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An exceptional early 19th-century French diamond ring, featuring a rare fancy yellow table-cut diamond of approximately 1 carat, set within a silver fleur-de-lys bezel on a rich buttery gold band.The design, with its quasi-trifurcated shoulders and openwork fleur-de-lys belcher mount, is typical of French rings from around 1820. The diamond itself, however, is clearly older; most likely repurposed from a late 17th- or early 18th-century jewel. Large, coloured table-cut diamonds of this calibre were already scarce by 1700, and it is unusual to see one reused in a later neoclassical setting of such quality.The diamond displays an even, warm champagne-yellow hue with exceptional clarity and no visible inclusions. The closed, foil-backed setting enhances its brilliance in candlelight - a technique perfected by 17th-century goldsmiths who realised that silver best reflected a diamond’s natural fire.The silver bezel, shaped as an open fleur-de-lys, sits atop a smooth, tapering 18 buttery gold band whose warm tone complements the golden body colour of the diamond. The combination of silver and gold is characteristic of this transitional period in French jewellery, when Romantic sensibilities began to merge with the restrained geometry of the late Empire style.Diamond: Approx. 1ct fancy yellow (champagne hue)Dimensions: 5.5 × 5.5 × 3.5mm (diamond), 9mm bezel, 3mm bandMaterials: Silver and 18K gold, old French hallmarksRing size: UK M / US 6Weight: 6gCondition: Very good; diamond with minor facet wear consistent with ageThe table-cut diamond — one of the earliest true faceted forms — originated in the 14th century as an evolution of the point cut. By the late Renaissance, such stones adorned the jewels of Europe’s elite. This example, unusually large, perfectly even in colour, and likely centuries old by the time it was remounted in 1820, carries a rare and captivating sense of continuity between eras.A striking and wearable work of art, and one of the most distinctive antique diamond solitaires we’ve encountered.
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