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How to Date Antique Diamonds

All genuine diamonds are antique in the sense that they take thousands of years to form within the earth's crust. However, it is possible to tell a freshly mined example from one that has been worn for decades, or maybe even hundreds of years, by paying attention to the cut of the stone and to the kind of setting that houses it.

Things You'll Need

Jeweler's loupe

Instructions

- 1
  Examine the diamond with a jeweler's loupe. If it has a pointed and faceted base, then it's a brilliant cut stone dating to the first quarter of the 20th century at the earliest.
- 2
  Look at the diamond again. If the base is flat, but the crown or top part is evenly cut into 24 facets, then what you have is a rose-cut diamond, which can date from anywhere between the middle of the 17th century to the end of the 19th.
- 3
  Check the crown of the stone. If it has just a few facets terminating in a point, then the diamond has retained a rudimentary cut that might date back to as early as 1456, when Louis van Berguen of Bruges made the first steps in developing the lapidarist's art. Diamonds dating from an earlier period would have had no facets at all, instead being polished into a cabochon -- a smooth, semi-spherical shape.
- 4
  Turn your attention to the way in which the diamond is mounted. On medieval and Renaissance jewelry, diamonds are usually sunk within solid-backed gold collars known as "collets." In the 18th century, diamonds were often set in silver to enhance their glitter by candlelight. By the end of the 19th century, you find light, delicate platinum settings and claw mounts with open backs.

Antiques