This very wonderful early ring is of the Georgian Jewelry period of 1750, is most likely a wedding ring which was made in America. The ring is set with a hand cut diamond that is .48 points of a carat, which is about ½ Carat. The cut of the diamond is called a Rose Cut Diamond. Around the center diamond are eight seed pearls of 2mm in size. The setting is in 18 karat Rose gold and the back of the setting that holds the diamonds is solidly incased in the gold which is called a “cup” that holds the diamond which is correct for the 18the Century.
After hearing someone asks an expert on TV the other day if diamonds were first used about the time of our Civil War, I wanted to give a bit of background on the diamond gemstone.
Diamonds, known for over 3000 years, were probably first found in India as loose stones associated with the sand and gravel of riverbeds For centuries they were thought to possess magical powers, no doubt because of their hardness and luster, and were kept, uncut, as sacred objects or important treasures of state by the religious and political leaders of the day. Being regarded as talismans, it was thought that they would lose their powers if they were altered in any way. It wasn't until the 11th century that diamonds were first worn, in their uncut form, as adornments. However, with the use of diamonds in jewelry, sometime in the 13th century it became known that a diamond's appearance could be enhanced by grinding and polishing of the rough crystal. This was achieved by polishing with diamond dust at angles varying slightly from those of the original octahedral faces to form a point cut. A major advance in faceting came about with the introduction of the polishing wheel, in the middle of the 14th century. This led the way for brighter diamonds with increased facet pattern complexity. In this same era the rose cut appeared. Rose cut diamonds were very popular in the 18th century. During the early 18th century, Brazil, the new center of world diamond production, gave rise to the old-mine cut, a forerunner of the modern brilliant cut having 33 crown and 25 pavilion facets, the same 58 facets as today's round brilliants.
This diamond ring is in wonderful condition some of the pearls are a bit worn with all the years and could be changed, I would like to keep it original. The band is very strong, in the time in which this ring was made the gold is mixed with Platinum as an alloy to make the gold stronger. The process was time intensive and labor intensive and was not done after the 19th century. The size is now 6 1/2 and can be resized it needed, without diminishing the value. This is a ring that is approximately 260 years old and is a great investment, strong and beautiful to wear.