Antique Diamond Cluster Ring

It is December and we are finding ourselves in glittery and sparkling outfits, that during the rest of the year would be seen to be a little OTT but now is just right!  So I thought that it was time to revel in all this extravagance and this Georgian style diamond cluster ring is the perfect place to start:

Georgian Style Diamond Cluster Ring at Richard Ogden

So I didn’t used to be in to cluster rings, I suppose coming from Sweden/Finland where there is a great appreciation for clean and simple designs, cluster rings were never a consideration for me.  However, having seen so many beautiful Victorian and Georgian rings here in England, and seeing what a beautiful part in the history of jewellery design they are, I now absolutely adore them and always enjoy viewing them when one comes around the shop.  There is such a romantic look around a really beautifully set diamond cluster ring and the one that I have hijacked for this post is a perfect example: 

Georgian style diamond cluster ring in a cut down setting

This is a Georgian style diamond cluster ring set with a cushion cut centre diamond.  This beautiful cushion is surrounded by old brilliant cut diamonds and it is all set in a Georgian style cut down setting in 18ct white gold, with the shank of the ring mounted in 18ct yellow gold.
Let’s take a closer look at what this actually means: first of all the Cushion Cut is in my eyes the most romantic cut of diamond that there is and it makes a wonderful choice for an engagement ring.  It has a soft and subtle sparkle to it, which (and I know that I have mentioned this before) is best viewed in candle light where the brilliance comes to its own right when the flames are reflected in the facets of the diamond.

Victorian Style Diamond Cluster Ring at Richard Ogden

As for the Georgian cut down setting: this is a different style to what we are used to seeing in contemporary designs, as today quite often diamonds are held in place with gold or platinum claws, however here you can see how the white gold surrounds the diamonds in a very period typical design.  In order to bring out the whiteness in the diamonds the white gold is closest to the stones, whereas the yellow gold makes up the shank, which I think is the ideal design for a classic cluster ring.

The ring is beautifully finished off with fleur de lis design shoulders, which you can see quite nicely in the photo below:

Fleur de Lis design shoulders

This ring was made up by one of the most wonderful craftsmen that I have met here in London, who specialises in Georgian and Victorian designs, and it is just a joy to see all the amazing designs that he comes up with, often using old cut diamonds.  I hope you enjoyed this just as much as I did, I would love to hear your thoughts below!

 

Ruby and Diamond Rings

Oh I do hope things are well with you dear!  At my end it has been busy times indeed but all great fun.  The shop is gearing up for Christmas and the Christmas Catalogue has been taking up a lot of time lately but it looks so amazing now, yei!  We have a little helper in the shop at the moment, Suki, who is clearly taking her job very seriously:

Boss Lady

I was helping a customer the other day with choosing an engagement ring and it is always fun when someone goes for a different stone than a diamond.  I was showing them these two beauties:

Ruby and Diamond engagement rings at Richard Ogden

The left one is a Ruby and Diamond Cluster Ring in an Art Deco style, which I find is very popular at the moment.  The right one is a Ruby and Diamond Target Ring and just the most fabulous design – it gets a lot of attention from those who want something classic but still different.

Ruby and Diamond engagement ring at Richard Ogden

The ruby and diamond cluster ring is also referred to as a Halo Ring, where the diamonds surround the centre stone like that.  It is especially lovely when the guy has taken the girl’s birthstone into consideration (for those who are lucky enough to have a strong enough stone as their birthstone that is – my Amethyst for February sure wouldn’t make a great one as it is far too soft!)

The July-born ones are very lucky to have the Ruby as their stone – and the September Sapphire is another great one.  Emeralds in May are a bit softer and might not be the best choice, because if you accidentally hit it against something in the wrong place you might be looking at a mighty fine crack all across the stone.  However, as I think I have mentioned before, some people look after their jewellery very well and I know someone who has worn the soft aquamarine for 30 years without any damage to it!

Ruby and Diamond Target Ring, Engagement Ring, Richard Ogden

This Target Ring is so special and you won’t find another one in many places (except a sapphire one that we also have at the shop!) because they are made by this one craftsman who isn’t creating any more of them at the moment.

So there we are, I so love going to work and helping people find their dream jewellery – there are so many beautiful designs out there for us to enjoy!

The dazzling Alexandrite

Hello my lovely!  So in an earlier blog post called The Enchanting Birthstones of June, I mentioned a gemstone called Alexandrite, but I didn’t have a photo to show you at the time.  Well, the other day a stunning Alexandrite and diamond cluster ring did a short stint in the antique shop, so I took the opportunity to take a couple of two photos of it for you.

The spectacular thing about this gem is that it appears to change colour when viewed in different light: green in daylight and red/purple in incandescent (electric) light:

The Alexandrite displays a purple hue when viewed in the shop lights…

… and then it turned green when I helped it up in the daylight that came through the window

Alexandrite was first discovered in 1834 in the Ural Mountains in Russia, and legend has it, that it was called Alexandrite because it was found on the same day that the Russian tsar Alexander II came of age.  Because it displayed the colours of old Imperial Russia, red and green, it soon became the national stone of tsarist Russia.

An Alexandrite with great colour and that is finely faceted, is one of the most valuable gemstones around; often surpassing diamonds, sapphires and rubies in price.  They were very much sought after as they came out of the Russian mines, but when the supply diminished, so did demand.  However, in the late 1980s an Alexandrite mine was discovered in Brazil, and there was another surge in interest for the gemstone.  The Russian stones are however still the most valuable ones, so all you lovely June babies, this is your birthstone – and if you get your hands on one then hold on tight, as the ones with great colour change seem to be very rare to find these days!

There were two antique jewellery dealers in the shop when this ring appeared, and one of them asked the other one whether he would choose a three carat diamond ring or this Alexandrite, if he had the choice.  The other dealer didn’t hesitate for a second, but answered the Alexandrite, as it would make such an interesting piece of jewellery, although the diamond ring would potentially be a better investment.  The first dealer agreed with him and would also have chosen the Alexandrite.  And I couldn’t have agreed more – I definitely would have picked the unique Alexandrite!

Antique Jewellery Heaven at Richard Ogden and Moira Jewels

With Christmas season upon us I have been having far too much fun playing around with the jewellery in the shop, so I thought I would give you a little sneak peek into what I got up to last week:

21ct diamond necklace from Tiffany & Co at Moira Jewels

Eeeeeh just a little something I threw on!  This is the most stunning diamond necklace from Tiffany’s, which belongs to Moira Jewels at Richard Ogden.  Fit for any old Christmas party I say!  Next time you walk through the Burlington Arcade, do make sure to peek into our windows at Richard Ogden – the centre one is extra prominent at the moment with a glorious selection of Moira’s jewellery!

Close up on the Tiffany diamond necklace…

… and then I may have found my way to our pink window…

Pink sapphire and diamond rings from Richard Ogden

Oopsy!  I couldn’t help myself.  On the far left you can see a five stone Garnet gold ring.  Five graduated oval almandine garnets are set with rose cut diamond points and it is all mounted in a Victorian style carved claw setting in yellow gold.

Next to it you can see a HUGE purple Tourmaline and diamond cluster ring, where the tourmaline is cabochon cut and surrounded by a single row of brilliant cut diamonds.  

One my ring finger I am wearing a Tourmaline (7.03 carats!) and diamond cluster ring.  Such a sweet design which I know will woo a few of you.  I just love cluster rings by the way, and I believe that Diana – and now Kate Middleton’s sapphire and diamond cluster ring has eternalised the design.  I get so many people coming in to look at cluster rings, and mainly the sapphire and diamond ones – understandably!  

Continuing on to the far right, you can see my very favourite ring in the whole shop: the Star Ruby whose acquaintance we made in the blog post: A Star Ruby Romance.  It is just such an extraordinary design and I can’t wait to see who ends up buying it!

Sooo that was an enjoyable way of finishing off my Friday afternoon and I can’t wait to go back in again tomorrow to see what new (old) pieces I will have to try on!

A Star Ruby Romance

I came across a Star Ruby in the shop the other day and it was so beautiful that immediately started my research to be able to show you what it looks like:

A star ruby and diamond cluster ring at Richard Ogden in Burlington Arcade

A Star Ruby is a type of ruby that shows a star-like phenomenon known as asterism.  The word “Asterism” is derived from the Greek word “aster”, which means star, so asterism is often referred to as “star” or “star-effect”.  The six-rayed star pattern that you can see in the gemstone is caused by needle-like inclusions that cross each other’s paths when they follow the underlying crystal structure.  Star rubies tend to be cut in cabochon style – like a dome – so that the centre of the star resides at the top of the dome.

You can see the star ruby to the top right here, and I took this photo so that you can see what it looks like when the star isn’t centred 

The placement of the star in the gemstone depends on the angle that you view it from, and in the photo above you can see an example of the star not being centred (the ring to the top right).  Out of every 100 mined corundom (rubies and sapphires) only three will show this star pattern – and only one out of these three will have a good star and good colour!  What really confused me with this particular star ruby was the colour, as I thought that it was a star sapphire (assuming that rubies are red sapphires and any other colour would be a sapphire!).  However, we get pinkish-red, purplish-red or purplish-brown rubies, and the one here is obviously a purplish-red one.

Purple Star Ruby and Diamond Cluster Ring at Richard Ogden

This beautiful star ruby is surrounded by diamonds in a classic Cluster Ring-setting and if you love it lots and lots you can buy it at Richard Ogden in Burlington Arcade for £4200 – and you can see it on their website here.