DATE: Art Deco, 1931
Charming Art Deco clover cluster ring set with demantoid garnets in the leaves, and diamonds at the centre and stalk. Clear Birmingham hallmarks for 9k gold date it to the year 1931; it's beautifully made with stones set in platinum and fine millegrain edges around the garnets.
Demantoid garnets (aka green garnets or Uralian emeralds) were discovered in 1868 when miners in the Russian Ural Mountains found an alluvial deposit ~110km from Ekaterinburg. Wikipedia cites that the "miners were stunned by the highly refractive nature of the gem material," which is another way of saying they're unbelievably bright and vibrant - unlike any other green gemstone the miners had seen. The stones take their name from the French for diamond "demant" because of their exceptional brilliance and fire (their dispersion/fire is higher than that of the diamond), and they remain prized and highly sought after to this day. So what you're looking at in this ring is, technically, diamond and diamond-like garnet.
STONES
Demantoid Garnet and old cut Diamonds
MEASUREMENTS
Head: 7.7 x 7.5mm
Width of band: 2.5mm
WEIGHT
1.2g
MARKS
English hallmarks for 9k gold, Birmingham 1931
CONDITION
Very good, light wear commensurate with age
