Need some help with toi et moi star sapphire ring

[melissagale]

Hello everyone,

I need some opinions about this star sapphire ring I recently acquired. It's top-heavy at over 10 grams. I am taking it to a jeweler, but wanted to have some opinions of people who knew more about jewelry than I (I was blessed enough to receive some beautiful jewelry, but unfortunately know close to nothing about it).

- The shank seems to be thinner than other jewelry I have--will this be a problem? The metal of the ring is supposedly platinum. Hopefully the pictures give a good enough perspective of the ring to answer.
- Both sapphire stones are loose enough that I can hear it when I move the ring. Is the repair process the same for this sort of gem cut as the average diamond?
- I know prices vary based on location, but what do you think a fair estimate for a repair job on this ring should be?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Wow I love that ring!

The shank looks like its over 2mm, which is about the minimum we usually recommend. But probably OK for daily wear.

Tightening prongs is pretty straightforward BUTTTT not every bench known how to work with colored gems! Diamonds are far harder than sapphire and so you can use more pressure on prongs for a diamond ring than a sapphire one. Find a jeweler who is well practiced with colored gems. It looks antique. I might leave it alone personally Those huge talons are holding the stones pretty well as is.

Prong tightening might be $50 to $150 depending on the place!

 

[Bron357]

What a stunner.
It’s the prongs that are loose. Being pointy claw type they will be prone to catching on clothing and that’s probably what’s made the sapphires slightly loose. These are easily fixed by a competent bench.
The thickness of the ring underneath your finger doesn’t affect the stability of the ring. It’s the width of the ring base on top of your finger that matters more, as a moi toi you have plenty of “on top” real estate.
Just make sure the ring size is correct, not too loose.

 

[glitterata]

That looks beautiful on you! I was watching it and almost bought it, but I'm glad you got it instead. It suits you perfectly!

 

[Ally T]

Beautiful ring!

 

[melissagale]

Thank you Dreamer_D and Bron357!

And yes it's a beautiful ring, my lovely sister bought it for me. Clearly she nailed it.

Another question if anyone can answer it--is anyone able to roughly place when this might have been made? I can't seem to judge the age at all.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Seems 1930s to 50s to me but I bet @glitterata knows better!

 

[marymm]

@melissagale -- what a gorgeous Toi et Moi star sapphire ring, I absolutely love it!

If you happen to know, I wonder if you would share the approximate dimensions of the star sapphires?

 

[glitterata]

Seems 1930s to 50s to me but I bet @glitterata knows better!

That would be my guess too (and I doubt I would know better than you, Dreamer!).

 

[Dreamer_D]

@melissagale -- what a gorgeous Toi et Moi star sapphire ring, I absolutely love it!

If you happen to know, I wonder if you would share the approximate dimensions of the star sapphires?

I would like to know too! They are huge!

I am guessing 5-6ct a pop. They look much larger than my 4ct. But maybe OP has tiny hands!

 

[Dreamer_D]

That would be my guess too (and I doubt I would know better than you, Dreamer!).

You know FAR more than I know about antique jewelry styles and fabrication! I have learned so much from you.

 

[glitterata]

You know FAR more than I know about antique jewelry styles and fabrication! I have learned so much from you.

I'm still learning myself! PS has been a great classroom.

 

[melissagale]

@melissagale -- what a gorgeous Toi et Moi star sapphire ring, I absolutely love it!

If you happen to know, I wonder if you would share the approximate dimensions of the star sapphires?

Of course! The larger one is around 10mm by 11mm with a height of approx. 7 mm (has a slightly pyramidal shape with a converging point at top) and the second one is around 10 mm by 9 mm, height is 6 mm. I have no clue in terms of cts, but the ring in total was 10.2 grams.

The ring size is 4.25 US!

Thank you for the compliments! I've been staring at it all day. Ha.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Stunning! Not easy to find star sapphires in the toi et moi style

 

[melissagale]

Stunning! Not easy to find star sapphires in the toi et moi style

Thank you! It was my first time seeing one like this

 

[LightBright]

Seems 1930s to 50s to me but I bet @glitterata knows better!

I agree with that time frame. I’d guess 1940s when platinum plus star sapphires were used for dramatic rings. Here’s another for example, looks “top heavy” for the setting, but that’s due to size of these gems.

Vintage 1940's GIA Certified 39.77cts. Blue Star Sapphire and Diamond Ring For Sale at 1stDibs | green lindy star ring, women's star sapphire ring

For Sale on 1stDibs - Vintage 1940's translucent 39.77 carat incredible Blue star sapphire Art Deco cocktail ring. Hand made Platinum setting accented with baguette and single

www.1stdibs.com

 

[LightBright]

Here’s a little blurb from Langs’ on the Mid Century jewelry and another very large Toi et Moi.

Vintage Double-Star Sapphire Ring

Dating back to the 1940s-50s, this striking double bauble, hand fabricated in 14k white gold, presents a mirror-image pair of light denim blue cabochon sapphires (together weighing 11 carats), each imbued by Mother Nature with a shimmering white 6-ray star (aka asterism). Something uncommon--and...

www.langantiques.com

 

[Dreamer_D]

Wow those huge star sapphire rings are amazing. OP have you read through the Show Me Your Star Sapphire and Rubies thread? Lots of great info about stars and also the jewelry they feature in.