18thC Antique 1ct+ Violet Iolite Viking Navigation Gem

Antique Genuine Natural Russian One and One-Third Carat Plus Handcrafted Violet-Blue Iolite Semi-Precious Gemstone.

CLASSIFICATION: Hand Polished Blue-Violet Iolite Oval Cabochon.

ORIGIN: 18th Century Chelyabinsk, Russia.

SIZE: Length: 8mm. Width: 6mm. Thickness: 3 1/2mm.

WEIGHT: Approximately 1.37 carats.

NOTES: Upon request we can set your gemstones as a ring, pendant, or as earrings (click here for more information).

DETAIL: Known as the gemstone of the Vikings, Iolite was used by Norse and Viking explorers as a navigational aid. Here's an absolutely gorgeous, richly colored violet-blue iolite gemstone from Chelyabinsk, Russia (our home town). The gemstone was hand cut and polished by an 18th century Russian artisan, part of an heritage renown for the production of the elaborate gemstones and jewelry of the Czars of Medieval, Renaissance, and Victorian Russia. This lustrous semi-precious gemstone possesses a rich, velvety violet-blue hue. It is an extremely attractive gemstone, of very special character and remarkable color and texture. Highly favored by the royal houses of Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, Iolite has recently become very "hot". Ignored for centuries by Europe and America, it is now recognized as a truly stunning and beautiful gemstone, possessing rich, exceptional blue to violet hues which made iolite one of the most valuable possessions in the ancient Viking world. We only have a handful of these gemstones, and they are truly fascinating – and much nicer in appearance than the images here would suggest.

This is a nice quality iolite by 18th century standards. It is more or less transparent, though as one can easily discern, by no means flawless. By today’s standards it is not a high quality iolite – though of course it is generous in size, remarkable in color, and historically significant. But judged by 18th century standards, this was a nice, large, sumptuous, and not inexpensive gemstone. Under magnification the gemstone shows the unmistakable characteristics of having been hand crafted. The coarseness of the 18th century finish is considered appealing to most gemstone collectors, and is not considered a detriment, or detract from the value of a gemstone. But these characteristics are not only expected of hand-finished gemstones, most serious collectors consider such gemstones more desirable, possessed of greater character and uniqueness when compared to today's cookie-cutter mass-produced machine-tumbled gemstones. Unlike today’s computer controlled machine produced gemstones, the cut and finish of a gemstone such as this is the legacy of an artisan who lived two centuries ago.

This gemstone has great luster and sparkle, wonderful color and texture, and to the eye is more or less transparent; but it is not flawless. It could not even be characterized as high quality. In fact, it is quite typical of an 18th century gemstone both in quality and finish. True, the blemishes it possesses are near invisible to the naked eye under casual scrutiny, and the gemstone could almost be characterized, to use trade jargon, as "near eye clean", or “slightly included”. However magnified 500%, as it is here, you can see lots minor imperfections (included material) within the gemstone and occasional irregularities in the finish. But these characteristics are not only expected of hand-finished gemstones, you must also consider that two centuries ago the mining techniques even possible then, let alone in practice, did not allow the ultra deep mining operations which are so commonplace today.

Two centuries ago mankind was more or less limited to surface deposits or near surface deposits of gemstones. Higher quality gemstones which today are routinely mined from beneath hundreds of meters, even kilometers beneath the earth's surface, were simply inaccessible then. So antique gemstones must be appreciated as antiques first, gemstones second. The relatively superlative quality of contemporary gemstones routinely mined from deep beneath the earth's surface today were simply not accessible two centuries ago, or at least, only rarely so. However for most, the unique nature and character of antique gemstones such as this more than makes up for included imperfections which by and large, are only visible under high magnification.

HISTORY: Known as the gemstone of the Vikings, Iolite is a blue-violet colored gemstone often mistaken for sapphire or tanzanite. Unknown to classical ancient Mediterranean cultures, it was used by Norse and Viking explorers to navigate. Mined from deposits in Norway and Greenland, this exceptional gemstone changes colors depending up the direction it is oriented – this allowing crude navigator even without a fix on the sun or stars. Called “water sapphire” by some as it is clear from one direction, its darkest blue shade is seen when held 90 degrees from the sun. The name iolite comes from the Greek ios, which means violet. In the 19th century it was known as "cordierite", after a French geologist, Pierre L. Cordier, who had “discovered” the gemstone for the benefit of Western Europe. Iolite is usually a very richly textured purplish blue when cut properly.

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 contacts 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 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 can set most any antique gemstone you purchase from me, in your choice of styles and metals ranging from rings to pendants to earrings and bracelets; in sterling silver, 14kt solid gold, and 14kt gold fill. In my travels back and forth between the USA, Asia, and Eastern Europe I also tend to accumulate a lot of books, CD’s, and audio recordings. So I oftentimes have lightly used CD’s, once-read books, audio recordings, and even some antique books I buy in Europe for sale as well. And occasionally I will find such a good buy on contemporary jewelry for my clients that I will purchase a few extra pieces to offer on eBay. These are always offered clearly labeled as contemporary, and not antiques – just to avoid confusion. I also end up with boatloads of jewelry and gemstone samples which were not fully distributed to the retailers I purchase on behalf of. Some really great pieces, including antiques, pearls, as well as some pieces of antique Russian jewelry.

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!

Domestic shipping is $3.99 for first class mail or $6.99 for Priority Mail. Domestic rates include USPS Delivery Confirmation (you might be able to update the status of your shipment on-line at the USPS Web Site). Canadian shipments are $3.99 for Air Mail; International shipments are $4.99 for Air Mail (and generally are NOT tracked; trackable shipments are EXTRA). I can add most other items I sell to the shipment for only $0.99 each. Your purchase will ordinarily be shipped within 48 hours of payment. We package as well as anyone in the business, with lots of protective padding and containers. Trackable and insured shipments are required by PayPal for all eBay purchases utilizing PayPal as a payment method. Therefore shipping costs for this item includes the fee for postal insurance ($2 for domestic shipments; $3 for international shipments); and is required for whenever PayPal is used as the payment method.

We do NOT recommend uninsured shipments, and expressly disclaim any responsibility for the loss of an uninsured shipment. Unfortunately the contents of parcels are easily “lost” or misdelivered by postal employees – even in the USA. We do offer U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail, Registered Mail, and Express Mail for both international and domestic shipments, as well United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express (Fed-Ex). Please ask for a rate quotation. We will accept whatever payment method you are most comfortable with. If upon receipt of the item you are disappointed for any reason whatever, I offer a no questions asked return policy. Send it back, I will give you a complete refund of the purchase price. We do offer a certificate of authenticity (COA) upon request for all of our items. There is a $2 fee for mailing under separate cover. Please see our "ADDITIONAL TERMS OF SALE."