Fine Jewels May 2016

A DEMANTOID GARNET, COLORED DIAMOND AND DIAMOND RING

The auction will start in __ days and __ hours

Start price: HK$150,000

Estimated price: HK$150,000 - HK$250,000

Buyer's premium: 21%

Centering upon a Demantoid garnet weighing 2.55 carats by the two-tiered brilliant-cut diamond frame, flanked by the colored diamond accents of yellow hue, extending the millegrain-set diamond three-quarter-hoop, mounted in platinum, ring size 6½

Accompanied by a report from the Gemological Institute of America, stating that the 2.55 carat Demantoid garnet is green color and heated, report no. 2206753705, dated 14th September 2015

Demantoid garnet is one of the most precious of all gemstones. A most splendid color would be a deep emerald green, though this is very scarce. It happens very rarely indeed, that only very few specimens in existence after being faceted would exceed the size of 2.00 carats. Most are very small, weighing less than 1.00 carat. The beautiful color of the demantoid is believed to be due to chromium. Horsetail inclusions, a typical feature seen in this gem, have become rare.

First discovered in the 1860s in the Ural mountains of Russia, the demantoid rapidly proceeded to become a much desired gemstone amid the finest jewellers’ workshops in Paris, New York and St. Petersburg, amongst them the renowned Russian jeweller Carl Fabergé. Demantoids were frequently used in Victorian-era jewelry and especially popular in Imperial Russia. Today, deposits of lesser material exist in Iran, Italy and Namibia, but the Russian material remains the standard by which the gem is judged.