  The decay properties of the ground state and excited states of $^{257}$Rf
have been investigated with the detector array GABRIELA at the FLNR, Dubna. The
electromagnetic decay of a new excited state in $^{253}$No has been observed.
The state lies 750 keV above the ground state and is favourably populated in
the alpha decay of the low-lying spin isomer of $^{257}$Rf. It decays to the
9/2$^-$ ground state by an M1 transition and is assigned the 11/2$^-$[725]
Nilsson configuration. The presence of this state suggests a possible
reinterpretation of the decay of the high-K isomer in $^{253}$No.
