This retro Tiffany & Co. ring features a moonstone bezel set into an 18k gold ring with a beautiful Florentine finish. The ring has a high profile; the deep cabochon goes from milky white to a blue glow, with a cat’s eye that moves in the light. The moonstone is perfectly complimented by the Florentine work along the band, which comes right up to the edge of the bezel leaving a ring of shiny gold that reflects the light and mirrors the beautiful cat’s eye within the stone. The effect is stunning. Along the band, the Florentine finish ends in an elegant chevron.
The beauty of this moonstone cabochon can be attributed to several factors. Chatoyancy is an optical phenomenon seen in certain stones, caused by light reflecting off of parallel needle-like elements within the stone, this is the cat’s eye effect. In addition the moonstone has a trait known as adularescence—a milky sheen or glowing light that seems to come from below the surface of the stone. The effect is caused by layers of orthoclase and albite that reflect and scatter light.
The ring is marked on the interior as 750 (for 18k gold) and with Tiffany & Co.’s logo hallmark of an intertwined T and C. Circa the Art Deco era, on the cusp of retro, encapsulating the style of both eras.
The ring weighs 4.9 grams. The high profile of the ring measures 5 mm at its tallest point. The moonstone is 10 mm x 7.75 mm, and weighs 2.75 carats.
We’ve photographed the ring in both sunlight and studio light to show the way the chatoyancy creates a cat’s eye effect. The movement and glow of the moonstone are impossible to capture in a photograph, and this piece is even more beautiful in person.
Ring size 5.25, this ring could easily be resized.
