Antique Silver Ring with Diamonds & an Untreated Ruby from Winza

Historical pieces of jewellery often tell us not only about the taste of the time when they were created, but also about the changes they have undergone in the course of their history. It is not uncommon for pieces of jewellery to be adapted, rebuilt or altered when tastes change or personal preferences individualize an object. It also happens that gemstones are lost and replaced. This ring, dating from c. 1910, also came to us incomplete - the fine silver setting with its sixteen diamond roses had lost its original center stone. We therefore decided to give this historic piece of jewellery a new center stone and have an exceptional ruby cut into it. It is an untreated gemstone from Winza in Tanzania weighing 1.44 carats. Rubies were only discovered in Winza in 2007. They have an unusually vivid color that does not have to be intensified by heating. This is extremely rare for rubies, as the vast majority of rubies traded today are fired at high temperatures to improve their color. The ruby used here therefore shows its beauty exactly as nature created it. Its intense cherry red sparkle is reminiscent of historical Burmese rubies, while a slightly silky inclusion pattern on the inside testifies to its naturalness. Rubies from Winza are rarely found in jewellery today, as the deposit has only briefly produced high-quality stones. We were able to acquire this ruby from the old stock of a goldsmith. The ruby is surrounded by a large, openwork ring face, typical of the time, which is set with 16 rose cut diamonds. Rose cuts are among the oldest historical diamond cuts and were particularly popular from the 18th to the early 20th century. Unlike modern brilliant-cut diamonds, they do not have a bright sparkle, but a soft, almost candlelight-like shimmer. Together, the diamonds weigh around 0.40 carats and are set in fine grain settings in the silver, as was typical for pieces of jewellery of the time. A historic ring fragment and an extraordinary gemstone have been combined to create a new piece of jewellery that combines the past and present in a particularly beautiful way.

Estimate:$2,796.16

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