Noura came in with a ring that had belonged to her grandmother: an old-mine cut diamond of about 0.9 ct in a high, worn platinum claw setting from the 1920s, bought in Bombay in the days when her great-grandfather traded pearls. She loved the stone and the story, and never wore the ring.
Looking at the stone
Old-mine cuts were shaped by hand, by eye, before modern cutting. They are a little uneven and softer in their sparkle, with a warm glow that new stones rarely have. Anouk checked it under the loupe: one tiny chip on the edge, hidden by the old claws.
The design
Céline drew three options. Noura chose a low, six-claw setting in yellow gold, with the chipped edge tucked under a claw and the shoulders tapering gently into the band. We carved it in wax so she could try the height on her finger at week two.
- Stone: old-mine cut, about 0.9 ct, from the original ring.
- Metal: 18ct recycled yellow gold.
- Time: seven weeks, from first conversation to collection.
We kept the old platinum mount, cleaned it and returned it to her in the box. It was her grandmother’s, after all.
What changes, and what doesn’t
A new setting can make an old stone feel like yours without changing what it is. We never re-cut family stones unless asked, and we photograph and log every stone when it arrives. Noura now wears the ring every day.
