 carats total weight.
-At the current gold spot price of $1,260 per troy ounce, these vintage cufflinks contain about $330 in gold. Diamond melee (small diamonds) are much harder to price, but a low-ball figure would be $250 per carat, assuming they are at least medium quality stones. This gives a total diamond value of very, very roughly $75 (0.30 carats x $250 per carat). Adding both gold and diamonds together, the intrinsic value of the cufflinks is probably $400 or slightly higher.
-An intrinsic value of $400 gives a solid floor under the value of the cufflinks, representing 53.3% of the selling price. In my opinion, the cufflink’s high intrinsic value relative to the selling price, coupled with their unmistakably high quality construction, makes the $750 asking price fair.
Cons:
-The seller has provided no close up photos of the cufflink’s hallmarks. This makes it impossible to verify that the pieces are marked as 18 karat gold. Of course, there is no particular reason to disbelieve the seller’s assertion either.
-The seller gives no measurements or weight estimates of the diamonds contained in the piece. There aren’t any close up photos of the diamonds either, so the quality of the stones is very difficult to judge as well. However, it would be very unusual for vintage cufflinks of this quality to be set with poor quality diamonds.
