One Rare, Antique Genuine Natural Faceted Half Carat Oval Cut Dark Rose Sapphire Precious Gemstone.

CLASSIFICATION: Faceted Pastel Rose Sapphire Oval.

ORIGIN: The Ural Mountains, Russia. 19th Century.

SIZE: Length: 5mm. Width: 4mm. Depth (Thickness): 3mm. All measurements approximate.

WEIGHT: Approximately 0.48 carats.

NOTES: Upon request we can set your gemstone as a ring, pendant, or earring.

DETAIL: A gorgeous, richly colored natural dark violet-rose colored sapphire precious gemstone from the Ural Mountains of Russia, hand cut into this marvelous sparkling oval in the 19th century. The color is absolutely incredible, a very rich, dark tone of rose. It is not red, as in bright ruby red. Rather it is a rose red with violet undertones. The hue is incredibly rich, with vibrant texture. The color is incredibly glorious, the violet undertones adding incredible vibrancy. The color brings to mind the incredible violet red hues and “flavor” of gray storm clouds backlit by a rising or setting sun, outlined in orange or violet. Or perhaps a hilltop at night outlined by a raging brush fire. The gemstone looks ever so much like a sparkling, vibrant violet-rose hued diamond.

There is a little color zoning, which means that if you look very carefully and closely under high magnification you might see areas of different shades of color within the gemstone. But this is quite common with sapphires, and in no way detracts from their beauty. Aside from being commonplace, the color zoning is not detectable at all except upon very close scrutiny (or photo enlargements such as these). Good quality uncommonly hued sapphires are in high demand, and can be quite costly. Unfortunately most seemingly flawless, transparent “sapphires” sold even by the largest and most reputable retailers in the United States are synthetic (read the fine print; and the same is true of emeralds and rubies). However the Southern Ural Mountains of Russia have been producing good quality, natural sapphires for centuries. The trained eye will easily discern from the photo that the gemstones have been hand-faceted. The coarseness of the 19th century faceting is considered appealing to most gemstone collectors, and is not considered a detriment. Unlike today's computer controlled machine processes, the cut and finish of gemstones such as these is the legacy of an artisan who lived two centuries ago. Such antique hand-faceted gemstones possess much greater character and appeal than today's mass-produced machine-faceted gemstones.

This gemstone has great luster and sparkle, and to the eye is essentially transparent, but it is not entirely flawless. As you can see, there is a couple of small inclusions visible, all grouped together in one little spot. They are almost undetectable with the naked eye, but we are looking at 500% photo enlargements here, so they are easy to spot. In hand, it is very difficult to spot the inclusion, you virtually have to know it is there before you will be able to find it. The gemstone can be characterized, to use trade jargon, as "near eye clean". Aside from the slight imperfection (included material) within the gemstone, there are occasional irregularities in the faceting and finish. But these characteristics are not only expected of hand-finished gemstones, you must also consider that two centuries ago the mining techniques even theoretically possible, let alone commonly practiced, 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 high magnification.

HISTORY: Mentions of sapphire in ancient references reach well back past 800 B.C. Certainly the ancient Greeks, Persians, and Romans all knew of blue sapphires and employed the precious gemstones in their jewelry. In the world of the ancient Mediterranean, priests and sorcerers honored the sapphire above all other gems. As the centuries passed, European royalty came to highly favor sapphires believing the stone would provide protection from harm. In the medieval world blue sapphires were believed to represent heaven, and thus the precious gemstones were widely used in ecclesiastical jewelry. Sapphires are a member of the corundum family, as are rubies, and as such sapphires are considered one of the most valuable of precious stones. They are also extremely hard, second only to diamonds, and so are very popular as gemstones for rings and pendants. Sapphires are mined in Thailand, Ceylon, Burma, Australia, Madagascar, Russia, South Africa, China, Afghanistan, and in Montana and North Carolina.

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".