Antique Genuine Natural Russian Three-Quarter Carat (Plus) Hand Cut and Faceted Dark Royal Blue Sapphire Oval.

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

SIZE: Length: 6mm. Width: 5mm. Depth (Thickness): 3mm. All measurements approximate.

WEIGHT: 0.85 carats.

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

DETAIL: A handsome, richly colored natural dark royal blue sapphire precious gemstone from the Ural Mountains of Russia. Hand crafted 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. Originally used in indigenous jewelry, this is a very handsome precious gemstone, with very rich texture and a color somewhere between royal blue and navy blue. The gemstone is considerably lighter than inky "midnight blue" African or Australian sapphires, but well past the medium cornflower blue of sapphires from Ceylon, Sri Lanka, and Cambodia. Though in the 19th century this would have been considered a very nice quality gemstone (and priced accordingly), by today's standards it is rather average. It is by and large near eye clean, though certainly not flawless, and of higher value transparent character as opposed to lower value translucent and opaque sapphires. Though merely average by today's standards, it is nonetheless exceptional given its history. Of course most sapphire gemstones are anywhere from lightly to heavily included. Though this specimen is much more transparent than translucent, complete transparency is slightly impaired by some very fine colorless crystalline material as well as the natural dark blue color of the sapphire itself. The darker the color, the less light penetrates any material.

Though the fine colorless crystalline blemishes are not noticeable to the unaided eye - and to casual glance the gemstone simply appears to be a richly colored royal sapphire of good luster and even color - to close scrutiny, as is seen in these photo enlargements, there are tiny little colorless crystalline blemishes. Of course most completely transparent, flawless sapphires you see offered today at retail are either synthetic (read the fine print carefully) or priced at $10,000 a carat. While this particular specimen might not be anywhere near flawless, to casual scrutiny it is at least eye clean or near eye clean, and possesses quite pleasing dark royal blue color. In fact when struck by a light source, or when held up to the light, you can see right through it despite the rich royal blue color. Upon close scrutiny you might also be able to make out a few of the minute crystalline blemishes, but at the same time one cannot help but admire the rich, royal blue color.

There is a little bit of color zoning, which means that if you look very carefully and closely you will see areas of different shades of color within the gemstone. But this is quite common with 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). Blue sapphires are precious gemstones, and in high demand, and thus can be quite costly, however the Southern Ural Mountains of Russia have been producing good quality, natural sapphires for centuries. And again, though by today's standards this specimen is only of medium quality, by 19th century standards it would have been quite desirable and would have commanded a high price.

The trained eye will easily discern the tell-tale indicators that the gemstone was hand cut and hand faceted. The coarseness of the 19th century finish 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. The gemstone possesses great lustre, and the blemishes it possesses are not obvious to casual scrutiny. Of course these photo enlargements are at 600%, so each and every little wispy speck of crystalline material is going to seem like a major defect. However these imperfections, as well as the color zoning, are very difficult to discern with the naked eye.

Consider that these characteristics are not only expected of hand-finished gemstones, but also that two centuries ago the mining techniques prevalent did not allow the ultra deep mining operations which are so common today. Two centuries ago mankind was more or less limited to surface deposits or near surface deposits of semi-precious gemstones. Higher quality gemstones which today are routinely mined from beneath hundreds of meters, even kilometers beneath the earth's surface, were simply inaccessible. So antique gemstone must be appreciated as antiques first, gemstones second. The relatively superlative quality of contemporary gemstones mined from deep beneath the earth's surface were simply not accessible two centuries ago, or at least, only rarely so. But for most, the unique nature and character of these antique gemstones more than makes up for included imperfections which by and large are only visible under 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".