Sri Lanka, known as ‘Ceylon’ prior to 1972, remains as one of the most important and historical sources for fine gemstones with one of the earth’s largest concentrations of gem deposits, encompassing more than 40 gem-species, in which blue sapphires account for 85% of the gemstones mined on the island.
Sri Lanka’s gem mining history spans to nearly 2,500 years old, being one of the earliest sources of sapphires in the world producing these beautiful blue jewels that were traded amongst the Greeks, Romans, and Persians and by the 5th Century an active international trade of these gems was established. It is no surprise the impressive array of gemstones has earned Sri Lanka the name of ‘Ratnadeepa’, directly translating to ‘Gem Island’.
As Lucia Silvestri, Jewellery Creative and Gems Buying Executive Director at Bulgari, pointed out, it is the superb transparency and luminosity that set Sri Lankan sapphires apart. The finest Sri Lankan sapphires possess excellent clarity that gives it a lively brilliance rarely found in specimens from other origins. Though it is impossible for natural sapphires to completely free from inclusions, typical rutile needles in Sri Lankan specimens help scatter light equally on the stone and give it an even body colour.
Notable Sri Lankan sapphires of significant size include the 486.52-carat Giant of the Orient, the 422.99-carat Logan Blue Sapphire on display at the Smithsonian Institution’s Natural Museum of Natural History, and the 392.52-carat Blue Belle of Asia.
This 118.35-carat sapphire’s rich and homogenous colour is the first thing that draws one’s eyes towards it, and it has received the ‘Royal Blue’ colour grading by The Gübelin Gem Lab, which is the most sought-after colour grade awarded to blue sapphires in the trade.
The Gübelin Gem Lab is known for applying the most rigorous and stringent standards in all its work, which also applies to the use of trade colour terms. For a stone to qualify for such a term, it must fulfil all the respective criteria.
For a sapphire to qualify for the term ‘Royal Blue’, the colour must be an intense, saturated and homogeneous blue. In terms of quality, ‘Royal Blue’ will only be awarded to sapphires that exhibit fine qualities and are free from treatments. Furthermore, they must be relatively free of eye-visible or dark inclusions, and they must show a homogeneous colour distribution with vivid internal reflections.
The House of Bulgari is known among aficionados for their selection of the best coloured gemstones. The quest to uncover nature’s rarest treasures is nothing short of assiduous efforts and true passion. Such extraordinary finds always leave a lasting impression and evoke deep connection with its beholder.
Bulgari High Jewellery Collection only accepts gemstones of near perfection, like this Sri Lankan sapphire which scored an impossible 98 points in Gübelin Gemstone Rating. This Rating carefully assesses the quality, rarity and salience of a specific gemstone. This very sapphire was awarded 98 out of 100 Gübelin Points, which places it on the highest ‘Exceptional’ grade.
Based on the presence of tiny zircon inclusions present at the surface of this sapphire, Swiss Gemmological Institute SSEF experts were able to carry out radiometric age dating for this magnificent sapphire. The analyses of the inclusions within the sapphire reveal an approximate age of 540 million years. This calculated age is well in agreement with the age of sapphire formation found in Sri Lanka, which further supports the Institute’s opinion of its origin.
Some of the most iconic creations from The House of Bulgari are marked by contrasting colours against the brightness of yellow gold. However, in the 2000s, as the House progressed towards a more two-dimensional design approach, platinum and white gold made a comeback, and jewellery mounted in white metal emanated magnificence that resonated with opulence in the 1950s, especially those from the High Jewellery Collection.
Contrary to more colourful creations that incorporated gemstones of various cutting styles and shapes, this necklace assumes absolute symmetry that reminds us of classic noble and royal jewels. Centring on a single coloured gemstone of impressive size, the diamond-set necklace employs stone arrangement that is found in earlier works from the thirties to the fifties. Each circular link is formed by carefully selected tapered baguette diamonds instead of brilliant-cut diamonds, connected by pear-shaped diamonds at their points to afford lightness of an otherwise substantial necklace.
During 2022 Cannes Film Festival, award-winning American actress Anne Hathaway was adorned by an important sapphire necklace from Bulgari on the red carpet, which bears close resemblance to this magnificent necklace on offer. While the more recent work has an ornamental naturalistic overtone, this necklace evokes unostentatious elegance with a classic approach.
The repeating circular links are typical of Bulgari’s ‘modulo’ jewellery designs, where a single element is produced in series and then connected to each other. The Parentesi Collection, inspired by details of the Eternal City pavements, is one of the House’s most successful modular designs.
This necklace’s clean and sleek lines, elegant geometry, and the unusual horizontal setting of the superb and impressive Sri Lankan sapphire are all elements that afford this necklace a timeless modern appeal. It is a work of art that embodies a miraculous and singular occurrence in nature, savoir-faire from an illustrious Italian maison, and the utmost caliber of rare gemstone collection.