Hancocks
1.56ct No Oil Emerald and 22ct Gold Ring
Information
Director’s Notes
Emeralds were first discovered in the Ural Mountains in the early part of the 19th Century in an area about 100km northeast of Ekaterinburg. The story goes that in 1830 a local man noticed some green crystals around the roots of a fallen tree near the Takovaya river. It didn’t take long to establish what they were and organised mining began within just a few months. However, the world didn’t see any of the emeralds that were excavated over the coming decades as they were regarded as property of the Russian crown. It wasn’t until the very end of the century that this changed, when the Tsar took the decision to lease the mines to the New Emerald Company (due to the ever-increasing costs of running them) and over the next 18 years the company exported over 40 million carats of rough emerald. Quality varied with some crystals suitable only for carving whilst others were perfect for faceting into beautiful gems with good strong colour and high transparency and clarity, such as the one in this ring.