Disco Magic : Natural Purple Star Sapphire in a Rose Gold Star Setting

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💜 That colour, that sparkle, that pure Kapow – it’s a cocktail ring like no other.

Cabochon cut stones are my personal favourite – I love how they glow like little crystal balls, mysterious and inscrutable. This is the very fist cabochon I have seen in person with the effect known as asterism, and I have to say, it’s pure magic and absolutely loads of fun!

Asterism or the “star effect” is the phenomenon of gemstones exhibiting a star-like concentration of reflected or refracted light that moves across the surface of a gemstone with the directional light. This is caused by natural inclusions inside the gemstone. The big purple jellybean at the centre of this intergalactic ring has a stunning well defined six-rayed star that bounces across the deep purple surface as you move your hand. (You can see a video of it in action on my Instagram account @secret_histories, or online here.) The stone is so juicy and delicious at first I assumed it would be synthetic or treated to bring out the beautiful star or that deeply saturated colour – my gemologist assured me it is very definitely natural and urged me to send it to a specialist lab for further testing. Our of curiosity I sent it to Spectra Gem Laboratory – and I’m so pleased I did! The lab report reveals that it is a natural purple star sapphire with no evidence of treatment, and approximately 10 carats!

Setting off that big purple sapphire is the huge, handmade 12-pointed rose gold star setting, accented with 6 fine white diamonds. The whole effect is absolutely sensational dazzling sparkle magic. The clever jeweller even set the golden rays so that their angles would catch and throw back even more light. There is nothing shy about this statement ring ✨

Retro Era jewels are definitely not my forte for circa dating – but this hunk of sparkle magic certainly taught me a thing or two. At first I had guessed this to be a 1940s cocktail ring, but I was really confused as to why such top quality gemstones were set in 9ct gold and turned to my colleagues to set me straight. Surely, I thought, a 10ct natural purple star sapphire of exceptional quality deserves an 18ct setting? Yes, absolutely – except if it was made in the 1970s. You see the price of gold went off the charts in that decade, it rose 2300% from 1971 to 1980! In 1971 gold traded at US$35. By the end of that decade, gold touched US$850! With gold at an insane premium it’s no wonder our fashion things had to be content with the lower carats. Given that 9ct gold is so hard-wearing and that this ring is enormous and pointy, it’s probably for the best that it has not been made in a softer metal. As one colleague pointed out to me recently – rose gold just isn’t rosy enough in higher carats, so maybe that’s the simpler answer!

The face of the ring measures 18.2mm north-south, 14.5mm east-west and sits 9mm high on the finger. The band has stunning knife-edge shoulders and tapers to 2.4mm wide at the back of the band.

This ring is currently a size O or 7.25 and resizable.

Layby is available on this item, please read my FAQ for details and get in touch!

 

Description

A stunningly dramatic cocktail ring from the 1970s, featuring a central natural and untreated purple star sapphire of exceptional quality measuring approximately 10 carats. The cabochon is set into a 9ct rose gold star setting, with six 2mm diameter diamond accents and a decorative basket undercarriage.

The face of the ring measures 18.2mm north-south, 14.5mm east-west and sits 9mm high on the finger. The band has stunning knife-edge shoulders and tapers to 2.4mm wide at the back of the band.

This ring is currently a size O or 7.25 and resizable.

Additional information

Era

1970s Retro

Gemstones

Natural Unheated Purple Sapphire cabochon with asterism of approximately 10 carats (11.2mm x 8.35mm x 7.92mm)
5x single cut diamonds & 1 brilliant cut (a likely replacement) diamond, each 2mm diameter, with a total carat weight of approximately 18 points.

Metal

9ct Rose Gold
hallmarked 9k to the inside of the band

Ring Size

AUstralian/ UK size O
USA size 7.25

Resizable

Yes