Large Antique Ring with Peridot & Diamonds Set in Silver, ca. 1900

Few stones were once as rare as peridot, a clear and brilliant gemstone distinguished by its spring-green color. Yet it was mined in ancient times by order of the pharaohs on Egypt's St. John's Island in the Red Sea: Dreadful guards were said to have killed anyone who dared come near it, wrote the Greek historian Diodorus. Then, however, this source fell into oblivion. Thus, it was probably the peridots mined in antiquity that came to Europe in the Middle Ages through crusades and were set in the jewellery of the clergy, because for centuries the source of the peridot was unknown and the stone therefore correspondingly rare. For a long time, peridots had to be cut out of old jewelry in order to use them anew. It was not until the late 19th century that the mines on the legendary island were rediscovered. However, as gemologist George Kunz wrote in 1916, at that time another source of peridots was already known that seems even more mysterious than the legendary island: meteorites. In the mountains of New Mexico one found in 1884 Pallasites, stone-iron meteorites, which consist of Olivine - that mineral group, of which the Peridot is a particularly pure representative. It is therefore not surprising that in the wake of the rich peridot finds of the late 19th century, numerous pieces of jewelry were suddenly created, celebrating the sudden exuberance of this beautiful gemstone after centuries of scarcity. A particularly large peridot is at the center of this ring. It weighs about 4.52 ct and is held in place by a surrounding band. A wreath of twelve cushion-cut old mine cut diamonds surrounds the gemstone and highlights its color. The diamonds together weigh about 2.76 ct and the ring is entirely forged of silver. The light toning of the old diamonds makes their sparkle soft and matches the color of the peridot. We have discovered the magnificent ring in Cologne. It is in very good condition and comes with an independent appraisal.

Estimate:£5,079.59

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