A MAGNIFICENT AND RARE RUBY RING, BY BULGARI

'When a ruby exceeds 5 carats, and is perfect, it is sold for whatever is asked for it. Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, Travels in India, vol. II (1676), pp. 78-79 Rubies have since times immemorial commanded the highest prices. According to folklore, the lucky owner of a fine ruby was said to be assured of a life lived in peace and concord with all men; ruby was thought to preserve the health of the owner as it removed evil thoughts. Although associated with passion, it was also thought to control amorous desires, to dispel pestilential vapours and reconcile disputes. Their universal appeal seems to lie in their unique red colour, which enjoys favourable connotations across many different cultures. The best stones have high colour intensity. According to Richard W. Hughes, 'this results from a mixture of the slightly bluish red body colour and the purer red fluorescent emission. It is this red fluorescence which is the key, for it tends to cover up the dark areas of the stone.The best Burmese stones actually glow red and appear as though Mother Nature brushed a broad swath of fluorescent red paint across the face of the stone' (Ruby and Sapphire, 1997, p. 331). This fluorescence makes Burmese rubies seem to glow. The present ruby for sale is a truly exceptional gem as it combines the highly sought-after 'pigeon's-blood red' typical of old Burmese material and with a high degree of transparency, which is rather rare in rubies. Their great scarcity is underlined by the fact that most rubies on the market have undergone certain enhancement, such as heating. The 8.62 carats ruby for sale, on the other hand, does not show indications of heating and is a unique stone in all its aspects. THE PROPERTY OF A LADY (continued)

Price realised CHF 4,724,000

Estimate

CHF 520,000 – CHF 780,000

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A MAGNIFICENT AND RARE RUBY RING, BY BULGARI

Price realised CHF 4,724,000

Closed: 15 Feb 2006

Price realised CHF 4,724,000

Closed: 15 Feb 2006

Details Lot essay More from

A MAGNIFICENT AND RARE RUBY RING, BY BULGARI
The cushion-cut ruby weighing 8.62 carats to the rectangular-shaped diamond bombé mount, mounted in 18k gold, ring size 3¼
Signed Bulgari
Accompanied by report no. 45702 dated 16 December 2005 from the SSEF Swiss Gemmological Institute stating that the ruby is of Burmese origin, no indications of heating

END OF SALE

Lot Essay

Some recently sold rubies include:

Christie's New York, 12 April 2005, lot 417, an oval-shaped Burmese ruby of 8.01 carats sold for US$ 2,200,000, the world auction record price per carat for a ruby (US$ 274,656)
Christie's Hong Kong, 2 November 2004, lot 2199, a cushion-shaped Burmese ruby ring of 8.03 carats, by Etcetera sold for US$ 1,143,967 (US$ 142,460 per carat)
Christie's Hong Kong, 31 October 2001, lot 1631, a cushion-shaped Burmese ruby ring of 10.03 carats sold for US$ 1,278,550 (US$ 127,472 per carat)
Christie's Geneva, 17 May 2000, lot 665, a cushion-cut Burmese ruby of 9.98 carats sold for US$ 1,238,853 (US$ 124,133 per carat)

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