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Antique Genuine Natural Russian One-Half Carat Faceted "Brilliant Cut" Bright, Royal Blue Sapphire Round.

CLASSIFICATION: Faceted Blue Sapphire "Brilliant Cut" Round.

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

SIZE: Diameter: 5mm. Depth: 2mm. All measurements approximate

WEIGHT: Approximately 0.50 carats.

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

DETAIL: Lots of fire, lots of flash, and lots of vibrant blue tone! A gorgeous, richly colored natural bright blue sapphire precious gemstone from the Ural Mountains of Russia. This gemstone was hand crafted into the sparkling faceted round you see here in the 19th century by a Russian artisan, part of an heritage renown for the production of the elaborate gemstones and jewelry of the Czars of Medieval, Renaissance, and Victorian Russia. Originally used in indigenous jewelry, the cut is very similar to the contemporary "brilliant cut round" treatment generally afforded diamonds. The result is an exquisite and very vibrantly colored precious gemstone with lots of fire and sparkle. It is brightly colored a regal, bright medium blue, much lighter than dark blue African or Australian sapphires, more along the lines of the bright blue of sapphires from Ceylon and Burma. The gemstone is at a minimum eye clean, and at least to the unaided eye, is near flawless. The color is very intense, very vibrant, a saturated rich bright blue. Such good quality blue sapphires are in high demand, and can be quite costly. The gemstone is to the eye, virtually flawless. Even in these photo enlargements here (600%) it is difficult to discern any significant blemishes. This is really an exceptional precious gemstone - the color and quality both fabulous!

Good quality blue 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) - either that or they cost $10,000 a carat. 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 gemstone has been hand-crafted. The coarseness of the 19th century faceting is considered appealing to most gemstone collectors, and is not considered a detriment. In fact these characteristics of a hand crafted gemstone are considered part and parcel of the magic of such an antique gemstone. 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 completely transparent, but it is not absolutely without flaw. True, any blemishes it possesses are not visible to the naked eye, and the gemstone can be characterized at a minimum, to use trade jargon, as "eye clean". To the eye it is indeed without discernible blemish. However if you magnify it at a high enough power (10 times); you might be able to pick out one or two slight imperfections within the gemstone, typically a few wispy strands of colorless crystalline material, and perhaps just a tiny little bit of "color zoning". This means that if you look very carefully and closely you might detect of slightly different shades of color within the gemstone. But this is quite common with sapphires (at least with natural sapphires), and in no way detracts from its beauty. Aside from being commonplace, the color zoning is not detectable at all except upon very close scrutiny (or photo enlargements such as these). These photo enlargements will also depict occasional irregularities in the faceting and finish. However a slightly irregular finish is not only expected of hand-finished gemstones, it is one of the hallmarks of hand crafted gemstones. And of course as described, you might be able to detect a few minor blemishes in the photo enlargements or scrutiny through a jeweler's loupe - evidence of the gemstone's natural origin. Of course this may be said about most any natural, non-synthetic gemstone. A truly flawless gemstone is very rare in nature - sooner or later blemishes will show up at higher levels of magnification.

With respect to the occasional blemishes detectable in antique 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 (if at all) 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".