A fine and classically composed Victorian stickpin in 18ct gold, c.1880, centred on a rich blue Ceylon sapphire surrounded by eight cut diamonds in a cluster setting. The Ceylon sapphire — from the island now known as Sri Lanka — has long been considered among the finest in the world, prized for its vivid, cornflower blue colour and exceptional clarity. The cluster format, with a central stone encircled by a ring of diamonds, is one of the most enduring settings in Victorian jewellery, and this example is a particularly clean and well-proportioned example of the type. Tests as 18ct gold. Head 0.9 × 0.9cm; pin length 5.5cm.

The Details

• Circa: 1880
• Head dimensions: 0.9 × 0.9cm
• Pin length: 5.5cm
• Centre stone: Ceylon sapphire
• Surround: Eight cut diamonds
• Hallmarks: Tests as 18ct gold