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Bloodstone and Ruby Cuff Links
$1,750
Created in the late 19th century, these 18K gold and bloodstone cufflinks are accented by rubies and diamonds. Each oval double link is designed as a bloodstone cabochon inlaid with rubies and diamonds set in 18K gold to create a three lobed leaf motif. This intriguing green hardstone, spattered with blood red inclusions, is artfully handled with precious and subtle ruby and diamond accents, creating highly original sleeve ornaments to complement any collection.
- Product Details
- Curator's Notes
Item #: CS-19818
Circa: Late 19th century
Size: 0.625” length x 0.375” width
Materials: 24 round Old European-cut rubies (approximate total weight 0.36 carat); 4 rose-cut diamonds (approximate total weight 0.04 carat); 4 cabochon bloodstones; 18K gold
Bloodstone or, as the ancients called it, heliotrope, is a mineral aggregate of green jasper or chalcedony whose spatters of bright red inclusions are created by the presence of hematite. The Roman polymath Pliny the Elder wrote about this hardstone in his comprehensive Natural History, the longest book of antiquity to survive intact. Pliny reports that this gem hardstone was mined in Ethiopia and Cyprus, and was useful in studying eclipses of the sun by the moon, though he unfortunately does not specify by what mechanism.