Do you have some antique diamond rings lying around in your jewellery box sitting on your dresser? Not sure what to do with them? Why not have them remodeled into something more modern that you can and want to wear? Unfortunately a lot of the rings containing antique diamonds are very out dated and, more often than not, don’t do the diamond justice. You might be surprised, not only will remodeling grandma’s diamond ring make it a more beautiful, wearable piece, but it may increase the value of it too. The four most common types of antique cut diamonds are; the European cut diamond, the Old Mine cut diamond, the Rose cut diamond and the Single cut diamond.

Old European Cut Diamonds

The old European diamond is considered one of the most popular, traditional cuts. It has a very small table (top facet), a high crown and usually an open culet at the bottom (central circular window you can see in the middle of the diamond). This diamond cut was the precursor to the modern round brilliant cut. Unlike the modern round brilliant, most old European diamonds are slightly irregular in their circular shape. It is also quite common to have a few inclusions in these stones. While this might worry some who are looking at a modern round brilliant cut diamond, there are some that believe that it merely adds character. 

Remodelling Tips For Antique Diamond Rings

If you are looking at remodelling and breathing new life into your antique diamond ring, here are a few tips;

1. Set the diamond in a bezel setting;
   • Because of their irregular cutting and girdle (outside perimeter), it can sometimes be a good idea to hide some of these imperfections in a bezel setting. This will make the diamond look more round and larger in size.
2. Surround the antique diamond with a diamond halo;
   • Below is a remodelling commission that we completed recently with an old European cut diamond. If you look closely you can see the off center table facet (to the left of centre), and the little culet window at the bottom of the stone. The diamond halo does a great job of disguising the irregularities. 
3. Set the diamond in white gold;
   • The white gold colour is also great for improving the colour of the stones in antique diamond rings, as most of them are in the H-I colour range. 

If you would like some ideas on remodelling old diamonds that have been handed down to you or inherited, please email me to arrange a time to draw up some 3D designs. We can also value your diamonds for you and prepare insurance valuation certificates where necessary.

Recutting Diamonds from Antique Diamond Rings 

As you can see from the illustration on the right hand side, it is often better to leave some antique diamond rings in their current form. With the outside shape representing the old European cut diamond, and the inside diamond the modern brilliant cut diamond, you can often lose as much as 25% of their weight by having them recut. While the diamond might become brighter from recutting, it is usually not advisable if the diamond has a large culet or high crown unless the original diamond is quite large. 

Every old cut diamond is unique. The only way to decide whether recutting your diamond is the right option for you, is to have it assessed by a diamond cut expert. At Xennox Diamonds we have expert diamond cutters at our disposal who can provide free, professional advice on the best course of action. If you have any questions about remodelling antique diamond rings or recutting your diamond, please post them in the comments section or visit us in store.