1960s Colour-Change Sapphire Ring
Cool vintage stirrup ring dating from the 1960s. It's set with a remarkable gemstone: a colour-change flame-fusion sapphire that appears turquoise-green in daylight shifting to pinkish purple under electric light. The hallmarks to the outer band indicate it was made in Poland in the 1960s, then part of the USSR, and that it's crafted in solid 14 carat gold. The styling is distinctly Art Deco, with flat band that flares out towards the head and three-claw settings to either end of the stone.
Although it's mineral make-up is identical to naturally occurring sapphire (corundum, to use the correct mineralogical term), this stone was created in a laboratory. It's a Verneuil flame-fusion synthetic stone with colour change properties, meaning that specific colouring metals (chromium and vanadium) were passed through an extremely hot oxyhydrogen flame along with powdered aluminium oxide, allowing the molecules to arrange themselves in sapphire's strict and rigid crystalline form. Auguste Verneuil perfected his method in late 1883 and, over time, it was honed and refined until precious gemstones of remarkable colour and clarity could be produced for the jewellery industry. Experimentation with different colouring agents eventually led to the discovery that added vanadium would not only give a rich, intense purple colour, but, if paired with chromium and titanium, it would allow the creation of colour change stones like this one.
Era: Vintage, circa 1960
Width at head: 8.8mm
Ring size: R or 8.75 US. Resize for £35
Stone: Lab-Grown Colour Change Sapphire (VFF), green to purple (2.27ct calculated)
Marks: Polish, 14ct gold (plus Soviet hallmarks)
Condition: Great vintage condition
Full appraisal document provided with each item
This includes a valuation for insurance purposes, item specifics, date, and origins (where applicable)
Gemstones are tested by an accredited gemmologist (Cert GA, Gemmological Association of Great Britain)
Shipping
Express shipping is free of charge and carbon offset
Tracked and insured with signature on delivery
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Resizing
Ring sizing is available on most rings
£35 flat fee
Resizing takes 7-14 days
Leave a note at checkout with your desired size
Note: sizing may remove some of the patina (although we take every care to reduce this where possible)
Layaway
A 25% deposit will be taken to secure the item. The remaining balance will be settled in 90 days. You can pay installments weekly, monthly, or the full balance at the end - whatever works.
Condition
We offer detailed and accurate condition reports on each listing. These pieces are antique, vintage, or pre-loved, often over 100 years old so they're going to have lived a life. A healthy patina and the odd scuff/scrape are quite normal... it's part of their charm! Everything we present has been checked over by our jeweller and should be good for wear for many years to come (unless otherwise stated) but please remember to treat them with appropriate care and consideration for their age.
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