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A gorgeous solid 9kt white gold ring of good quality manufacture, size 7. The highlight of the ring of course is the gorgeous marine blue, flashy, sparkling 5 millimeter round Siberian blue zircon; which weighs 0.68 carats. The gemstone was hand cut and hand faceted, and is a brilliant, flashy, good quality gemstone with all the fire of diamond. The gemstone is clean to the eye and transparent. The color is gorgeous, and the sparkle and flash spectacular, especially when the light catches it. This extraordinary gemstone is mounted into a very nice quality ring constructed of solid 9kt gold. Not gold-plated or gold-filled with chi-chi but merely glass "crystals" or "laboratory grown" (synthetic) gemstones. Why would you spend just as much or more to buy costume jewelry at the mall when you can have the real thing here? A genuine solid white gold ring with genuine Siberian natural blue zircon semi-precious gemstone!

Historically the colorless form of Zircon, known as "Matara diamond", has been the most popular and the most costly. White zircon as it is called today looks more like diamond than any other natural stone due the high refractive index of zircon. These physical properties cause zircon to come very close to diamonds in fire and brilliancy. Blue zircon was immensely popular in the 1880's and was used extensively in Victorian jewelry. In fact, jewelry from this period is a principal source today of blue zircons over five carats. Blue zircon and colorless zircon remain the most sought after and costly forms of zircon. Colorless zircon is occasionally confused with "cubic zirconia" due to the fact that both have been used a substitutes for diamonds. Cubic zirconia is a man-made synthetic gemstone. Zircon is a natural gemstone.

You might guess I travel extensively for a living. My profession is a purchasing agent for antique gemstones, which generally come from Russia, India, Ceylon, and Siam. I grew up in the Southern Urals of Russia, just miles away from some of the greatest gemstone producing regions in the world's history. Alexandrite, diamond, emerald, sapphire, chrysoberyl, topaz, demantoid garnet, and many other rare and precious gemstones are produced from the mountains within mere minutes or a few hours from the city I once called home. My interest in the fabulous history of Russian gemstones and the fabulous jewelry of the Czar's led to further education and conacts in India, Ceylon, and Siam, other ancient centers of gemstone production and finishing. Though perhaps difficult to find in the USA, antique gemstones are commonly unmounted from old, broken settings - the gold reused - the gemstones recut and reset.

Before this happens, before these gorgeous antique gemstones are recut, I try to acquire the best of them in their original, antique, hand-finished state - most of them centuries old. I believe that the work created by these long-gone master artisans is worth protecting and preserving rather than destroying this heritage of antique gemstones by recutting the original work out of existence. That by preserving their work, in a sense, we are preserving their lives and the legacy they left for modern times. Far better to appreciate their craft than to destroy it with modern cutting. Not everyone agrees - fully 95% or more of the antique gemstones which come into these marketplaces are recut, and the heritage of the past lost. But if you agree with me that the past is worth protecting, and that past lives and the produce of those lives still matters today, consider buying an antique, hand cut, natural gemstone rather than one of the mass-produced machine cut (often synthetic or "lab produced") gemstones which dominate the market today.

I have always been fascinated with jewelry and gemstones. Bangkok, Taipei, Hong Kong, Moscow, and Bombay are great places to find incredible deals on both gemstones and jewelry, and over the years I have made many friends within the trade in these five cities. So you can look for a steady flow of little treasures I discover in my travels, and I will be happy to share with you the best deals I can find through my industry acquaintances in these far-off Asian lands. Though I spend a good part of each year in Europe and Asia, most of the year I am here in the United States, and that's where all of my little treasures are. So you can count on quick shipping and careful packaging. And if I am not home - I have someone who does it for me!

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