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One Exquisitely Colored, Rare, Handcrafted Antique Genuine Natural Two-Third Carat Faceted Golden Mandarin Orange Sapphire Oval Cut Precious Gemstone from Russia.

CLASSIFICATION: Faceted Mandarin Orange Sapphire Oval with Undertones and Flashes of Gold.

ORIGIN: Southern Ural Mountains (Siberia, Russia). 19th century.

SIZE: Length: 6mm. Width: 4mm. Depth (Thickness): 3mm. All measurements approximate.

WEIGHT: Approximately 0.60 carats.

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

DETAIL: Words simply cannot describe how breathtakingly beautiful this precious gemstone is. A gorgeous, brightly colored natural mandarin orange sapphire precious gemstone from the Southern Ural Mountains of Siberia, Russia, handcrafted into this sparking faceted oval. The result is an exquisite and incredibly vividly colored precious gemstone with lots of depth, fire and sparkle. The gemstone was hand crafted and faceted by a 19th century 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. The color in hand is more orange than appears here in these images which exaggerate the yellow - the color is very close to a mandarin orange, but with very strong flashes of an almost metallic gold. Depending upon the light, the color will vary from a bright mandarin orange indoors with sparkles of gold, to a flashy gold with orange undertones outdoors.

Either way, the color is quite exquisite, the sparkle diamond-like in intensity. Orange sapphires are amongst the most rare of all colored sapphires, and this particular specimen is very beautiful. The gemstone is to the eye, virtually flawless. Even in these photo enlargements here (500%) it is difficult to discern any blemishes. This is really an exceptional precious gemstone - the color and quality both fabulous! High quality orange sapphires such as these are increasingly difficult to acquire at anything approaching a reasonable price. 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.

This exquisite precious gemstone is completely transparent, appearing almost as if it was a delicately carved mirage constructed of bright golden-orange colored glass. It has every bit as much sparkle and brilliance as a diamond - it is really a very flashy gemstone. However 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. 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 flawless. Even magnified here in these photo enlargements it is difficult to pick out any blemishes. However if you examine the photo enlargements very carefully; you might be able to pick out one or two slight imperfections within the gemstone, barely perceptible even at such high magnification, and as well occasional irregularities in the faceting and finish. Of course this may be said about most any gemstone. A truly flawless gemstone is very rare in nature - sooner or later blemishes will show up at higher levels of magnification. 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 (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".