Mastery of Design: The "Large" Townshend Sapphire, 1850

Sapphire Ring
Townshend Collection, 1850
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Here’s another stunning gem from the collection of the Reverence Chauncey Hare Townshend. This exceptional, large sapphire was set in gold around 1850.

Rubies and sapphires are varieties of corundum (aluminum oxide). Corundum is colorless in its purest form, however, as the crystals form, local impurities create color. Rubies are always red (getting their color from chromium), and people tend to think of sapphires as being blue. But, we need to remember that sapphires come in a wide range of colors depending on the impurities introduced during the formation of the crystal.

This particular example is a pure medium blue. The brilliant color of the stone sets it apart from others as does the unusually deep cut.