Prince of Cambridge Special; Spotlight on Royal Jewels

To celebrate the birth of a new Prince of Cambridge, we are having a look at some of the Royal jewellery and some of the stories behind it.

Diana’s Sapphire Ring

The world waited with baited breath for the announcement of the engagement to then Kate Middleton to His Royal Highness Prince William and the jewellery world waited to see what sort of ring she was presented with...

Would she be presented with the classic Brilliant cut single Diamond on a Platinum band? Or would she get something more modern like a Princess Cut on Platinum. However we were all wrong. Kate Middleton was presented with Diana, Princess of Wales’ Sapphire and Diamond cluster.

It was reported at the time (and we can’t vouch for the authenticity) that William took the ring from the safe at Kensington Palace and placed it in his rucksack for their three week holiday around Kenya.  Good job he didn’t lose it!

Lady Diana Spencer, as she was then, chose a 12ct Oval Ceylon Sapphire surrounding by 14 Brilliant cut Diamonds. This ring was unique as a Royal Engagement ring, it wasn’t a bespoke ring. It had been featured in Garrard’s collections for that year. It was worth then, £28,000. It is thought to be worth now about £90,000 however, the connection to Diana, Princess of Wales makes it priceless. 

The Cullinan Diamond

This incredible stone was found in South Africa in 1905 and it was twice the size of any other stone previous found. Clearly it was going to take some cutting to turn this rough diamond into something fit for a King. It was presented to King Edward VII and he was so fascinated by the 3106 metric carat stone, that he took a personal interest in it. 

When a rough diamond is found, there is a long process of cutting and shaping to create the works of art that you see in jewellers windows.  There was much debate in the jewellery community how the stone should be cut and who should be trusted to do it. It was decided that Joseph  Asscher (known for creating the Asscher Cut) would cut and polish the stone. 

After examining the stone for months on the 10^th February 1908 he was ready. The blade was placed in the kerf and he stuck the cleaving blade with a small hammer. Disaster! The cleaving blade broke! The stone cleaved in to 9 separate stones... Joseph Asscher fainted.. There are now 9 Cullinan diamonds are set in the crown jewels.

The Queen wore Cullinan Diamonds 3 and 4- which were set into a brooch at the Jubilee Service 5th June 2012.

Rubies

The summer is here and the weather is getting hotter- July’s birthstone is Ruby. This blood red stone reminds us of stunning holiday sunsets.

Last year we looked at the folklore and mysteries behind Rubies (http://www.gatwardsofhitchin.co.uk/blog/) this year we thought that we would do something different- what to look for when you are buying a ruby.

Rubies are not like Diamonds that have an internationally accepted colour and clarity grading system. The colours are more personal – the best colour is a deep pigeon’s blood red. These are the stones that demand the highest prices. However, Rubies come in all shades of red from the very pale to very dark.

When viewing Rubies with a loupe there might be a few marks within the stone. Perfectly clean stones are very rare and very expensive. Try and go for the stone with the deepest and richest colour and fewer inclusions within it that you can. A good stone will hold its value and will always look stunning. A smaller ruby of better quality is often the better buy than something larger and more included or very pale.

Rubies, as with all gemstones have a mineral base, in the case of Rubies it is the mineral corundum and when found in gem stone quality it is referred to as Ruby or Sapphire (red corundum is always referred to as ruby). The various impurities within the corundum give the colour spectrum from a red-pink to a brownish red. Rubies that are very brown, in colour, have a higher iron content.

Rubies are also very well known as being the traditional gift for 40^th Wedding Anniversaries.  Stereotypically it is the lady who receives a Ruby set piece of jewellery, however we have a range of ruby set jewellery for men.

Have a look at our website (www.gatwardsofhitchin.co.uk)  or visit us in person!