Old Mine Earrings Help

[clcat120]

Hello Friends - I’ve been hunting for a pair of earrings that is of daily use but also with some flare. I went through the whole “old-money” 18k gold and high-end categories such as VCA and Cartier. Yesterday, I saw these two videos of the old mine clusters and really felt some excitement. However, never own a single old mine, so I hope to hear your opinions on the quality of both.

1. Studs:

Was told G-I VS-SI1 stones with total carat around 7ct. They appear quite white and sparkly in video. Market for ~$20k

2. Drops:

Was told H color, 6ct. Looks sparkly but seems a bit yellower in video. Seller said its just bad lighting. I bought ght them for $9k with return option on 1stdibs.

Questions for you:
1. Will they appear yellower or whiter than modern cuts?
2. Personally have had J assher before but all my jewelries now are in G-E color range. I thought maybe less issue with earrings...
3. Are most old Mine have black carbon inclusions?
4. How do you feel about the prices and value of each? Do old Mine keep its value?

Thank you!!!

 

[maryjane04]

Hello there, how exciting to find some really cool earrings

1. It really depends on cut. If they're cut well they can appear to have a white top/whiter facing than their modern counterparts of the same colour grade.

Here's a video that our member @lulu_ma made that shows you the differences in colour:

How to spot an old cut

2. Only you can determine your tolerance for warmth. Some of us embrace the warmer colours but I think with your jewellery preferences you might prefer to stay as white as possible. J or K might be the safer spot for you.

3. The good value old mine cuts are SI and do usually have some freckles. Obviously it's dependent on the stone but these have survived over 100 years from being recut into modern stones. So to find a white and flawless one is like a needle in the haystack. In saying that, you could probably find some nice VS stones as well.

4. I'm partial to old mine cuts haha however I don't think you should buy anything as an investment. The diamond market is a bit funny at the moment especially with the influx of lab diamonds. Despite all that, I have to say that if I were to sell my old mine cuts today, I probably would not make a loss.

 

[lulu_ma]

This is a dangerous purchase!

Old cuts have a totally different romantic sparkle to them.

These earrings could be a gateway to an addiction-ask me how I know

 

[maryjane04]

Also just wanted to point out the #1 might be around 10mm+ so not sure how you feel about them being "daily" earrings.

 

[tyty333]

Also just wanted to point out the #1 might be around 10mm+ so not sure how you feel about them being "daily" earrings.

I also feel like the drops are pretty fancy for daily wear, but it depends on what you do daily. They'd be a bit much for my blue
jeans and tee-shirt daily wear wardrobe!

 

[maryjane04]

I also feel like the drops are pretty fancy for daily wear, but it depends on what you do daily. They'd be a bit much for my blue
jeans and tee-shirt daily wear wardrobe!

Haha I feel like the exact opposite. I'll wear drops with my sweat pants since they're so comfortable I never have to take them off. But I can't sleep with studs haha we are so different lol.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I’d be shocked if these are GIA H/I color in either case. Most antique diamonds are KLM and more tinted. Near colorless are super rare and $$$.

These are super blingy for daily wear lol

 

[missy]

Love them and girl, yes for casual wear with jeans. I love pairing diamond dangles with jeans

There is no right or wrong with bling when it comes to wearing what you love imo

 

[lulu_ma]

I love drop earrings for daily wear even with yoga pants

 

[missy]

I love drop earrings for daily wear even with yoga pants

Yasssss
Girl after my own heart

 

[Dreamer_D]

Questions for you:
1. Will they appear yellower or whiter than modern cuts?

If graded by GIA in my experience they can look all kinds do ways it depends on the cut and lighting because old cuts handle lighting differently. But mostly they look similar to modern cuts in my experience. HOWEVer these don’t have lab reports. So throw a dart board at a grading scale. The color could be anything at all! The joys of buying vintage are endless. Color guessing game is one part of the joy (pain).

2. Personally have had J assher before but all my jewelries now are in G-E color range. I thought maybe less issue with earrings...

Yeah in earrings I don’t think color matters much personally.

3. Are most old Mine have black carbon inclusions?

Not at all. Depends on the diamond.

4. How do you feel about the prices and value of each? Do old Mine keep its value?
L

Apparently vintage jewellery is coming more and more in fashion which could make it hold its value well. If you. It high end retail you will lose in resale. If you find a “deal” maybe you won’t lose out. Authentic antique settings and original diamonds hold value better for rarity I suspect. I can’t speak to the prices in these bc I don’t buy vintage jewelry (just loose old cuts). The others have more experience with that.

 

[clcat120]

If graded by GIA in my experience they can look all kinds do ways it depends on the cut and lighting because old cuts handle lighting differently. But mostly they look similar to modern cuts in my experience. HOWEVer these don’t have lab reports. So throw a dart board at a grading scale. The color could be anything at all! The joys of buying vintage are endless. Color guessing game is one part of the joy (pain).


Yeah in earrings I don’t think color matters much personally.


Not at all. Depends on the diamond.

Apparently vintage jewellery is coming more and more in fashion which could make it hold its value well. If you. It high end retail you will lose in resale. If you find a “deal” maybe you won’t lose out. Authentic antique settings and original diamonds hold value better for rarity I suspect. I can’t speak to the prices in these bc I don’t buy vintage jewelry (just loose old cuts). The others have more experience with that.

Can you see black carbons in either of the videos?

 

[clcat120]

Hello there, how exciting to find some really cool earrings

1. It really depends on cut. If they're cut well they can appear to have a white top/whiter facing than their modern counterparts of the same colour grade.

Here's a video that our member @lulu_ma made that shows you the differences in colour:

How to spot an old cut

2. Only you can determine your tolerance for warmth. Some of us embrace the warmer colours but I think with your jewellery preferences you might prefer to stay as white as possible. J or K might be the safer spot for you.

3. The good value old mine cuts are SI and do usually have some freckles. Obviously it's dependent on the stone but these have survived over 100 years from being recut into modern stones. So to find a white and flawless one is like a needle in the haystack. In saying that, you could probably find some nice VS stones as well.

4. I'm partial to old mine cuts haha however I don't think you should buy anything as an investment. The diamond market is a bit funny at the moment especially with the influx of lab diamonds. Despite all that, I have to say that if I were to sell my old mine cuts today, I probably would not make a loss.

Can you tell from the videos if they are cut well? I haven’t had much encounter with old mine. They both look sparkly to me…

 

[lavenderdragonfly23]

I approve this message

Welcome to the club! Lulu is right though… very dangerous purchase

 

[Mreader]

Those are both pairs of gorgeous earrings! There is no way they are H haha. But old cuts tend to be more tinted. I wouldn't care a bit, but idk how color sensitive you are.

 

[maryjane04]

Can you tell from the videos if they are cut well? I haven’t had much encounter with old mine. They both look sparkly to me…

I think they are well cut for earrings. But really hard to determine colour especially once they're set. GHI colours are pretty rare. Let us know when you get the earrings and see what you think.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Girl, I can’t even see inclusions in my own SI2 and I1 diamonds when I’m sitting staring at them on my hand, so don’t ask me if there’s carbon in those earrings

 

[clcat120]

Oh ladies… hmmmm…. What if I just build a whole set (including a necklace) out of these stones from this antique brooch… that biggest one is 9.1x5.8x5.1 and seems quite clean and white. There should be a few 1ct-ish stones on the rest of the brooch as seen in the video… seems clean stone and decent color…

 

[Dreamer_D]

Oh my God, I do not support tearing up that amazing piece of artwork. What are the odds that someone will save it?? it’s so amazing. I would literally just start wearing a hat every day so that I could wear that.

And I don’t know what the woman was saying because I don’t speak the language, but her voice was very soothing. I watched that video a few times.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

Oh my God, I do not support tearing up that amazing piece of artwork. What are the odds that someone will save it?? it’s so amazing. I would literally just start wearing a hat every day so that I could wear that.

And I don’t know what the woman was saying because I don’t speak the language, but her voice was very soothing. I watched that video a few times.

Or attach a bail to it and wear it as a gorgeous pendant. It's so lovely as is.

 

[clcat120]

Oh my God, I do not support tearing up that amazing piece of artwork. What are the odds that someone will save it?? it’s so amazing. I would literally just start wearing a hat every day so that I could wear that.

And I don’t know what the woman was saying because I don’t speak the language, but her voice was very soothing. I watched that video a few times.

Do you all have an idea what’s the cut of that large elongated stone? Is it old mine or something else? Also, any thoughts on the color and clarity based in the video?

 

[maryjane04]

It's an elongated old mine cut. I'm guessing the clarity would be a VS2-SI1 and colour I'm approximately M ish.

Also I'm all for preserving antique pieces but if it's not wearable then you could reclaim the stones for something else. The only issue is the cost to make a new setting would kinda defeat the "deal" part.

 

[clcat120]

It's an elongated old mine cut. I'm guessing the clarity would be a VS2-SI1 and colour I'm approximately M ish.

Also I'm all for preserving antique pieces but if it's not wearable then you could reclaim the stones for something else. The only issue is the cost to make a new setting would kinda defeat the "deal" part.

Ohhh… hmmmm. If it is M, then prob not the best deal… it looked whiter to me than M. Felt close to J.

 

[maryjane04]

Ohhh… hmmmm. If it is M, then prob not the best deal… it looked whiter to me than M. Felt close to J.

In one photo it looks pretty white but in others there's warmth. So it's hard to tell a stone on its own, would need to compare it with a reference stone.

 

[Dreamer_D]

It’s all just a guessing game to try to assess color from pictures.

 

[tyty333]

Ya'll so fancy!

I'm mostly a plain gold hoops girl in various sizes with my jeans! I dont even do studs anymore due to my wimpy ear lobes!

 

[RunningwithScissors]

Oh ladies… hmmmm…. What if I just build a whole set (including a necklace) out of these stones from this antique brooch… that biggest one is 9.1x5.8x5.1 and seems quite clean and white. There should be a few 1ct-ish stones on the rest of the brooch as seen in the video… seems clean stone and decent color…

The workmanship in that brooch is so beautiful. I'd feel really sad knowing it was to be taken apart.

 

[clcat120]

Hello All - The owner sent the big stone to the most trustworthy lab in China (some under said their grading is on par or even more strict than GIA in HongKong). The diamond came out to be F and VS1!!! However, I am a bit concerned about the Nick and one feather that connected to the Nick around the girdle. I have never personally seen a diamond with Nick blemish. From what I read, people say you should avoid diamond with nicks.

I don’t know how often this appears in an antique stone?

I assume you can repolish / recut a bit… however, it’s 2.04ct, and a repolish probably will chip away weights and results in this arone below 2ct?

 

[Dreamer_D]

It’s normal for antique stones to have rough girdles. They were cut using very rudimentary instruments, basically rubbing a diamond with another diamond by candle light! It sometimes leaves marks. It’s normal and not a concern in all but the worst cases. Please don’t polish it out, it will alter the faceting and there is no need.

Edit: if the English in the report is accurate it’s a cavity, or indented natural, which is just an area of the original skin of the diamond left in place by the cutter. Very common in old cuts.

 

[clcat120]

Honestly, I don’t know that kind of cut is this. It does not appear to be a classic old mine…. The report said modified oval, which does not seem to be correct either…