Object Description
An unusual ruby and diamond ring by Hancocks horizontally set with a rectangular step-cut unheated Burmese ruby weighing 1.75ct in a platinum rub-over setting between shoulders channel set with tapering French-cut diamonds to a tapering square section band.
Maker
Hancocks London
Period
Contemporary
Origin
London
Gemstones
1.75ct rectangular step-cut Burmese unheated ruby with Gem & Pearl Laboratory certificate (14946).
14 x tapered French cut diamonds weighing a total of 1.14cts
Setting
Platinum with maker’s marks and London assay marks
Weight
5.5 grams
Dimensions
UK finger size M, US size 6
(Can be made in any size.)
Condition
New
Directors Notes
Rubies mined in Burma have long been held as the absolute ideal in terms of colour for a ruby, they are an exceptionally beautiful rich deep red with neither too much brown nor pink in it. The term ‘pigeon’s blood’ has historically been used in an attempt to define this colour that is found in the best examples produced by this region. The Mogok Valley in Upper Burma (now known as Myanmar) has been the world’s primary ruby source for centuries and the origins of the mines are swathed in mystery and legend. What is certain is that references to these gems have been found dating back to the Shan Dynasty in the 6th Century. The mines were taken over by the King of Burma in 1597 and all rubies over a certain size had to be given to him on discovery rather than sold. Today there are many different mines in the area both privately owned and government run. New deposits were found in the Mong Hsu area of the country in the 1990’s and more recently a new source has been discovered in the northern region of Namya.