Are miner cut diamonds worth more than diamonds now?
A friend of a friend says the ring their fiancee is giving them is quite expensive because it has "miner" cut diamonds. Is this true?
It's "old mine cut."
This cut of diamond was prevalent in the 1800's up until the time in which the Old European cut diamond took over. Vintage stones can be worth more that modern cuts--not so much because of the cut as it is because of the quality of the stone. A very well cut Old Mine Cut stone is quite brilliant. Lots of diamonds that are faceted and set these days would have been put in drill bits years ago. The modern cuts have been developed to take full advantage of the diamond's natural refractive characteristics.
Vintage cuts used to be a disadvantage (and sometimes still is) when valuing a diamond, but in recent years, antique cuts and ring mounts have become a popular choice for engagement rings. This new market drives the pricing of old diamond rings. Your friend's ring is probably comparable in price to a modern ring with the same diamond weight.
powered by Yahoo answers
There are some beautiful old mine cut on eBay right now. Have a look:
Old Mine Cut Diamond .39ct.nearly Flawless vintage cut.
 | US $99.00 (2 Bids) End Date: Saturday Sep-11-2010 16:44:20 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
Vintage 0.19 ct Old Mine Cut Loose Diamond VS1 J
 | US $139.99 End Date: Wednesday Oct-06-2010 15:43:15 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $139.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Vintage .31 ct Old Mine Cut Loose Diamond I1 J
 | US $129.99 End Date: Tuesday Oct-05-2010 6:17:08 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $129.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Old Mine Cut Antique Cushion Shape Loose Diamond, N/R!!
 | US $120.49 (8 Bids) End Date: Saturday Sep-11-2010 9:30:14 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
Loose Diamond~CushionCut/Old Mine Cut~.51 CTS.
 | US $89.88 (9 Bids) End Date: Friday Sep-10-2010 13:07:36 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
Loose round old mine cut diamond .19 ct / K color / Si1
 | US $175.00 End Date: Saturday Oct-02-2010 12:08:17 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $175.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Vintage 0.35 ct Old Mine Cut Loose Diamond SI1 K
 | US $349.99 End Date: Thursday Sep-30-2010 8:45:30 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $349.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Vintage 0.18 ct Old Mine Cut Loose Diamond SI1 H
 | US $129.99 End Date: Thursday Sep-30-2010 8:45:24 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $129.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Vintage 0.14 ct Old Mine Cut Loose Diamond SI1 I
 | US $69.99 End Date: Monday Sep-27-2010 6:45:36 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $69.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
ANTIQUE OLD MINE HAND CUT DIAMOND.41CT,SI-I-1,H-I,4.5MM
 | US $409.00 End Date: Wednesday Sep-15-2010 14:11:41 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $409.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Vintage 0.21 carat Old Mine Cut Loose Diamond I1 J
 | US $99.99 End Date: Wednesday Sep-15-2010 4:34:55 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $99.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Vintage .32 ct Old Mine Cut Loose white Diamond SI1 G
 | US $329.99 End Date: Tuesday Sep-14-2010 9:48:28 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $329.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Vintage .31 ct Champagne Old Mine Cut Loose Diamond SI2
 | US $199.99 End Date: Tuesday Sep-14-2010 9:48:25 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $199.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Vintage .23 ct Old Mine Cut Loose Diamond I1 J
 | US $89.99 End Date: Tuesday Sep-14-2010 9:48:21 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $89.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Vintage 0.20 ct Old Mine Cut Loose Diamond VS1 I
 | US $149.99 End Date: Monday Sep-13-2010 14:08:53 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $149.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
ANTIQUE OLD MINE HAND CUT DIAMOND.34CT,I-1,COLOR J,4.2M
 | US $379.00 End Date: Wednesday Sep-22-2010 20:35:27 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $379.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
ANTIQUE OLD MINE HAND CUT.21CT,SI-1, COLOR I, 4MM
 | US $179.00 End Date: Wednesday Sep-22-2010 20:32:15 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $179.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Vintage 0.38 ct Old Mine Cut Loose Diamond I1 L
 | US $169.99 End Date: Thursday Sep-16-2010 10:52:35 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $169.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
ANTIQUE 89 PT. OLD MINE CUT DIAMOND I COLOR, I1 CLARITY
 | US $1,695.00 End Date: Thursday Sep-30-2010 13:04:35 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $1,695.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Comments
It's "old mine cut."
This cut of diamond was prevalent in the 1800's up until the time in which the Old European cut diamond took over. Vintage stones can be worth more that modern cuts–not so much because of the cut as it is because of the quality of the stone. A very well cut Old Mine Cut stone is quite brilliant. Lots of diamonds that are faceted and set these days would have been put in drill bits years ago. The modern cuts have been developed to take full advantage of the diamond's natural refractive characteristics.
Vintage cuts used to be a disadvantage (and sometimes still is) when valuing a diamond, but in recent years, antique cuts and ring mounts have become a popular choice for engagement rings. This new market drives the pricing of old diamond rings. Your friend's ring is probably comparable in price to a modern ring with the same diamond weight.
References :
Leave a Comment