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Ruby Lane's Past Times Newsletter For April 2009

In This Issue

• YouTube Video: Shop Ruby Lane for Vintage Mother's Day Gifts
  
• Shop Spotlight: Welcome To Dorland Antiques!
  
• Brilliant Diamond Styles
  
• March Lane Sampler: Fine Art
  
• Useful Service: Marks4Antiques.com
  

YOUTUBE VIDEO: SHOP RUBY LANE FOR VINTAGE MOTHER'S DAY GIFTS

YouTube video: Shop Ruby Lane for Vintage Mother's Day Gifts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXXCtKx-ERE

SHOP SPOTLIGHT: WELCOME TO DORLAND ANTIQUES!

If you haven't visited Dorland Antiques on Ruby Lane, we invite you to do so. Linda Dorland's shop is a very eclectic mix of antiques, collectibles, jewelry, textiles, Eastern arts, china & porcelain, books and art. She and her team specialize in Catholic and other religious collectibles, when they can bear to part with them. In their shop you'll find such items as a Miniature Art Angel Cherub & Dove Holy Ghost Fine Religious Italian Medallion ($265), a 1908 Elementary Spellingbook Speller By Noah Webster ($52), and a Hand Painted Imperial Austria Teapot With Under Plate Red Poppies ($98).

Their other specialty is jewelry, which they have collected for over 25 years. They buy what they love, so they like what they sell. They also maintain an antique mall location at Gas Lamp Antiques in Nashville Tennessee. They are always adding new items, so you'll want to check back with them often.

We invite you to visit Dorland Antiques

BRILLIANT DIAMOND STYLES

Diamond is the birthstone for April, and Ruby Lane presents you with the opportunity to buy diamonds which have been cut in many different shapes, and in different styles. While most of the diamonds you encounter will be Modern Round Brilliant Cut stones, diamond cutting has evolved over the centuries to produce this popular shape.

Diamonds are found in a number of forms in nature. Most stones which end up being fashioned into cut gem stones start life in a crystal form which lends itself to cutting. Diamonds may crystallize in any form in the cubic system, but most often takes an octahedral or dodecahedral shape. The octahedral shape is probably the most familiar, often resembling two 4-sided pyramids placed base to base. One only needs to look at some of the older cut diamonds to see how this shape lends itself to producing many well known shapes of finished diamonds.

The crystals are often distorted in formation, and many of the more rounded forms will have a "skin". The untrained eye may easily overlook a rough diamond. It is only the art of the diamond cutter that brings brilliance and fiery life to these beauties in the rough.

Diamond is the hardest known natural substance. The only material which can cut or polish one diamond is another diamond. Ancient diamonds were normally worn in an unfashioned form. It wasn't until the 14th century that fashioned diamonds began to appear in European jewelry, and early cutting in India is also often dated from this time. These stones were often octahedral shaped crystals that simply had one point ground flat, producing a Table Cut., a 4 sided form with a pointed bottom and flat top. This cutting style made it to the Low Countries of Western Europe, possibly from Venice or India.

The Rose Cut was the next development in diamond cutting. This style was based on the dodecahedral shape that some diamond crystals display. These crystals normally were rounded, with 12 equal faces, and lent themselves well to the cutting style, which featured a flat back and a top surface of small triangular facets. The cut was a popular style from as early as the 15th century, and even smaller stones would have had a sparkle in the candle lit interiors of the time. The legendary Koh-i-noor and Great Mogul diamonds were variations of the Rose Cut.

Several modifications of the Rose Cut were used, and several adaptations were also developed, such as the English Star Cut, English Square Cut, and Mazarin Cut.

The earliest forms of Brilliant Cuts appeared at the end of the 17th century. Vincenzio Peruzzi, a Venetian cutter, is credited with developing a 58 facet brilliant cut which, for the first time, unlocked the brilliance of diamond. Previous cuts had relied on the reflection of light off of the polished faces of a stone. The Brilliant Cut actually allowed light to enter the stone and be reflected internally off the facets before exiting. This creates the near colorless brilliance of the stone, caused by the internal reflection of light, as well as the fire, the spectral display created by the dispersion of this light. Several variations of this cut were developed after diamonds were discovered in Brazil, including the Brazilian Cut, Lisbon Cut, and Old Mine Cut. These stones have minor faceting variations, and most would be identified today as Old Mine cuts.

With the exception of some rounded Rose Cuts, all these styles exhibit a square outline, or possibly a "cushion" shape. These stones will also have a greater depth, in relation to their diameter then modern round stones. The rounded modifications of these thicker brilliant stones began to appear in the 18th century, and are known as Old European Cuts.

Most diamonds encountered in Victorian jewelry will be Rose Cuts, Old Mine Cuts, and Old European Cuts. Rose cuts, Old Mine Cuts, and the other variations of stones we have discussed will appear in jewelry of the Georgian Era, or earlier periods. Until the discovery of diamonds in South America, however, diamonds saw little use outside of the upper-most echelons of society. Jewelry items from before the 19th century with more than a few small Rose Cut diamonds are very rare and valuable.

There are some notable exceptions to diamond cutting of these period. David Jefferies probably produced some diamonds very similar to the Modern Round Brilliant Cut in 18th century England. Henry Morse, the man who introduced diamond cutting to the United States, produced stones resembling Modern Round Brilliants in Civil War era Boston. Morse also introduced more mechanized processes to the diamond cutting trade.

The hand processes used in fashioning diamonds changed little over the centuries, until more mechanized means were used at the end of the 19th century. The development of the mechanized sawing of diamonds allowed the world of diamond cutting to change at a time when Marcel Tolkowsky and others were studying diamonds as an optical medium, and developing the angles and proportions we associate with diamonds today. Modern Round Brilliants have a smaller depth in relation to their diameter than previous brilliant cutting styles. The sharper angles of the pavilion(lower portion) and crown (upper portion), along with a larger table facet on the top of the stone, produce a stone which returns far more light to the eye than previous cutting styles. There is some debate as to the best exact degree of these angles, height of crown and pavilion, and table size, but most well fashioned Modern Round Brilliant diamonds will come very near the proportions recommended by Tolkowsky in 1919.

Each of these variations has its own charm. An older cut may not have the flash of brilliance and spectral color of a modern cut, but the older cut will exhibit a sparkle that some prefer.

As diamonds are valued and rare, they often get recycled from one piece to another. It is not unusual to see stones which may have been cut in the 19th century in a mid-20th century piece of jewelry. You will also encounter stones that were transitional hybrids, exhibiting characteristics of modern brilliants and older cutting styles. An Old European Cut stone may have been chipped, and when a cutter was repairing it, a thinner crown in the modern style was put in place. There are many cases where the mounting cannot be dated by the diamond and the diamond cannot be dated by the mounting.

Many historical diamonds have been re-cut. The Koh-i-Noor, which can be dated back to India in 1304, was presented to Queen Victoria in 1850. The crowds at the Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1851 were so unimpressed with the lackluster appearance of the 186 carat stone, which could perhaps best be described as a modified Rose Cut, that it was fashioned into a 105.6 carat oval brilliant. It has been in the crown of the late Queen Mother since 1937.

Pieces will be encountered which have poorly cut stones, irregular shaped stones with haphazard facet placement. These were often products of more primitive cutting operations in places like India and perhaps South America. These irregular stones were readily available in the market within the last 25 years and are probably still being produced in some locales. They should not be mistaken for Rose Cuts, and are not an accurate indicator that a piece has any great age.

Any style diamond which was produced in the past can be reproduced by modern cutters. Some styles, such as the Asscher Cut and Cushion Cut fell out of favor for long periods of time, only to regain popularity recently. Some, like Rose Cuts, have never completely gone out of production. Other cuts, such as Princess Cuts and Radiant Cuts, are generally indicative of a much newer piece of jewelry.

Diamantaires may quibble about the benefits of a 53% table, as opposed to a 57% table, or prefer a crown height of 16.2% to one of 14.6%. Different respected gemological groups may vary on the minutiae, which has little to do with the beauty of a finished piece of jewelry in normal wear. Technology may be able to produce identical stones, placing individual facets on stones with uncanny precision. But technology will never be able to measure the timeless beauty of a vintage piece of diamond jewelry, or recount the love story of which it was once a part. Please enjoy the selection of these treasures from the past in the shops of Ruby Lane.

MARCH LANE SAMPLER: FINE ART

Exceptional Vintage:

HENRY MOORE 5 Color Lithograph, Circa 1949

A wonderful, rarely found lithograph by British Sculptor Artist Henry Moore (1898 - 1986) beautifully executed in 5 colors. Printed on Cartridge ...

Antique Fellows Friends:

Leda -Original Oil Painting - signed

The story of Leda is an old one and we believe this oil on canvas is making direct reference to that Greek Myth. As the tale goes Zeus came to Leda ...

Del Mar Classique: Del Mar Classique - Your source for distinctive jewelry, accessories, collectibles and antiques

Original Desert Scene Painting Signed Nell Follendorf

Gorgeous original acrylic painting on canvas signed Follendorf (?) (I cannot be sure that the first letter is an F). It is a wonderful desert scene,...

Finely Antiques, Collectibles Decorative Arts: Last week for the Sale don't miss out on some great Deals!!!!!!!

Oil on Canvas by Artist Jeff Otis View from the Western Escarpment

Awesome oil on canvas mounted on board by Artist Jeff Otis! Jeff Otis is well known for his dramatic southwest vista desert landscapes. This piece ...

Spirit In The Sky: A Little Something For Everyone!

Original Antique 1886 Etching By C Klackner After Work By F M Spiegle Cupid In Trouble

All original, antique etching by C Klackner after work of Frederick M Spiegle. Signed dated in upper lefthand, F. M. Spiegle 86, which is the year ...

Mezzetin Antiques: 18th - 19th C French, European Antiques Art: Porcelain, Silver, Faience, Boxes, Bronze, Drawings

1887 German Bronze Sculpture PUTTO AS ARTIST Franz Iffland 1862 - 1935, Berlin

A marvelous, patinated bronze sculpture of a putto (or cherub) as Artist, circa 1887, by listed artist, Franz Iffland (1862-1935), of the Berliner ...

Estates Consignments: Unique Collectibles, Antiques and Art from Around the World

Interlude Bronze Sculpture-by Frederick Hart

This is a gorgeous bronze sculpture by Frederick Hart. There is a mystical state between non-being and being,between chaos and ...

The Red Hen Antiques: American Antiques, Pottery Paintings

Vibrant Still Life O C Signed

Vibrant Oil on canvas in excellent condition; Measures: 25 3 4 inches high, 19 3 4 inches wide framed; 23 inches high, 17 inches wide ...

My Favorite Vintage: Antiques, Collectibles, Antique Prints, Fine Vintage Art

1911 Wallace Nutting Interior Bed Chambers With Cradle Hand Painted Photograph

An original 1911 Hand Painted photograph by American Photographer Wallace Nutting (1861 -1941). This is a rare Interior Scene of a Bed Chambers that ...

Under the Sea: A Sea of Vintage Jewels ~ Spectacular Aerial Ocean Bottom Coastal photographs

Florida Keys, Crane Key Mangrove – Giclee on canvas

LIMITED EDITION: 1 250 SIZE: 19 1 8 X 15 1 4 It's hard to describe how gorgeous my father's pieces are, without being able to see them in ...

USEFUL SERVICE: MARKS4ANTIQUES.COM

We know that many of our readers frequently need to identify maker marks and hallmarks on items. So if you don't already know about it we thought we would introduce you to a service that you are likely to find useful:

Marks4Antiques.com announces the release of its latest version of Marks4Silver.com with easy guides to identify maker marks & hallmarks for Jewelry, Silver, Silverplate, Precious Metals and Metalware. In addition to thousands more marks divided in shape or letter categories for quick visual identification, this release also includes advanced Name and Initials Search tools.

Rubylane has secured a limited time offer for a 30-min free tour to explore the site and decide for yourself. To take your free tour, please visit www.Marks4Silver.com and log in using Username: rubylane and Password: rubylane

Marks4Antiques.com is dedicated to helping collectors and dealers identify their antiques & collectibles directly online. There are three separate services: Marks4Ceramics.com, Marks4Silver.com and Values4Antiques.com. To learn more on these services and a special Combo offer, please visit www.Marks4Antiques.com

Please note that Ruby Lane has no stake in this promotion other than to make it known as a useful tool to antiques and collectibles enthusiasts.
 

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