GIA Unheated Sapphire Certified Natural Pailin Blue Sapphire Cambodian Victorian Sapphire Ring Mine Cut Diamond Halo Antique Engagement Ring

If you are looking for a rare and special one of a kind antique sapphire ring from the Victorian Era, this is the piece for you!

Introducing this GIA Certified Pailin Cambodian Unheated Natural 3.4 Carat Rare medium Blue Sapphire Ring.
See below for a little history of the famous old Pailin, Cambodian Blue Sapphire mines. Experienced Gem collectors know the scarcity of Pailin Blue Sapphires as they are no longer mined today. Larger Blue Sapphires such as this one which has a nice saturation and a highly sought after medium blue color are rated up highly as Kashmir Blue Sapphires and some believe these are even more scarce. This sapphire is certified Unheated too so that alone puts it in the top 1% of all Sapphires. Coming from Pailin, Cambodia makes it even more scarce and valuable.
The rare blue sapphires of the Pailin area were very highly regarded in the gem trade. They ranged in color from light to deep blue, but with a distinctive purity and intensity of color. Many dealers rated them almost as highly as Kashmir or Burmese sapphire, and above Ceylon.

High quality 3.4 carat natural sapphire engagement ring. Gem quality Royal medium blue sapphire measures 8.8mm x 7.2mm by 5.5mm which is exactly 3.4 carats in weight. There are eleven genuine round old Mine cut diamonds surrounding the sapphire around the halo. These lovely hand cut diamonds range diameter from 3.0 to 3.5mm and from .15 to .20 carats each and with a total weight of 2.0 carats! The diamond qualities range ~VS1-SI1 clarity and ~H/I color.

Pailin, Cambodia
Further east, across the border in Cambodia, are the famous Pailin gem fields. The Cambodian city of Pailin (the ancient Khmer word for 'blue sapphire') is steeped in local folklore, particularly the temple at Pailin's Phnom Yat:
Phnom Yat figures strongly in Cambodian folklore. As the story goes, people were hunting animals in the forest around Pailin, where they encountered a magical old lady living as a hermit in the mountains, called Yiey (= grandma) Yat, who didn't like the people killing her animals. She told them that if they stopped killing the animals, she would reward them at a certain stream on Mount Yat. The people went there and saw an otter (= pey) playing (= leng) in the stream. The otter swam up to them and opened his mouth, which was full of gems. As a result, the area became known as the place of 'pey leng', which became corrupted by the Thai translation to Pailin. Fancy that! Nowadays, many people go to the magical shrine of Yiey Yat to ask her for riches. The shrine is located near the top of the hill, where there is a small statue of Yiey Yat. There is also a statue of the magic otter. In fact, there are lots of interesting statutes on Phnom Yat. For example, there are scenes from Buddhist hell, such as liars having their tongues pulled out, or adulterers impaled on a thorn tree.
There is an old stupa at the top behind everything else. This is the burial place of the ashes of Rattanak Sambat, the father of another Cambodian literary figure named Khun Niery. This true story was written up in a famous novel by Nheck Tem called Pailin Rose. In the story, Chao Chet, a poor orphan who came to work for Rattanak Sambat and fell in love with his daughter. But the father wanted her to marry the governor of Sanker District (east of Battambang), named Balatt, while Chao Chet became only the driver for Balatt. The car broke down on the way back to Pailin, and they were attacked by a robber. Balatt proved to be a coward and hid under the car, while Chao Chet was the hero who saved the day. As a result, Rattanak allowed Chao Chet to marry Khun Niery.
Andy Brouwer, Cambodia Tales

Old mine cut diamonds were a form of brilliant cut with a variety of facets structures, and with the outside perimeter being out-of-round often more square or rectangular in shape. Again, being all hand cut without the use of precise machines, each one is as individual as the people who cut them. Old mine cuts are often seen in 18th and 19th century in Georgian and Victorian jewelry. Key features include an open culet and a small table. Often they have an open culet where the facets come together at the bottom and leave a small flat surface.

This old hand made Victorian Setting is not stamped or hall marked which is common for many antique pieces. It has been acid tested positive for 18k yellow gold. The ring weighs a solid 6.2 grams.

Ring size is sized at a 7.5, but can be sized by my jeweler for a small fee of $40.

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https://www.etsy.com/shop/DiamondSoulShop?section_id=16474967&ref=shopsection