DETAIL: An absolutely exquisite, exceptionally good quality 19th century antique hand faceted ruby from Burma (present day Myanmar). Hand crafted by a 19th century Russian artisan, part of an heritage renown for the production of the elaborate gemstones and jewelry of the Czars of Medieval, Renaissance, and Victorian Russia. The faceted cut is a coarse precursor to what eventually became known in the industry as a "brilliant cut" round, the contemporary finish generally given to round diamonds. Originally used in indigenous jewelry, this is a very pretty precious gemstone, with a highly desirable bright, almost "neon" blood red color and rich texture. This sparkling precious gemstone is absolutely transparent, flawless to the eye and even under high magnification (such as these photo enlargements here) flawless or near flawless. This precious gemstone is of exceptionally high character and quality. Of course most ruby gemstones are anywhere from lightly to heavily included. Most completely transparent rubies you see offered today at retail are either synthetic (read the fine print carefully), or cost $10,000 a carat. 
This particular gemstone is an exception. Even at 600% magnification, as you can see in the images here, it is flawless or near flawless, and it is a natural ruby precious gemstone. We guarantee you will be mesmerized and dazzled by the brilliant flash and sparkling, fiery beauty of this natural ruby precious gemstone. This specimen is definitely at the highest end of the quality spectrum. The trained eye will easily detect the unmistakable indications that the gemstone has been hand-cut and hand faceted. The coarseness of the 19th century faceting is considered appealing to most gemstone collectors, and is not considered a detriment. It is considered "part and parcel" of the unique nature of hand-crafted antique gemstones. Unlike today's computer controlled machine processes, the cut and finish of gemstones such as these is the legacy of an artisan who lived two centuries ago. Such antique hand-faceted gemstones possess much greater character and appeal than today's mass-produced machine-faceted gemstones.
This gemstone has great luster and sparkle, and to the eye is completely transparent, but it is not absolutely without flaw. True, any blemishes it possesses are not visible to the naked eye, and the gemstone can be characterized at a minimum, to use trade jargon, as "eye clean". To the eye it is indeed flawless. Even magnified here in these photo enlargements there are no discernible blemishes. However if you magnify it at a high enough power (1,000%); you might be able to pick out one or two slight imperfections within the gemstone, barely perceptible even at such high magnification, and as well occasional irregularities in the faceting and finish. Of course this may be said about most any gemstone. An absolutely flawless gemstone is very rare in nature (and usually turns out to be synthetic). Sooner or later blemishes will show up at higher levels of magnification with almost every natural gemstone.
HISTORY: Rubies were amongst the earliest gemstones traded by mankind, since the 5th millennium B.C. Rubies were worn as an amulet for protection from plagues, poison, sorrow, and evil spirits from ancient times all the way through Medieval Europe. Rubies it was believed would bring health, wealth, wisdom, and success to those who wore them. In Sankskrit, an ancient language of India, ruby was called "ratnaraj", which means "King of Gems". To them, this fiery stone burned with an inextinguishable fire, capable of boiling the water in which it was placed. Even the ancient Greeks believed that a "fire" burned within a ruby, as evidenced by the red color, and they believed the ruby capable of melting wax.
The Burmese actually embedded rubies within their skin as they believed it produced invulnerability. Ruby is the red variety of corundum, the second hardest natural mineral known to mankind (behind the diamond). The non-red variety of corundum is Sapphire. Because of its hardness and durability, ruby is an excellent choice for including in all types of jewelry. Sapphires are well known among the general public as being blue, but can be nearly any color. Rubies are mined all over the world, including India, Burma, Ceylon, Thailand, India, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kenya, Tanzania, and North Carolina in the USA.
You might guess I travel extensively for a living. My profession is a purchasing agent for antique gemstones, which generally come from Russia, India, Ceylon, and Siam. I grew up in the Southern Urals of Russia, just miles away from some of the greatest gemstone producing regions in the world’s history. Alexandrite, diamond, emerald, sapphire, chrysoberyl, topaz, demantoid garnet, and many other rare and precious gemstones are produced from the mountains within mere minutes or a few hours from the city I once called home. My interest in the fabulous history of Russian gemstones and the fabulous jewelry of the Czar’s led to further education and contacts in India, Ceylon, and Siam, other ancient centers of gemstone production and finishing. Though perhaps difficult to find in the USA, antique gemstones are commonly unmounted from old, broken settings – the gold reused – the gemstones recut and reset.
Before this happens, before these gorgeous antique gemstones are recut, I try to acquire the best of them in their original, antique, hand-finished state – most of them centuries old. I believe that the work created by these long-gone master artisans is worth protecting and preserving rather than destroying this heritage of antique gemstones by recutting the original work out of existence. That by preserving their work, in a sense, we are preserving their lives and the legacy they left for modern times. Far better to appreciate their craft than to destroy it with modern cutting. Not everyone agrees – fully 95% or more of the antique gemstones which come into these marketplaces are recut, and the heritage of the past lost. But if you agree with me that the past is worth protecting, and that past lives and the produce of those lives still matters today, consider buying an antique, hand cut, natural gemstone rather than one of the mass-produced machine cut (often synthetic or “lab produced”) gemstones which dominate the market today.
I can set most any antique gemstone you purchase from me, in your choice of styles and metals ranging from rings to pendants to earrings and bracelets; in sterling silver, 14kt solid gold, and 14kt gold fill. In my travels back and forth between the USA, Asia, and Eastern Europe I also tend to accumulate a lot of books, CD’s, and audio recordings. So I oftentimes have lightly used CD’s, once-read books, audio recordings, and even some antique books I buy in Europe for sale as well. And occasionally I will find such a good buy on contemporary jewelry for my clients that I will purchase a few extra pieces to offer on eBay. These are always offered clearly labeled as contemporary, and not antiques – just to avoid confusion. I also end up with boatloads of jewelry and gemstone samples which were not fully distributed to the retailers I purchase on behalf of. Some really great pieces, including antiques, pearls, as well as some pieces of antique Russian jewelry.
I have always been fascinated with jewelry and gemstones. Bangkok, Taipei, Hong Kong, Moscow, and Bombay are great places to find incredible deals on both gemstones and jewelry, and over the years I have made many friends within the trade in these five cities. So you can look for a steady flow of little treasures I discover in my travels, and I will be happy to share with you the best deals I can find through my industry acquaintances in these far-off Asian lands. Though I spend a good part of each year in Europe and Asia, most of the year I am here in the United States, and that's where all of my little treasures are. So you can count on quick shipping and careful packaging. And if I am not home - I have someone who does it for me!
Domestic shipping is $3.99 for first class mail or $6.99 for Priority Mail. Domestic rates include USPS Delivery Confirmation (you might be able to update the status of your shipment on-line at the USPS Web Site
). Canadian shipments are $3.99 for Air Mail; International shipments are $4.99 for Air Mail (and generally are NOT tracked; trackable shipments are EXTRA). I can add most other items I sell to the shipment for only $0.99 each. Your purchase will ordinarily be shipped within 48 hours of payment. We package as well as anyone in the business, with lots of protective padding and containers. 
Back to Search Results
) 
Anyas Treasures
Print
Report item
and your 