Macklowe Gallery Antique Burma No-Heat Sapphire Ring

Antique Burma No-Heat Sapphire Ring

Name: Antique Burma No-Heat Sapphire Ring
Brand: Macklowe Gallery
SKU: R-22371
Price: 175000.0 USD
Availability: InStock

$175,000

Dating from late 19th–early 20th century, this antique ring is mounted with an approximately 7.50 carat no–heat Burma sapphire. The antique ring centers the cushion-cut sapphire within a frame of old mine-cut diamonds,flanked by old mine-cut diamond shoulders, approximate total diamond weight 2.15 carats, all set in 18K gold, and accompanied by a Burma origin report from AGL stating no heat. This large and spready old gem encircled by fiery old-cut diamonds draws the eye into the enchanting depths of its rich blue color.

Category: Jewelry New Acquisitions Rings Sapphire September

Product Details

Item #: R-22371
Country: United States
Circa: 1900s
Size: 9.25 (this ring can be sized; please contact the gallery for further information)
Materials: 1 cushion-cut sapphire (approximate total weight 7.50 carats); 20 old European-cut diamonds (approximate total weight 2.15 carats); 18K Gold
Gram Weight: 9.2
Documentation: Accompanied by American Gemological Laboratories (AGL) report no. 11154498 dated 10 March 2026 stating that the sapphire is of Burma origin, with no evidence of heat.

Product Details

Item #: R-22371
Country: United States
Circa: 1900s
Size: 9.25 (this ring can be sized; please contact the gallery for further information)
Materials: 1 cushion-cut sapphire (approximate total weight 7.50 carats); 20 old European-cut diamonds (approximate total weight 2.15 carats); 18K Gold
Gram Weight: 9.2
Documentation: Accompanied by American Gemological Laboratories (AGL) report no. 11154498 dated 10 March 2026 stating that the sapphire is of Burma origin, with no evidence of heat.

Curator's Notes

Unheated sapphires are exceedingly rare, and those from Burma are especially so. They are among a very small number of crystals, mined from ore or from gem gravels, that are naturally blue when they come out of the ground, and constitute less than a fraction of one percent of all sapphires. In Burma, throughout its history, sapphire supply has been tightly controlled by the powers ruling the region. In a saturated blue, natural sapphire such as this, color is derived from the stone's absorption of light in almost all parts of the spectrum but blue, due to the interaction of titanium and iron ions in the chemical structure of the stone, and the behavior of their free electrons. More precisely, on the atomic level, the rich blue of the gem is produced by "intervalence charge transfer", a process where electrons jump between adjacent titanium ($Ti^{4+}$) and iron ($Fe^{2+}$) ions in the crystal lattice, absorbing yellow-red light and allowing the blue spectrum to dominate. A beautiful accident of nature, untreated Burma sapphires will always be rare and appealing.

Curator's Notes

Unheated sapphires are exceedingly rare, and those from Burma are especially so. They are among a very small number of crystals, mined from ore or from gem gravels, that are naturally blue when they come out of the ground, and constitute less than a fraction of one percent of all sapphires. In Burma, throughout its history, sapphire supply has been tightly controlled by the powers ruling the region. In a saturated blue, natural sapphire such as this, color is derived from the stone's absorption of light in almost all parts of the spectrum but blue, due to the interaction of titanium and iron ions in the chemical structure of the stone, and the behavior of their free electrons. More precisely, on the atomic level, the rich blue of the gem is produced by "intervalence charge transfer", a process where electrons jump between adjacent titanium ($Ti^{4+}$) and iron ($Fe^{2+}$) ions in the crystal lattice, absorbing yellow-red light and allowing the blue spectrum to dominate. A beautiful accident of nature, untreated Burma sapphires will always be rare and appealing.