An 18ct yellow gold ring by Chimento, the Italian fine jewellery house founded in Vicenza in 1964, c.1970. The ring is centred on an oval sapphire of an estimated 1.93 carats, surrounded by baguette-cut diamonds arranged in a swirling, radiating pattern that gives the setting a dynamic, fluid quality very different from the geometric symmetry of an Art Deco surround. The movement of the baguettes — each stone following the curve of the design rather than sitting in a straight line — is a characteristic of the more sculptural, expressive jewellery design of the late 1960s and 1970s, when Italian makers in particular were pushing against the formal conventions of the previous generation.

The estimated total diamond weight is 1.8 carats, with an estimated colour and clarity of G/H and VS — stones of good quality whose whiteness and transparency allow the precision of the baguette cutting to be fully appreciated. Signed and hallmarked Chimento Italy, 18ct gold.

Ring size N½ (UK).

The Details

• Circa: 1970
• Sapphire: Estimated 1.93 carats, oval cut
• Diamonds: Estimated 1.8 carats, baguette-cut, G/H VS
• Ring size: N½ (UK)
• Hallmarks: 18ct gold; signed Chimento Italy
• Maker: Chimento, Vicenza, Italy