Diamond Engagement Ring, ca. 1920
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GUEST:
It is an engagement ring from my husband.
APPRAISER:
I hope you said yes, right?
GUEST:
Oh, I said, oh, yes, yes, I did.
APPRAISER:
Have you ever had the ring appraised before?
GUEST:
I have had the ring appraised, but the appraiser was uncertain about the actual price because of the origin. She was confusing it maybe with a Cartier and wasn't sure because of the markings. It was handed down from his great- or grand-aunt Lottie.
APPRAISER:
Wow, you know, when I look at this photo, besides being beautiful and sort of a bon vivant, who else would have worn a ring like that? Because this is a ring that sort of is not the norm for shape. When you think of classic engagement rings, you think of round, you think of emerald-cut of this period. And you think, maybe, what is the shape of this ring? It really is what I call a fat pear.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
Fat pears I love, because they read voluptuous. They're kind of a sexy stone. This is an old European cut, and when I tried to measure it, I said, do I use a round formula, do I use a pear shape, so it was kind of tricky, so I came up with a weight, by formula, as approximately five carats.
GUEST:
Whoa!
APPRAISER:
Yeah, that's a nice, healthy size for a diamond. And then the next thing we did was we kind of tried to judge what color is it? Very hard to judge color in the mounting. It's not a white stone, but it's not really yellow, so it's hovering between white and yellow, but reading much more yellow, but not yellow-yellow. But it makes that a very soft, sumptuous color. It's pale, it's alluring, it's almost like the woman in this photo.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
I tried to see who could have made it, because when you look at this mounting, it didn't have the signature that I was hoping for, like Cartier, you know, one of the big names.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
But it had a maker, K and F and Company. Tried to do some research, could not come up with anyone. But it's definitely American, and I would say probably made in New York, Boston, Philadelphia. It's very sophisticated. It's pure Art Deco, I would date it circa 1920. It doesn't have a lot of wear, just one little chip around the bezel.
GUEST:
Not bad to be that old, is it?
APPRAISER:
Not bad, I wish we had no chips.
GUEST:
Oh, my goodness.
APPRAISER:
I love it, I love the ring, I love the whole feeling of it, and very hard to come up with a comparable and give you a price. I think you're going to have to spend at least $55,000 to $65,000.
GUEST:
Uh-uh! Oh, my word!
APPRAISER:
I can't imagine... And who would have it? You'd have to go to some fancy shop...
GUEST:
Oh, my goodness!
APPRAISER:
…that carries esoteric, one-of-a-kind diamonds. You can't comp this out. So I would say a retail value is between $55,000 and $65,000.
GUEST:
That is incredible. Thank you so much.
APPRAISER:
Oh, thanks for bringing it in, and I love the photo, I love the whole feeling of it.
GUEST:
Oh, you're welcome.
Appraisal Details
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