Antique Eighteenth Century Genuine Natural Russian Two Carat Neon "Hot Pink" Oval Cut Tourmaline Cabochon. Contemporary High Quality Sterling Silver Ring (Size 7 - Resizing Available).

CLASSIFICATION: Tourmaline Oval Cabochon.

ORIGIN: The Ural Mountains, Russia. 18th Century. Setting is contemporary.

SIZE: Length: 8mm. Width: 6mm. Depth: 4mm. All measurements approximate.

WEIGHT: 1.98 carats.

NOTES: Resizing is available. 14kt solid gold setting is also available.

DETAIL: Tourmaline occurred in many of the ancient mines that yielded precious gemstones in the ancient Roman world 2,000 years ago, however it was mistaken for (and thus called) emerald or topaz. The name "tourmaline" came from the Celanese word "turmali," which means "mixed". Bright rainbow collections of gemstone varieties were called "turmali" parcels. Here's a beautiful, hot pink tourmaline gemstone from Siberia, the Ural Mountains of Russia. Bright and vibrantly hued, this gemstone was hand crafted and faceted by an 18th 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. This lustrous, rich pink semi-precious gemstone possesses a bright character. Though by contemporary standards it would not be considered a high-quality gemstone, by eighteenth century standards it is a very nice gemstone, quite typical of antique, handcrafted Siberian tourmaline of the era. Despite its shortcomings, it is nonetheless very beautiful.

The gemstone is clearly not even remotely near flawless. It possesses quite a lot of colorless crystalline material scattered through the gemstone, both in the form of seams as well as dispersed particles. These crystalline blemishes are not obnoxious, but of course if you hold the gemstone close to your eye and examine it intently, or certainly in these 500% photo enlargements (or a 10x jeweler's loupe), they are fairly prominent. To the cursory glance of the casual admirer, it simply appears to be a brightly hued pink tourmaline, not at all unattractive. Much favored by European Renaissance and Victorian Royalty, tourmaline tends to be characterized by the presence of small colorless inclusions which causes the gemstone to lean toward translucency in most specimens. Nonetheless tourmaline was held in such high regard by the (last) Empress of China, Tz'u Hsi, that she purchased bought almost a ton of it from a mine in California, and was eventually laid to rest (eternally) on a carved tourmaline pillow.

So while you scrutinize the images so as to examine the blemishes this handcrafted gemstone possesses, keep in mind that the images we are sharing here are 500% photo enlargements, so the blemishes the gemstone possesses are going to seem huge and prominent. Again, even though by today's standards it would not be considered a good quality tourmaline, it is nonetheless quite characteristic of the gemstones of eighteenth century Russia. Even today there is substantially more demand than supply for tourmaline, and it is thus oftentimes can be quite costly and difficult to procure. However the Southern Ural Mountains of (Siberia) Russia have been producing quality tourmaline for centuries. The setting is of contemporary origin. It is a high quality setting manufactured by one of the USA's leading semi-custom mount producers. It is constructed of solid sterling silver. We do have the ability to have the ring sent out for resizing if requested. Additionally, if preferred, the mounting is also available in 14kt solid gold.

Under magnification the gemstone shows the unmistakable characteristics of having been hand crafted. The coarseness of the 19th century finish is considered appealing to most gemstone collectors, and is not considered a detriment, or detract from the value of a gemstone. But these characteristics are not only expected of hand-finished gemstones, most serious collectors consider such gemstones more desirable, possessed of greater character and uniqueness when compared to today's cookie-cutter mass-produced machine-tumbled gemstones. Unlike today's computer controlled machine produced gemstones, the cut and finish of a gemstone such as this is the legacy of an artisan who lived two centuries ago.

This gemstone has great luster and color, and to the eye is more or less transparent, but again, obviously, it is not without blemish. Magnified 400% or 500%, as it is here, you can see many minor blemishes (principally colorless crystalline material as previously described) within the gemstone, as well as occasional irregularities in the cut and polish. 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. Keep in mind 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. For these reasons 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 miniscule blemishes and cutting/finishing imperfections which are inherent in antique, hand-cut gemstones, and which are by and large, are only visible under high magnification.

HISTORY: Tourmaline occurs in more colors than any other gemstone variety, and has been used as gem material for more than 2000 years. Tourmaline was most likely mined by the ancient Greeks and Romans, but mistook it for emerald or topaz. Even as late as the 17th century the royal houses of Europe were purchasing "emeralds" which later turned out to be green ("chrome") tourmaline. Likewise many stones in the Russian Crown jewels from the 17th century once thought to be rubies are actually tourmalines. Gem-quality tourmaline is found throughout the African continent, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Burma, Ceylon, Brazil, and in both the United States and Russia (both in the Ural Mountains as well as Siberia). The rarest color of tourmaline is green, or chrome tourmaline, though there are very small quantities of even rarer Paraiba neon blue-green tourmaline produced in Brazil. The most popular color is peach (or pink) tourmaline, and one of the most famous mines in the world, played out and closed in 1913, was in California.

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".