Next it was owned by Akbar, the first emperor of the Mogul dynasty of India, and then by his grandson, the gem loving Shah Jehan who added his own inscription in 1644. The first inscription, perhaps the most expensive graffiti on earth, reads: “Burzam-Nizam Shah the second, Year 1000” (1591). We know who owned the stone because each of the owners signed it. This diamond, hardly more than polished rough, has a history going back to 1544. The first is the 88.70 carat Shah Diamond, a Golconda stone from the famous Indian deposits. The holdings include two historically important stones. The Shah Diamond, so named because it was owned and signed by no less than three of its first four royal owners The Shah Diamond–Truly Expensive Graffiti: The point was, “mine is bigger than yours” and if the color was a little off or the cut was wonky, so what! Having the biggest sapphire trumped having a lot of smaller higher quality gems. It is important to note, however, that the testosterone fueled game as it was played by the royal houses of Europe was more about size than it was about quality. Obviously the stone in these collections were some of the finest in the world, but they are what we today would strongly fault for the quality of their cut as well as for the often substantial number of eye-visible inclusions. In Europe’s Royal Jewel Game it was all about size:Īfter visiting the The Armoury, The Diamond Fund, The Hermitage and The Victoria and Albert (not bad for one trip, hey!) I am struck by how much quality standards in gemstones have changed over the centuries. How else to describe it? Included are some beautifully formed bi-pyramidal crystals-several a large as quail’s eggs! I have as yet found no written reference which describes these stones and gives their history, but modern names such as the 342.50 carat “34th Communist Party Congress (actually found in Yakutia) and the 40.54 carat “Soyuz Apollo” suggest that they were sourced in the Siberian fields during the Soviet Era. The first case contains a pile of diamonds. Unlike the rest of the Armoury, the room is quiet, only two groups are allowed in at any one time. You enter The Diamond Fund through a vault-like door. Le art nouveau, literally the new art, evolved from the Arts & Crafts Movement (1860-1880), really a philosophy as much as a movement that put great emphasis on naturalistic design, hand craftsmanship and the use of honest materials.
The client is particularly drawn to designs from The Art Nouveau Period (1890-1910). In consultation with our client, it was decided that it would be a combination piece that would be wearable as both a pendant and a brooch. The stone, a fairly large custom cut amethyst measuring 24 x 19mm, a tad large for a ring, practically begged to be made into a brooch. Wise, a client’s purchase of a particularly beautiful gemstone began the journey. In the old days an apprentice goldsmith was required to submit a finished work, sort o final exam and thesis in metal to prove his skills and worthiness to hold the title of master goldsmith. Come into our store located at 1402 Hancock Street, Quincy Center.An exceptional 32 carat Siberian amethyst custom cut by John Dyer As the birthstone for February, there are many ways to set this beautiful stone. Amethysts will appear to be a more bluish to purple color when viewed under daylight and may appear to have more flashes of red when seen under bright lighting. Because Siberian amethysts are the highest grade available and are exceedingly rare, they command the highest prices.Īmethysts can appear to change color dependent on the lighting conditions. Siberian amethyst, regardless of its origin, has a very deep purple color, which can range from a reddish purple to a dark purple.
This should be of some interest to those born in February, the month for which amethyst is the birthstone. In the case of the Siberian amethyst, it is true that this is the best quality amethyst to be found, but it does not necessarily come from Siberia. Usually when a geographical location precedes a gemstone’s name (such as Colombian emerald or Burmese ruby), it suggests that the gemstone is the best of its kind and that the designation is accurate.
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