706 - Solitaire ring, 585 yellow gold, old-cut diamond circa 0.6 ct (W/SI), white gold chaton setting

Solitaire ring, 585 yellow gold, old-cut diamond circa 0.6 ct (W/SI), white gold chaton setting 585 yellow gold, white gold and diamond. Solitaire ring, the shank stamped “585” inside; ring head with an old-cut diamond (W/SI) of circa 0.6 ct in a white gold coronet setting (chaton setting) with raised claws and small beads between them, the setting open at the sides, the back with a round aperture beneath the stone; shoulders with central ridge. Very good condition. Inner diameter 18.6 mm. 360-degree photo available on our website. The old cut, known internationally as the Old European Cut, was the predominant round cut for diamonds from about 1890 to 1930 and was executed by hand; characteristic features are the small table, the high crown and the open culet, which give the stone a lively fire in candlelight and gaslight. The solitaire ring with a single diamond remains to this day the epitome of the engagement ring: the diamond ring as an engagement gift is first recorded in 1477, when Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg presented one to Mary of Burgundy as a token of fidelity. The custom of wearing the ring on the ring finger of the left hand goes back to the notion that a vein leads directly from this finger to the heart. For a long time the diamond remained reserved for the nobility; only the finds in South Africa in the late 19th century made diamond jewellery affordable for wider circles, and the classic solitaire setting with a high-set stone goes back to a design by Tiffany & Co. from 1886.