corundum, ruby, sapphire, quality.10, crown jewels, gems

John Culme and Nicholas Rayner’s The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor is a lavishly illustrated historical and gemological account of the extraordinary jewelry collection assembled by Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor (1894–1972), and his wife Wallis Simpson (1896–1986), published in conjunction with Sotheby’s landmark auction of the collection in Geneva on 2–3 April 1987. Combining royal biography, jewelry history, detailed descriptions of individual objects, and contemporary auction results, the volume documents one of the most celebrated private jewelry collections of the twentieth century. The introductory chapters examine the Duke’s appreciation of fine gemstones and craftsmanship, influenced by his upbringing among the British royal collections, and the Duchess’s distinctive taste, which helped shape jewelry fashion from the 1930s through the 1960s. Particular attention is devoted to the couple’s relationships with Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Harry Winston, and other leading jewelers, including the designers Jeanne Toussaint and Renée Puissant. The collection contains exceptional examples of Art Deco and postwar jewelry, including important diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, pearls, and colored gemstones. Among its most celebrated pieces are Cartier’s ruby and diamond necklace inscribed “My Wallis from Her David,” the ruby and diamond “Hold Tight” bracelet by Van Cleef & Arpels, and the Duchess’s remarkable bracelet of nine gemstone-set crosses commemorating significant events in the couple’s relationship. Cartier’s famous jeweled animal creations include the flamingo brooch, fashioned from diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and citrines, and the panther jewels, which became enduring symbols of twentieth-century jewelry design. The emerald section includes the important Great Mogul emerald, acquired by the Duke in 1936, subsequently purchased at the auction by Laurence Graff for approximately US$2.13 million including premium. The diamond section documents the celebrated McLean diamond, purchased by the Windsors in 1949 and sold at the Geneva auction for approximately US$3.15 million including premium, together with important yellow diamonds acquired from Harry Winston. The book also discusses the Duchess’s innovative jewelry designs, including the transformable diamond zipper necklace created by Van Cleef & Arpels, and her preference for bold colored gemstones, sculptural goldwork, and unconventional settings. Individual entries provide information on designers, makers, dates, gemstones, carat weights where documented, inscriptions, provenance, and construction, often drawing upon manufacturers’ archives. Extensive color photography is complemented by historical portraits showing the Duchess wearing the jewels, while additional sections catalogue the Duke’s royal memorabilia, precious objects, hardstone seals, silver, and presentation pieces. The opening account of the Sotheby’s sale records the extraordinary international competition for the collection, which achieved approximately US$45 million, roughly seven times its pre-sale estimate, with proceeds benefiting the Pasteur Institute’s medical research. The publication includes detailed auction results in Swiss francs, pounds sterling, and US dollars, providing a valuable historical record of gemstone and jewelry valuations in 1987. For gemologists, jewelry historians, and collectors, the volume is particularly significant for its documentation of exceptional gemstones, innovative jewelry design, distinguished provenance, and the extraordinary premiums commanded by pieces associated with celebrated historical figures.

gems, gem cutting, lapidary arts

In this continuation, Ruskoné turns from the historical introduction of the first installment to the practical cutting of colored gemstones. He discusses the lapidary’s examination of the rough and the decisions required to obtain the best combination of color, brilliance, proportions and retained weight. The article describes the successive operations involved in shaping, faceting and polishing a stone and illustrates aspects of the process with four color photographs. Emphasis is placed on the skill and judgment of the cutter, since colored stones vary greatly in optical and physical properties and cannot be treated according to a single standardized cutting procedure. A contemporary Journal of Gemmology abstract confirms this as the second part of Ruskoné’s article, pp. 13–17, with four color figures.

gems, jade, jadeite, fei cui, Burma, cause of color

Jadeite is a material which is often encountered during the normal course of commerce by the trade gemmologist. Variations of the same colour in one object are not uncommon, but two distinct colours in adjoining zones are not so often seen. This latter type of variation is most often encountered in material where the outer skin of a rough boulder has been subjected to weathering. These colour variations are commonly from greens to browns and brownish-orange. In the cover illustration two interesting examples of colour variation are seen.

corundum, treatments.6, gems

A beautiful orangy yellow oval mixed-cut stone weighing 7.60 ct (figure9)was submitted to the Santa Monica laboratory for identification. The refractive index, birefringence, and optic figure proved that the stone is sapphire. Microscopic examina-tion revealed natural inclusions as well as the strain discs, very fine dot-like silk," and round cotton-like inclusions that are indicative of heat treatment. Exposure to short-waveultravio-let radiation revealed three zones of chalky blue fluorescence close to the girdle, another sign of heat treat-ment. When the stone was immersed in methylene iodide, some interest-ing structural characteristics be-came visible. In addition to the straight angular yellow color zoning alternating with near-colorless areas, which is characteristic of natural origin, three straight blue zones close to the girdle (coinciding with the areas of chalky blue fluores cence] were seen. Figure 10 showo these blue areas, which could be the result of the heat treatment."

corundum, jade, spinel, Burma.12, Mogok, gems

Chikayama presents a multi-part survey of the gemstone deposits of Burma, drawing in part on his own visits to the country. The series reviews the principal gem-producing districts and the geological occurrence, mining and characteristics of their gem materials. Particular attention is given to ruby and sapphire, spinel and jade, together with other gem and ornamental materials. Localities outside the classic Mogok tract are also described; for example, the Sagyin Hills north of Mandalay, where ruby, spinel and occasional sapphire occur as by-products of marble quarrying. Later researchers regarded Chikayama’s series as an important contemporary source on Burmese gem deposits, while noting that he had not himself visited the Mogok area.

gems, synthetic diamond

Gem-quality synthetic diamond crystals weighing up to 11 carats have been grown experimentally in limited quantities at the De Beers Diamond Research Laboratory since the 1970s, though they are not commercially available. Examination of 14 synthetic diamonds in shades of brownish yellow, yellow, and greenish yellow reveals distinctive gemological features, including uneven color distribution, geometric graining patterns, metallic inclusions, and, in most cases, fluorescence under short-wave but not long-wave ultraviolet radiation.

gems, sapphirine, Bo Rai, Thailand

Steve Illenberger describes the identification of sapphirine among rough rubies from Bo Rai, Thailand, following the recovery of several apparently black mineral fragments in November 1986. Although such material would normally have been discarded as worthless, closer examination showed that the specimens were not opaque but intensely dark green. One stone was cut and polished and submitted to the Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences for identification. Preliminary testing yielded refractive indices of 1.710–1.715 and a birefringence of 0.005. Its specific gravity was estimated at approximately 3.50 using methylene iodide. The specimen was inert under both long-wave and short-wave ultraviolet radiation and showed no reaction through the Chelsea filter. Spectroscopic examination was inconclusive. The most conspicuous diagnostic observation was strong pleochroism, with bluish green and yellowish brown colors so distinct that the change could be seen simply by rotating the stone in ordinary light. Attempts to obtain an interference figure were unsuccessful, although interference colors appeared between crossed polarizers. Microscopic examination was restricted by the material’s deep color; the cut specimen appeared relatively clean internally, apart from one long needle of undetermined identity. Another piece of rough displayed several six-sided surface etch features. An initial hardness estimate of 8–8.5 was also recorded. Because the available tests did not establish the identification conclusively, the material was submitted for X-ray diffraction analysis at the Gemological Institute of America’s laboratory in Santa Monica, which identified it as sapphirine. Illenberger summarizes the mineral as a monoclinic, biaxial silicate containing magnesium, iron, and aluminum, and compares his observations with published reference properties. These include refractive-index ranges of 1.701–1.729 for α, 1.703–1.732 for β, and 1.705–1.734 for γ; birefringence of 0.004–0.007; specific gravity of 3.40–3.58; and hardness of 7.5. Thus, the measured optical properties and estimated density fall within the cited ranges, while the preliminary hardness estimate exceeds the reference value. The article also notes a contemporaneous report by J.I. Koivula and C.W. Fryer of dark blue sapphirine occurring as an inclusion in ruby from Bo Rai. The account documents sapphirine’s presence in material associated with the locality’s ruby production and illustrates the importance of investigating unfamiliar minerals recovered during rough sorting.

corundum, treatments.6, synthetic corundum.7, gems

While digging through gray muck1' at a corundum-producing area near Franklin! Macon County, North Carolinal gemologist John Fuhrbach recovered a fine 2.53-ct tabular ruby crystal (figure 6). For size, colorl and overall quality, it is an unusual crystal from this North American locality."

corundum, ruby, Afghanistan.12, treatments.6, Sri Lanka.12, gems

Mr. Gary Bowersox, president of Gem Industries, Inc., in Honolulu, Hawaii, reports that a new find of gem-quality ruby has been discovered in Afghanistan, northeast of Kabul. This mine is unrelated to the deposit near Sorobi, known as the Jegdalek mine, that was reported by Mr. Bowersox in his article “A Status Report on Gemstones from Afghanistan,” which appeared in the Winter 1985 issue of Gems & Gemology. Mr. Gordon Bleck also has informed us that many Sri Lankan pink sapphires are heat treated in Sri Lanka to improve their color by driving off any blue overtones that may be present. The heating is done in air in an open fire, and the temperature reached during this type of heat treatment may be as high as 1100 °C.

corundum, assembled stones.8, treatments.6, gems

When a jeweler damaged a customer's ruby recently, he agreed to replace the stone. However, when the replacement stone was submitted for appraisal, the appraiser suspected that the stone might be a doublet. Examination in the New York lab proved that although the stone is a doublet, it is no ordinary doublet: it consists of a natural ruby crown and a natural ruby pavilion. In Gems, Their Sources, Descriptions and Identification, Webster referred to these stones as true doublets." Shipley called them "genuine doublets." Although they are very rarely seen in the labs, one Far Eastern gem dealer informed us that these stones have been seen in Thailand. Fine rubies over one carat are rare. If the potential fraud went undetected, a true doublet weighing one carat could be sold for much more than the value of two half-carat stones. A bezel setting could malze the separation plane very difficult to detect."