24k 10 Carats Old Mine Cut Antique Diamond Bangle Chinese
19th century gold bangle set with Old Mine Cut diamonds weighing 10.41ctw in 24k.
This is our finest Straits Chinese jewel, and not just because it is at least 180 years of age.
The half domed bangle is set with 25 Old Mine Cut diamonds, the biggest weighs 1.4ct, the next biggest weighs 1ct.
The diamonds are SI to VS, thick and faces up very white.
The bangle weighs 45.88g.
— A Little About Old Diamonds and Straits Chinese Jewelry —
Old Mine Cut diamonds were first developed in the early 1800s and continued to be used well into the 1870s. By then, around 1875, the Old European cut also developed, becoming the prevailing style from the 1890s to the 1930s.
Many, if not most, Straits Chinese historical jewelry used Rose Cut or Old European Cut diamonds, from the pieces that come into the marketplace we can study from.
Rose cut diamonds, in their various stages of refinement, came about earliest.
In the middle of the 16th century, Belgian traders unveiled an innovative new cut that changed the European perception of diamonds. Based on a traditional Indian cut of the time, this new cut gave the appearance of a rosebud unfurling, and was christened the ‘rose’ cut.
While we have seen many examples of Straits Chinese jewelry set with rose cut diamonds, we have not seen memorable pieces using wholly Old Mine Cut diamonds.
In this region, our proximity to India has allowed rose cut diamonds to be used without interruption, in historical and modern revival Straits Chinese jewelry. Recent reproduced pieces have also relied on the supply of rose cut diamonds from Indonesia and Thailand.
From both the use and the quality of mine cut diamonds in this bangle, and also from the refined gold work of its 24k body in housing these diamonds, we can make some conclusions as to the lineage and age of this bangle.
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Seeing that this bangle is not 200 years old but close, we can understand the distinction in its carving and mythology.
The gold is never hollow anywhere, a sign of traditional craftsmanship performed at luxury level.
Hence the ‘bamboo leaf’ carvings appear as light carvings on its solid gold body. It is sculptural work adorned with diamonds.
The snake is represented as if a dragon, with a full set of teeth and tongue/fang that figure more to the mythological dragon.
The artistic inflection is reflective of Chinese values and not a mere uncanny resemblance.
Both the profile and front of the ‘snake’ look uncannily like a dragon, and the more so as one observes its form.
The cubist beauty of the Old Mine Cut diamonds look phenomenal, because they are not small, hence they easily captivate the eyes as only ‘foreign’ diamonds can.
The lineage of the bangle can be felt from looking and wearing.
The bamboo leaf motifs are more Chinese than Straits Chinese, one aspect for us to date this piece as a very early Peranakan jewel.
Solid 24k gold jewelry is not uncommon in Straits Chinese jewelry. Most of our solid 24k gold bangles are not set with diamonds, not with mine cuts and certainly not extensive like this.
Taken as a whole, the bangle is ‘simpler’ and more reserved than most historical Straits Chinese jewelry extravaganza.
Its Chinese restraint distinguishes the bangle from many, many Straits Chinese Peranakan gold bangles.
This bangle is an Anglophile’s dream. It cannot be more Chinese and it is none the lesser Georgian.
While the snake is a Western symbol of love and friendship, the dragon is one of power and luck in Chinese lore. How much the snake is feared and how much it is revered (and must be persuaded to evolve!) point to unfolding circumstance of influential lives in the 19th century.
This is a bangle meant for a very petite wrist, having a 6.5″ circumference. Its open-close oval shape means it will wear with ease and not turn at the wrist (unlike round bangles).
Marguerite Duras would love this, and we imagine it is commissioned by someone who has seen a greater share of the world than most during his/her time, settling down to a planned, unplanned genteel life.
The power of jewelry is its story, from its human history to its ongoing lore.
Diamonds in carat weight: 0.2, 0.1, 0.1, 1.4, 1.0, 0.7, 0.7, 0.7. 0.6, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 0.4, 0.4, 0.3, 0.3, 0.3, 0.25, 0.2, 0.2, 0.2, 0.15.