This sensational ring from the late 1910s-1920s is named for Lauretta, the ingénue in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, which premiered in 1918 at the Metropolitan opera, around the time this ring was made. In her famous aria "O mio babbino caro" Lauretta begs her father to be able to marry her boyfriend Rinuccio. She tells him that she wants to go to Porta Rossa to buy a ring, and if he does not allow her to, she will throw herself off the Ponte Vecchio! While the words sound dramatic, this is in fact a comic aria about a very smart young woman who is manipulating her father into getting what she wants. I can imagine that Lauretta would have loved a ring just like this one, and we know for certain that the world premiere of this opera was filled with excited audience members wearing this type of ring as well. 

This ring features a natural earth mined, unheated blue sapphire with royal blue color and excellent clarity. It is truly a wonder of nature and a specimen any collector would be proud to own. The sapphire measures 5.50mm x 5.10mm x 3mm with a calculated weight of 1.00ct. It is surrounded by 10 deliciously chunky old mine cut diamonds with a calculated total carat weight of 1.25ctw. The diamonds are G/H color with SI1-SI2 clarity. The face of the ring is 18k white gold and the band is a gorgeous 18k rosy yellow gold. It is not as pink as rose golds today, but warmer than most modern yellow gold alloys. This ring is currently a size 5.5 and can be easily sized to your size by a trusted jeweler. The face of the ring measures 12.92mm x 11.37mm and it sits flat against the finger, rising to 3.94mm at its highest point. This ring has been evaluated by a Graduate Gemologist and appraiser.

Antique boxes, postcards, and other photo props shown here are for display purposes only and are not included with this jewelry purchase.