Jewelry

Diamond Jewelry That Revisits The Past - Forbes

For women who love the look and feeling of antique or vintage diamond jewelry but can’t determine if they want to build a collection around modern pieces that draw inspiration from jewelry’s history rather than the more fragile original pieces created 100-200 years ago, you may want to look at styles which marry the past with the present. Lifestyle plays a role in this decision. Handling a career, caring for young kids, being a soccer mom among other aspects of one’s daily routine might align better with contemporary designed styles which revisit design elements from the Georgian, Victorian and/or Edwardian periods and are set with the original diamonds or diamonds in the style from those times. By choosing these types of pieces you get the character, personality and warm glow of rose-cut, old mine, cushion or European cuts set into pieces that rejuvenate all you love about antiques without the care and that the rare authentic pieces call for. If you aren’t a serious collector and you want to wear your diamond jewelry frequently, then it might be best to go with an inspired version of the styles you are drawn to most.

There are a few additional reasons why you might want to choose a newly designed piece crafted around an old stone. Many antique and vintage jewelry enthusiasts I’ve spoken to over the years have searched and searched for the perfect cluster earring or mine cut diamond bracelet and have not been able to find the exact or similar styles to what they had been hunting for in the in authentic period pieces. If you choose to go with pieces that are influenced and even revive the originals, you can work with the designer and jewelers who specialize in this field to have them custom made to your specifications. And last but not least, rare antique jewelry in its original condition, from the Georgian through Art Deco periods tends to garner high price tags; therefore, if you aren’t a purest or consummate collector, you might want to consider pieces that revitalize these periods as they will usually be more accessibly priced.

Here are five enduring diamond styles which have designed today yet conjure up the look and feel of pieces of the past with old cut and ‘new’ old cut diamonds. Since these pieces are often one-of-a-kind yet can be reproduced, it is best to contact the makers of these pieces, most of whom also deal in original antiques. 

 Diamond Cluster Earrings

  Cluster earrings are characterized by smaller diamonds surrounding larger center stones. The central design can sometimes resemble a floral shape or lean towards more rounded or geometric forms. Estate Diamond Jewelry (Estatediamondjewelry.com) has created a pair of perfect clusters. They are relevant for today’s woman, yet have the old world charm of old European diamonds set into platinum with 18K gold wires. They dangle from a single top diamonds which give them some movement for these style of earrings. Show are a pair with 3.00 TCW of diamonds. However, the company can make them in various sizes for smaller or larger and different quality stones. 

Diamond Solitaire Necklace

The single solitaire necklace is a piece that belongs in every women’s jewelry collection or wardrobe. As a young woman, it’s a rite of passage to be gifted a solitaire diamond necklace for Sweet Sixteens or graduations. As a woman, we might want a larger diamond with more charisma than those our loved ones chose for us. Some of the eye-catching styles that mix old and new are diamond with a subtle shimmer that have been cut by hand and then set into modern bezels which sit in the center of contemporary chains. This necklace at Single Stone (shopsinglestone.com) is a prime example. It is a 1/2-carat, J/VS cushion cut diamond, set into a handcrafted 18K yellow gold bezel on a 16" cable chain. 

Diamond Bangle

The legendary antique shop Fred Leighton (fredleighton.com) in NYC, where some of the rarest and unique jewels from the 1700s to the 1970s can be found and are often worn by celebrities on the red carpet, also offers a collection called Signed Fred Leighton. The collection features what the company describes as “vintage elements reimagined into new silhouettes and modern designs inspired by historical periods.” Signed Fred Leighton sets old cuts into their designs as well ‘antique style’ diamonds which are cut today to look like the diamonds from the past. One of the stand out items in this one-of-a-kind and limited edition collection is contemporary oval hinged bangle featuring 17 graduating ‘antique style’ rose-cut diamonds, 3.91 TCW, set in silver-topped 18K yellow gold. 

Diamond Stacking Ring

 Among both antique and modern jewelry enthusiasts stacking rings are one of the most popular areas of jewelry today. The antique styles, in particular, make an appearance stacked high on Instagram nearly every day and woman search for Georgian and Victorian five and seven stone rings and well as eternity bands with that glow that comes from being cut and worn in candlelight. But these rings are hard to find in good condition and/or they are hard to wear since the Georgian versions have foil, closed backs. The rough material then was not the best quality; therefore to hide this and highlight the natural beauty of these diamonds, they were set into silver tops—the white allowing them to stand out and shimmer and the foil backs gave them more life and hid their inherent flaws. But lifestyles were different back then. Foil can break down in water and you cannot wash your hands wearing these rings. Victorian styles can be worn in water if they have open backs but the settings must be checked regularly and while some are extremely sturdy, others are too fragile to wear as much as one may want. Kwiat (kwiat.com), the company which specializes in a diverse and large range of timeless jewels has created a ring that mimics many of the best qualities of the early styles yet it’s durable and secure. It is called the Kwiat Vintage Ring and it’s created in 18K white gold as opposed to silver-topped gold and it is set all around with 2.36 TCW ‘antique style’ rose cuts.

Diamond Stud Earrings

The one pair of earrings that everyone woman owns or hopes to own are studs. They light up the face, are easy to wear for any time of the day and all occasions. For women who are interested in a style that has an antique feeling, look no further than The One I Love (theoneilovenyc.com). Mia Moross, owner of the online site which sells authentic antiques and creates a Re-Imagined jewelry collection takes a slightly different approach to her pieces. Her Re-imagined line is constructed from period diamonds that come from original pieces that were broken over time. Moross scouts for old mine and rose cuts and keeps them in their original settings, reinforcing the prongs and ensuring that they are secure and then adding the backs for the studs. This pair is created with the subdued sparkle of old mine cuts in silver top settings fused to 18K gold with screw backs. These are one-of-a-kind but similar styles are often available in smaller and larger sizes.