In the whirlwind of love

Antique ring with Verneuil rubies & diamonds in gold & silver, ca. 1905

€ 1,190.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Antique ring with Verneuil rubies & diamonds in gold & silver, ca. 1905

Description

This description was automatically translated from German. If you have any questions about this piece of jewellery, we will be happy to help!

Of all the gemstones in jewellery history, it was rubies in particular for which demand and supply were so poorly balanced that attempts were made early on to produce them artificially. So the excitement was all the greater when in 1902 the first synthetic - not reconstructed - rubies created by Auguste Verneuil became commercially available. Verneuil's rubies, developed in the laboratory, were hardly distinguishable from natural stones in terms of structure and colour and soon advanced to become the dernier cri of the fashion world. Hand-cut Verneuil rubies are also set in the ring here. A larger, round faceted stone in the colour of love occupies the center. Smaller rubies form five rays that sweep beautifully from the center to the rim. The fields between the rubies are set with rose-cut diamonds. This creates a romantic swirl of soft light. The gemstones are set in silver, while the ring itself is made of gold. Its beautiful dynamics and fine workmanship let us date it to the years around 1905. Incidentally, an essay by the German mineralogist Dr. Alfred Eppler, who wrote about synthetic rubies in the Deutsche Goldschmiede-Zeitung in 1910, shows how widespread and appreciated they were at the time the ring was made: "Since science and technology have progressed so far as to produce beautiful artificial rubies, some of which have turned out so exquisitely that even the most subtle aids of the scholar threaten to fail in distinguishing them from the natural ones, why limit their possible uses?" (Alfred Eppler: Synthetische Edelsteine, in: Deutsche Goldschmiede-Zeitung 7 (1910), p. 61f., here p. 62).

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Still in 1918 it was said: "For the distinction of the synthetic ruby from the natural one, an absolutely reliable distinguishing feature seems not to have been found up to now". Rather, goldsmiths suddenly had every conceivable shade of red at their disposal - "from the dark Siam ruby to the light pink ruby" - and this was not dependent on lucky finds. Just like natural rubies, synthetic rubies were set in precious metal settings alongside diamonds, and the present ring is an example of this development. Cf. on the history of ruby synthesis Jaqcues Boyer: Die synthetischen Edelsteine, ihre Geschichte, Herstellung und Eigenschaften, Berlin 1918, there also above quotes, p. 39.

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Size & Details

In the whirlwind of love

€ 1,190.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Our Promise

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In the whirlwind of love

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