Vintage Orange Blossom Ring: Understanding Cut & Value

Question
I have a very old orange blossom ring.  It is 18kt gold and had 1/3 center diamond.  This is not one of those K-mart orange blossom rings.  I have a little about this ring but I do not understand the term "minors cut" or something like that.  I guess they were rough cut in the past. Am I right?  Any info on these or their value as compared to todays diamond? It actually looks like this ring but mine is actually old. http://www.jewelworks.net/product_info.php?products_id=1132

Answer
Good morning Anita, An old mine cut diamond was pretty much cut before today's technology of diamond cutting. they were called "lumpy" diamonds, a bit out of round in shape, and usually cut before 1900. A third carat size on today's market would be in the $500 range of retail replacement value, which is about 50% less than diamonds with the added brilliance of today's cuts. Many people in the trade re-cut these "old miners" to modern proportions but you would lose about 15% to 20% of the weight, so my advice is to leave it like it is since size matters most. It sounds beautiful. Good luck.

Steve Kretser