Size: 7 Gemstones: Natural Blue Star Sapphire 14.73ctw & Diamond 0.61ctw SI Clarity, G-H Color Metal: platinum pt900 weight: 14.36 grams Notes from the Curator Star sapphires display asterism—a shimmering six-rayed pattern caused by intersecting needle-like inclusions of rutile aligned with the crystal's internal structure—and this high-domed oval cabochon, weighing 14.73 carats, has been cut expressly to center the star at the apex of the dome. Corundum's trigonal crystal system favors three-directional rutile growth, hence the prevalence of six-ray stars in these stones, though rare specimens exhibit twelve-rayed stars when a second network of needles intersects the first. Cabochon-cut star sapphires surged in popularity during the 1930s and 1940s; Douglas Fairbanks Sr. gave Mary Pickford the legendary Star of Bombay, set in a platinum ring by Trabert & Hoeffer. The present ring echoes that mid-century aesthetic: platinum and diamonds were the materials of choice for discerning collectors, and a halo of round brilliants and baguettes frames the star with restrained Art Deco geometry, allowing the sapphire's optical phenomenon to command attention.