Hancocks
1.02ct Sapphire and 0.66ct Fancy Vivid Diamond Three Stone Ring
A sapphire and fancy colour diamond three stone ring by Hancocks, set to the centre with a cushion shaped unheated sapphire weighing 1.02cts claw set in 18ct yellow gold between two brilliant cut fancy diamonds weighing 0.66cts together, both of fancy vivid orange-yellow colour and one of SI2 clarity and the other I1, all to a finely made platinum mount with ornate scroll and foliate hand engraved decoration.
£14,500.00
Information
Maker
Hancocks
Origin
London
Period
Contemporary
Gemstone
1.02ct cushion sapphire unheated with AGTL report
0.34ct Fancy Vivid Orange Yellow I1 brilliant cut diamond
0.32ct Fancy Vivid Orange Yellow SI2 brilliant cut diamond
Setting
Platinum and 18ct yellow gold with maker's mark and London assay marks
Dimensions
UK finger size L, US size 5.75 (can be resized)
Head 6mm x 12mm
Band 1.5mm
REF
126666
Discover this Jewel
Sapphires
Ceylon Sapphires
The small tear drop shaped island of Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka) lies off the tip off India in the Indian Ocean. Renowned for centuries as a source of beautiful gems, for a relatively small island, the wealth and variety of gemstones found here is nothing short of extraordinary.
Today it remains one of the most important gem localities in the world but it is probably best known for its range of sapphires which occur here in a rainbow of colours including the highly prized and rare Padparadscha sapphire. Ceylon blue sapphires are prized for their bright, mid to deep blue colour. The lighter stones are sometimes referred to as 'cornflower blue' with some having a little touch of violet to their hue whilst the deeper colours can look very similar to Burmese stones. Most Ceylon sapphires are found in alluvial deposits which are predominantly mined by primitive methods. The variation in colour as well as the tones and hues within those colours is unique to Ceylon.
Burma Sapphire
Whilst rubies from Burma are justifiably revered around the world, their sibling sapphires were, for many years, somewhat overlooked. The Victorian London jeweller Edwin Streeter described them as being overly dark and, despite this not being the case, his opinion was repeated by others and seemed to stick.
It took decades to reverse this but today Burmese sapphires are recognised for the wonderful gems they are, indeed many view them as surpassed only by sapphires from Kashmir. Burmese sapphires are found predominantly in alluvial deposits in the Mogok area in close proximity to rubies. Whilst rubies account for the majority of the gem output, sapphires forming only 10-20%, it is the sapphires that occur in larger sizes with rough weighing 40/50/60/cts not uncommon. Burma is also now known for producing excellent star sapphires, these rare gems appear to have a bright six rayed star floating just under the surface and are very beautiful. The best Burmese sapphires possess a rich, desirable intense blue with excellent saturation however they also occur in lighter shades as well as in purple, yellow and green.
Kashmir Sapphire
Kashmir sapphires have a truly exceptional colour, a rich, deep velvety blue that often seems to be lit from within. Importantly they also maintain this colour whatever lighting conditions they are viewed in, a fact which separates them from most other sapphires.
Their intense beauty, coupled with their rarity and the fact that only a handful of new stones appear on the market each year, means these wonderful gems are hugely desirable and command some of the highest prices for coloured gemstones in the world. They were discovered in 1881 after a landslide in the Himalayan Mountains of Kashmir revealed the beautiful crystals embedded in the soft, clay-rich earth. They were mined extensively over the next few years, under the control of the Maharaja, during which time many fine and large sapphires were discovered. However, by the end of 1888 operations had ceased and since then, despite various attempts, very little of importance has been recovered.
Padparadscha Sapphire
Padparadscha sapphires are a particularly special variety of sapphire, being the rarest of colours that sapphires are naturally found in. True padparadschas are a unique blend of pink and orange, exhibiting elements of both these colours in the same stone.
Historically found only in Ceylon, the name 'padparadscha' (pronounced pad-per-add-sha) is derived from the ancient Sanskrit word 'padmaraga' referring to the colour of a lotus flower. However, most lotus blossoms are actually more pink than orange so today it is often thought of as a mix of lotus pink and sunset orange. Due to their rarity these stones are amongst the most expensive in the world. As with all gemstones, those that are certified untreated will attract a premium and, like blue sapphires, many padparadschas are heated to improve their colour. Today orangey-pink sapphires are found in Vietnam, Tanzania and Madagascar. The spotlight was turned on these beautiful gems when Princess Eugenie became engaged with one in 2018. As with all sapphires, padparadschas are hard and durable which makes them ideal for setting in rings, particularly ones which will be worn every day such as an engagement ring.
Teal Sapphire
The first emeralds were found in Zambia as far back as the 1920s but they were not mined in any significant quantities until the 1970s. Today, Zambia is considered second only to Colombia as an important source of emeralds in terms of value.
Whilst we're all familiar with the blue variety of sapphires, some might not know that this family of gems comes in a rainbow of different colours including pink, purple, yellow and of course green. Green sapphires will range in hue from a yellowy-green through to a lovely deep slightly blueish green, a colour known as 'teal'. Named after the band of colour around the eye of the Eurasian Teal (a type of duck) it is a rich slightly mysterious colour that shifts its hue depending on the light, sometimes more green and other times more blue. For those who love the colour green and are thinking of a green stone for an engagement ring, a green sapphire can offer a more durable alternative to an emerald for those with a busy, active lifestyle. A fine quality green sapphire is typically more affordable than the same quality emerald would be too, size for size.
Diamonds
Golconda & Type IIa Diamonds
All diamonds can be classified into two main categories which are referred to as ‘types’, depending on the trace elements that are naturally present within the carbon crystal structure of the diamond.
Type I diamonds contain small amounts of nitrogen whereas Type II diamonds do not. Each of these types is then subdivided further and the term Type IIA is used to denote the very purest diamonds. This means there are no measurable impurities in the diamond of any kind which makes these stones exceptionally rare, they make up less than 2% of all gem quality diamonds found worldwide. Not only can these stones be perfectly colourless but they also possess an exceptional level of transparency which enhances their beauty and allows the brilliance and fire of the diamond to be appreciated to the fullest. Famous examples of Type IIA diamonds include the Koh-i-Noor and the Cullinan, which are part of the Crown Jewels, as well as the Krupp diamond which Richard Burton bought for Elizabeth Taylor and was later renamed the Elizabeth Taylor Diamond.
The design of the French cut had developed from the addition of extra facets to old table cut diamonds thereby altering them into much more lively stones.This style of cut has changed very little to this day and its evolution marks one of the earliest milestones in the development of the brilliant cut diamonds we know today.
Coloured Diamonds
Coloured diamonds or Fancy diamonds as they are also known, have become increasingly popular over recent years and are available in a beautiful range of colours from yellow and pink to blue and green.
Colour in diamonds can be caused either by a structural anomaly or by elements such as nitrogen or boron replacing carbon atoms within the crystal structure of the diamonds. In yellow diamonds it is nitrogen which is responsible and the strength of colour depends on how much of it there is, and also what form it has taken. When a coloured diamond is graded for certification by the GIA, the saturation of colour will be judged and one of the following grades will be assigned: Faint, Very Light, Light, Fancy Light, Fancy, Fancy Intense, Fancy Vivid, Fancy Dark and Fancy Deep.
White diamonds (graded from D colourless through to Z pale yellow, known as Cape diamonds) decrease in cost the more colour they display because they are valued for their lack of colour, i.e. their whiteness. However, the reverse is true for Fancy diamonds which will increase in cost the stronger and more vibrant the colour they display. We curate our coloured diamonds very carefully and always choose the most attractive of hues whether it is a Fancy diamond or Cape diamond.
0.5CT
0.5 carat
1.0CT
1 carat
1.5CT
1.5 carat
2.0CT
2 carat
3.0CT
3 carat
4.0CT
4 carat
5.0CT
5 carat
6.0CT
6 carat
(Diagrams not to precise scale)
Today, this C is often the first thing someone asks about but it is worth remembering that not all diamonds that weigh the same will look the same size to the eye because it will depend on the cut of the stone and particularly its depth. With regards to the impact of weight on price then the price per carat will obviously rise as the carat weight increase. However, it must be noted that as larger diamonds are rarer than smaller ones the price does not rise evenly, for example a 2ct diamond is not simply double the price of a 1ct diamond.
D
Exceptional White +
E
Exceptional White
F
Rare White +
Colourless
G
Rare White
H
White
I
Slightly Tinted
J
Slightly Tinted White
Near Colourless
(Diagrams not to precise scale)
In terms of how this affects price, essentially, the whiter the diamond and higher the colour grade the greater the value of the diamond. However, it is important to remember that a lower colour grade does not equate to a lower quality, the grade is a measure of rarity, the whiter stones are simply rarer and therefore command higher prices.
The chart below shows the colour grading scale used by the GIA, the Gemmological Institute of America.
FL
Flawless
No inclusions or blemishes of any sort are visable to a skilled diamond grader using 10x magnification.
IF
Internally Flawless
No inclusions and only blemishes are visable to a skilled diamond grader using 10x magnification.
VVS
Very Very Slightly Included
Inclusions are difficult for a skilled diamond grader to see using 10x magnification.
VS
Very Slightly Included
Inclusions are noticeable to a skilled diamond grader to see using 10x magnification.
SI
Slightly Included
Slight inclusions are noticeable to a skilled grader using 10x magnification.
(Diagrams not to precise scale)
All these factors are taken into account and a judgement is made as to how detrimental they are to the overall appearance of the diamond. It is worth remembering that, unlike colour grading, clarity grading is done under 10x magnification with a microscope so any inclusion in a diamond will be far less noticeable to the naked eye than it is to the diamond grader. Ultimately the cleaner the diamond, the fewer the inclusions and less impact they have – the better the clarity grade will be. The table below shows the grading system used by the GIA.
(Diagrams not to precise scale)
1. Brilliance: This refers to the reflection of white light from both the surface and the inside of a diamond.
2. Fire: This is the term we give to the coloured flashes you see in a diamond resulting from the splitting up of white light into its spectral colours.
3. Scintillation: This is the sparkle a diamond displays, the pattern of light and dark flashes caused by reflections of light as a diamond is moved. Other considerations include symmetry and the quality of the polish which impacts how well the light reflects off the surface of the diamond.
The style developed during the 18th century after the discovery of diamonds in Brazil in about 1725. This facilitated experiments in cutting due to the large increase in available stones. Eager as ever to retain as much weight as possible, cutters still followed the overall shape of the rough crystals but now corners became more rounded and the number of facets were increased. The profile proportions of the stones also echoed the rough with the crowns being relatively high and the top table facet generally fairly small. Another typical feature of these stones is the point at the bottom of the stone, known as the culet, which was polished flat.
The discovery of diamonds in South Africa during the late 1860’s coincided with revolutionised mechanical cutting methods. This saw the fashion for new circular cut diamonds begin to replace these cushion shaped stones which then became known as ‘old mine’ diamonds. Today the name ‘old mine brilliant’ still describes a cushion shaped diamond with a small table facet, high crown and polished culet. These features enable old mine cuts to display a huge amount of fire (the coloured flashes of light you see in a diamond) and life.
