Stories & Heritage
Collector Stories
Stories of rare finds, decades-long pursuits, and the exceptional stones that define serious collections.
A private collector, Switzerland
The 6ct Unheated Burmese
After two years of searching at every major gem show from Basel to Tucson, a 6.1ct unheated Burmese sapphire emerged from a Ratnapura miner's estate. GRS certified it as "pigeon blood" — the highest colour designation for sapphires. The collector acquired it within 48 hours of it being listed. He describes it as "the stone I will never sell".
A jeweller, Tokyo
A Matched Pair — 20 Years in the Making
A Japanese jeweller spent two decades assembling a matched pair of unheated pink sapphires — each between 2 and 3 carats, each with identical saturation and hue. The second stone came through our sourcing service after we tracked a matching stone in Sri Lanka. The pair is now set in earrings for his daughter's wedding gift.
A gemologist, London
The Colour Change Alexandrite
A London-based gemmologist has spent her career studying alexandrite. When a 1.8ct Brazilian alexandrite with 90% colour change came to our attention — fine green in daylight, vivid raspberry red under incandescent — she was our first call. Gübelin confirmed the origin and the percentage change. She calls it the finest alexandrite she has personally owned.
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