Antique 19th Century Genuine Natural One and One-Third Carat Mysore Star Ruby Hand Crafted/Polished Oval.

CLASSIFICATION: Polished Mysore "Star Ruby" Polished Cabochon Ruby Precious Gemstone.

ORIGIN: Mysore, India, 19th Century.

SIZE: Length: 7mm. Width: 5mm. Depth (Thickness): 3 1/5mm. Measurements approximate.

WEIGHT: 1.36 carats.

NOTES: Upon request we can set your gemstones as a ring, pendant, or as earrings.

DETAIL: A 19th century antique hand crafted/shaped/polished "Mysore Star Ruby" from Mysore, India. Known as a "star" ruby because of an optical effect they possess known as an "asterism". Oriented crystal inclusions cause a six-rayed-star light effect (an asterism) to form on the surface of these beautiful precious gemstones. They are also known as "Mysore" (star) rubies as the majority are mined in Mysore, India. They are not known for exceptional transparency. Rather they are known for their rich, blood red color; albeit somewhat purple blood red. The highest quality specimens will be more translucent, lower quality specimens more opaque. Higher quality gemstones will exhibit a more pronounced asterism, lower quality specimens will not. Lower quality specimens will be heavily included, higher quality specimens will have fewer, smaller inclusions.

This particular specimen would not be considered a high quality gemstone when compared to the "enhanced" gemstones produced today in the twenty-first century. However it is very typical of a nineteenth century gemstone, and in its own time, would have been considered a very desirable (and costly) precious gemstone. It's not anywhere near flawless, and the star is rather poorly defined when compared to the sharp six-rayed stars produced by modern "enhancement" techniques such as diffusion where a six-ray star is created on a ruby or sapphire cabochon, but only on the surface of the enhanced gemstone..

Rubies tend to be anywhere from moderately to heavily included. The highest quality Mysore Star rubies will exhibit a lot of translucency, and will be completely flawless; but they are rare. Such high-quality rubies can easily cost thousands of dollars per carat. Most completely transparent rubies you see in the department stores and on fingers are synthetic. Most natural rubies have colorless inclusions that though not discernable individually to the naked eye, nonetheless impart a certain translucency to the gemstone.

Upon close examination of the gemstone it becomes obvious that the gemstone has been hand shaped and hand finished. The coarseness of the 19th century hand crafted finish is generally regarded as appealing to most gemstone collectors, and is not considered detrimental. Unlike today's enhanced, computer directed, laser cut, machine finished gemstones, the cut and finish of a gemstone such as this is the legacy of an artisan who lived two centuries ago. Such antique hand-crafted gemstones possess much greater character and appeal than today's mass-produced machine-produced gemstones.

This gemstone has great luster, colors, and very rich texture; however it is not even remotely close to being unblemished. True, the blemishes it possesses are near invisible to the naked eye, and the gemstone could be characterized, to use trade jargon, as "near eye clean". However magnified 400% or 500%, as it is here, you can see minor blemishes within the gemstone and occasional irregularities in the finish. But these characteristics are not only expected of hand-finished gemstones, you must also consider that two centuries ago the mining techniques even possible then, let alone in practice, did not allow the ultra deep mining operations which are so commonplace today.

Two centuries ago mankind was more or less limited to surface deposits or near surface deposits of gemstones. Higher quality gemstones which today are routinely mined from beneath hundreds of meters, even kilometers beneath the earth's surface, were simply inaccessible then. So antique gemstones must be appreciated as antiques first, gemstones second. The relatively superlative quality of contemporary gemstones routinely mined from deep beneath the earth's surface today were simply not accessible two centuries ago, or at least, only rarely so. However for most, the unique nature and character of antique gemstones such as this more than makes up for included imperfections which by and large, are only visible under magnification.

HISTORY: The name ruby comes from the Latin "rubeus" (red). The most sought after shade of red for ruby is often given the name "pigeon blood red", but ruby can be any shade of red up to almost pink. The only source of "pigeon blood" rubies is Mogok in Upper Burma, about ninety miles from Kepling's Mandalay, and are known in the trade as "Mogok" rubies. In Mogok, the rubies are mined by natives according to centuries-old customs. The famous "Hill of Precious Stones", near Bangkok, Thailand, yields rubies of a deeper shade, usually a more brownish color. Rubies from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) tend toward violet, and are lighter in color. Oriented rutile crystal inclusions cause a six-rayed-star light effect (called asterism) to form the popular "Star Ruby". The "Star Ruby" is also known as a "Mysore Ruby", as the majority are mined in Mysore, India. Ruby was worn by the ancients as an amulet for protection from plagues, poison, sorrow, and evil spirits. The ruby symbolized freedom, charity, dignity and divine power.

The Greeks believed that the "fire" evidenced by a ruby's red coloration could melt wax. Up through Medieval Europe, rubies were worn for protection against unhappiness, lightening and upsetting dreams. In Sankskrit, an ancient language of India, ruby was called "ratnaraj", which means "King of Gems". To them, this fiery stone burned with an inextinguishable fire, capable of boiling the water in which it was placed. In India, it was said that he who offered rubies to the gods would be reincarnated as a powerful king or emperor. In Burma it was felt a ruby must not just be worn, but embedded in the skin to become part of the body, thus making the wearer invulnerable. Ruby is the red variety of corundum, the second hardest natural mineral known to mankind. The non-red variety of corundum is Sapphire. Sapphires are well known among the general public as being blue, but can be nearly any color. Rubies are mined all over the world, but the highest quality gemstones come from Burma Ceylon, Siam, and India.

SHIPPING OPTIONS: All purchases are backed by an unlimited guarantee of satisfaction and authenticity. If for any reason you are not entirely satisfied with your purchase, you may return it for a complete and immediate refund of your entire purchase price. Most of these antique gemstones were originally part of two collections, one originating in India principally composed of gemstones originally mined in India, Burma, Ceylon, and Siam, and then hand faceted in India. The addition of a second accumulation of antique gemstones originally mined in the Urals in the mid to late 19th century (including alexandrite) completed the collection. These gemstones as well were hand finished. The Urals have been one of the world's major sources of precious and semi-precious gemstones for many centuries. As well, additional specimens are occasionally acquired from other institutions and dealers in Eastern Europe and Asia. These antique gemstones are now in the United States and are available for immediate delivery.

We ship inventory from the USA order fulfillment center near Seattle, Washington. Your purchase will ordinarily be shipping within 48 hours of payment. A certificate of authenticity is available upon request. We prefer your personal check or money order over any other form of payment - and we will ship immediately upon receipt of your check (no "holds"). We will accept PayPal payments. Please see our "ADDITIONAL TERMS OF SALE".