Celebrating Sapphires: The World's Most Famous and Expensive ...

Sapphires: The birthstone for September, and widely considered to be synonymous with royalty. For that reason, sapphires have appeared in some of the most ornate and beautiful jewelry pieces ever created. In celebration of sapphires, let?s take a look at some of the world?s most famous and valuable sapphire jewelry pieces.

The Maria Alexandrovna Sapphire Brooch. Originally from Sri Lanka, The Maria Alexandrovna Blue Sapphire is a 260.37-carat, oval-cut blue sapphire with an evenly distributed medium-dark saturated blue color. The brooch gets its name from the Russian Empress, Maria Alexandrovna, the empress consort of Czar Alexander II, Emperor of Russia, who purchased the blue sapphire at the Great London Exhibition held in 1862, and presented it to his empress. The sapphire was late set in a brooch consisting of 56.60 carats of smaller diamonds.

Princess Diana?s Diamond and Sapphire Engagement Ring. One of the most famous sapphires known around the world today is the late Princess Diana?s diamond and blue sapphire engagement ring. Following Prince Charles proposal, Lady Diana Spencer chose a gemstone ring from a Garrods catalog, instead of having a diamond ring custom made for her, which was the royal custom. The decision was controversial, but also launched her reputation as ?The People?s Princess.? Affordable replicas of her ring were so popular, that it became known as ?the commoner?s ring.?

Following her death, Prince William obtained the ring as a memento, and he famously presented it to Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge when he asked her to marry him on November 16, 2010. This ring has a large oval sapphire surrounded by 14 round diamonds set in 18K white gold. The sapphire itself is probably between 9 and 12 carats. The ring cost around $60,000 when it was purchased in 1981, and today has been estimated to be worth $500,000 and $4 million.

The Star of India. Discovered in Sri Lanka about 300 years ago, the Star of India is a gray/blue star sapphire gemstone that weighs 563.35 carats, making it one of the largest in the world. The presence of the mineral rutile gives the gemstone?s appearance a slightly milky quality, as well as the distinctive star effect, known as asterism. In addition to its great size, the Star of India is unique because it has asterism on both sides of the gemstone. It is currently on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

The Stuart Sapphire. If you ever visit the Tower of London, be sure to view the Imperial State Crown, and the 104-carat Stuart Sapphire located at the back of the crown. Dating back 1214, the Stuart Sapphire is a fine blue, but flawed, gem. It is oval in shape, about 1? inches in length by 1 inch in width, and is set in a gold brooch. The gem is drilled at one end, probably so that it could be worn as a pendant.

The Stuart Sapphire was owned by members of the Royal House of Stuart, for whom it was named: Robert II, the first monarch of the Stuart dynasty, was the first to possess it, and was later inherited by James II, who escaped with it to France when he was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688-89. James II gave the sapphire to his son James Edward, who passed to his son Charles Edward. Today, its home is on the back side of the British Imperial State Crown and is currently on display as part of the British Crown Jewels collection at the Tower of London.

When you bring in a piece of jewelry or other item to Empire, that property is appraised by a professional jeweler. If you choose to take a loan out or ?pawn it? instead of sell it, the item becomes collateral against the loan, and you receive cash against that collateral.

Source: http://www.artcycle.org/celebrating-sapphires-the-worlds-most-famous-and-expensive-pieces.html

Jim DeMint Dave Brubeck Duck Dynasty New Orleans Pelicans frankie muniz today show powerball