Star Sapphire and Platinum Cocktail Ring, Oscar Heyman and Brothers

Unique Elements
Natural star sapphires like this one are a miracle of nature. The 6 ray star in this lovely blue ring needs to be experienced and enjoyed.

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Sapphire Blue sapphire is a variety of corundum, a mineral species that also includes ruby. Sapphires can be blue, violet, green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, multicolored as well as color change, most often going from blue to purple, as well as gray, black, or brown. Blue sapphire can have both green and violet undertones, as well as the more desirable pure blue. Trace elements of iron or titanium cause sapphire’s blue color, with iron resulting in an inky, darker tone than the often vivid blue resulting from titanium. When jewelers refer to sapphire without specifying color, this refers to blue sapphire. Sapphire is the September birthstone and the stone of the 5th and 45th wedding anniversaries.

Cabochon A cabochon is a gem which has been shaped and polished but not faceted, typically with a domed top and flat bottom. Cabochons are often cut for opaque stones, for softer translucent gems as well as to highlight phenomenon such as asterism “star” and chatoyancy “cat’s eye”, as these would not show in faceted stones. The 'sugarloaf' cabochon cut features a 4-sided pyramid shape.

Asterism Star-like rays in a gem, the phenomenon known as asterism, are caused by inclusions of fine needles of rutile, known as silk. Natural star sapphires and rubies are highly prized for their ‘stars’ which can be in four, six or twelve rays depending on the inclusions.

Cocktail Ring A large ring worn on any finger other than the left ring finger can be called a cocktail ring. The history of the cocktail ring goes back to the American prohibition era of the 1920s. During this time, alcoholic beverages were banned, leading to the rise of illegal drinking establishments called speakeasies where for the first time, women were also in attendance. These art deco era women would drink glamorous cocktails in their best outfits which included oversized gemstone rings to flash while raising their glasses. Cocktail rings can feature any large stone, from diamond, sapphire, pearl and emerald to tourmaline, aquamarine or citrine. Others feature smaller stones set together to form flowers or animals such as panthers or tigers.

Demi-Parure Demi-Parure are pieces of matching jewelry that are designed to be worn together, though fewer than a full set or parure; dates from the second half of the 16th century, and traditionally, when a parure involved six or seven pieces, a demi-parure was a three-piece suite of (usually) a necklace, earrings, and a brooch.

Oscar Heyman and Brothers, Inc. Oscar and Nathan Heyman established Oscar Heyman and Brothers, Inc. in New York in 1912. Known as “the jeweler’s jeweler,” Heyman produced jewels for houses including Shreve and Co. and Tiffany and Co. as well as under their own name. Heyman is known for the “invisible setting” – presenting gems perfectly matched to fit next to each other with no visible metal, as they are set into hidden tracks holding them in place. Famous Heyman clients include Elizabeth Taylor, Nancy Reagan, President Jimmy Carter and Frank Lloyd Wright.