Old stones, assessed on their own terms
Sell an old cut or antique diamond
Old European cuts, old mine cuts and rose cuts are assessed as what they are: period stones, not failed modern ones. The mount is bought on its gold or platinum weight at the published rates, the stone is quoted after testing, and larger stones may be quoted subject to independent lab grading. We buy natural diamonds only. Send photos before anything travels.
What counts as an old cut
Before modern machine cutting, diamonds were shaped by hand and by candlelight, and it shows. The old mine cut is squarish with a high crown; the old European cut is its rounder successor, common in Victorian and Edwardian jewellery; the rose cut is a flat-backed dome of triangular facets, often found in Georgian and early Victorian pieces. These stones were cut for the light of their time, so they glow rather than sparkle. None of that makes them lesser. It makes them different, and they are assessed differently: by testing, and for stones of roughly one carat and above, by grading at an independent lab agreed with you first.
The piece matters, not just the stone
Old stones usually arrive in old settings: a ring from a grandmother, a brooch from further back. The mount is precious metal and is weighed and bought at the published per-gram rate for what it tests, the same as any other piece. But an antique piece can be worth more whole than as metal and stone separately, and when we think that is true of yours we say so before anything is taken apart. Nothing is unset without your agreement.
Send it as found
Do not clean, polish or repair an antique piece before selling it. Old claws are fragile, and a well-meant scrub can loosen a stone that has sat securely for a century. Photograph the piece as it is: the whole piece, the inside of the band or the back of the brooch where the stamps are, and any paperwork however old. Receipts, valuations and even old repair notes help date a piece. If the jewellery came to you through a bereavement, the page on selling an inherited diamond ring covers that situation properly.
What happens next
Photos first, on WhatsApp or through the form on the diamonds page. We tell you what we can see and what would need testing. The piece then comes to us in person in Dublin or by free insured post from any county, everything is tested on camera, and the offer is itemised: the metal at the published rate, the stone as tested. Anything you decline comes back whole, by insured post, free.
Questions people ask
How do I know if my diamond is an old cut?
Age and look. Old cuts sit in pieces made before roughly the 1930s: Victorian, Edwardian and early twentieth century rings and brooches. To the eye they have a smaller table, a taller crown, and often a small flat or open facet in the centre of the underside called a culet, visible as a dot through the top. If the piece came down through the family from that era, an old cut is likely. Testing settles it.
Are old cut diamonds worth less because the cutting is old fashioned?
Not automatically. An old cut is judged on what it is: its weight, colour, clarity and how well it was cut, like any stone. Some old stones carry extra interest precisely because they are period cuts in period settings. Others are simply small old diamonds. Testing and, for larger stones, independent grading tell us which yours is.
Should I have an antique ring cleaned or repaired before selling?
No. Leave it exactly as it is. Amateur cleaning can loosen old settings, and repairs or replating can remove the evidence of age that makes a piece interesting. Dust and tarnish do not reduce what the metal weighs or what the stone tests at. Send it as found.
Is the whole antique piece bought, or just the stone?
Both parts are considered. The mount is weighed and bought on its gold or platinum content at the published rates, and the stone is quoted separately after testing. Where a piece is clearly better left whole, we say so before anything else happens: some antique jewellery is worth more intact than as parts.
Can an old diamond be lab-grown?
A genuinely old stone cannot, since lab-grown diamonds are a recent product, but old settings are sometimes refitted with modern stones, including lab-grown ones. That is one more reason every stone is tested before any offer. We buy natural diamonds only; if a replacement stone tests lab-grown, it is returned to you and the metal is still bought.
Ready when you are
Send four things: a photo of the piece, a photo of the stamps inside the band, a photo of any certificate or valuation, and a line on where the piece came from. Every stone is tested before any offer. We buy natural diamonds only and do not buy lab-grown stones.