Mastery of Design: The Townshend Blue Diamond Ring, c. 1825

Blue and White Diamond Ring
Circa 1825
From the Townshend Collection
This and all related images courtesy of:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

From the important gem collection of the Reverend Chauncy Hare Townshend, we see this magnificent gold ring set with an oval, natural blue diamond.  The sparkling violet-blue diamond is surrounded by a border of  twelve white diamonds. A further three diamonds are set in triangular mounts on each shoulder of the ring.

The ring was made circa 1825.

Mastery of Design: A Fantastic Blue Diamond Ring, 1920-60

Blue Diamond Ring with Platinum and Baguette Setting\
This and all related images from
The British Museum

Given to the British Museum by an anonymous donor, the centerpiece of this ring is a brilliant-cut blue diamond weighing nearly 16 carats. The stone itself shows signs of being cut in the 1920s, however, the setting--a mount of platinum with three-stone baguette diamond shoulders suggests the style of the 1940s-1960s.

Bearing no markings, the maker of the ring is unknown, but it is believed to be British.





As I'm still on the mend, I'll be taking Saturday and Sunday to recuperate. Regular posting will resume on Monday and we'll finally get back to the usual schedule. Monday will see "A Tale of Two Sundays," as we catch up with our "Treats of the Week," and, as an added bonus, you'll get a third treat, mid-week. Lots of excitement ahead, and, I've found some LOVELY new items to share with you.

See you Monday.

Gem of the Week: The Blue Diamond

Blue Diamond "Ballerina" Ring from Israel Rose

In my online novel, Punch’s Cousin, Lord Fallbridge describes the magnificent blue diamond that his father, Sir Collin Molliner, found in India. Julian wears a ring which bears a stone polished from the cuttings of “The Molliner Blue.” While Julian’s stone is fiction, the existence of blue diamonds is not.


When we think of diamonds, we tend to think of the wonderful icy colorless variety. However, diamonds naturally come in a range of colors—almost any imaginable color, in fact. Red diamonds are the rarest and dearest of all the colors. The value of “fancy color” diamonds depends on the intensity of the color, and as with white diamonds, the amount of inclusions (noticeable coal) in the stone.

Blue diamonds are highly prized for their mysterious beauty and depth of color. A blue diamond’s hue can range from a bright aquamarine color to a dusty blue-violet. Some often exhibit fluorescent characteristics. The color comes from deposits of boron during the compression process. Blue diamonds account for .1% of gem-quality diamonds.

Of course, the most famous blue diamond is the legendary Hope Diamond. This original 113 carat diamond was purchased in India by French merchant traveller Jean Baptiste Tavernier who described the stone as a “beautiful violet.” In 1668, Tavernier sold the stone to King Louis XIV of France who, later, had the stone re-cut. “The Blue Diamond of the Crown” or “The French Blue” was just over 68 carats after it was re-cut. The stone—along with many of the Crown Jewels of France—was stolen during the French Revolution and its resulting looting and riots.

The Hope Diamond, courtesy The Smithsonian Institute

In 1812, the “French Blue” resurfaced in the collection of London diamond merchant, Daniel Eliason. From then on, it was sold and resold many times (most notably to the family of Henry Phillip Hope), finally ending up in the collection of Pierre Cartier in 1910. Cartier sold the stone to American socialite Mrs. Evelyn Walsh who wore the stone until her death in 1947. Walsh’s entire collection of jewelry was purchased by Harry Winston who donated the diamond to The Smithsonian in 1958. The Hope Diamond remains on display in the Smithsonian today.

Whether it’s as large as the “Hope” or just a shimmering chip, the beauty of a natural blue diamond cannot be denied. Their very creation is proof that our world is capable of producing the most beautiful things.