Size: 6. Weight: 11.1 grams Material: 18k yellow gold Gemstones: Natural sapphires: .50ctw Natural diamonds: 1.25ctw, VS - SI, colorless - near colorless Notes from the Curator This ring features a central row of round sapphires flanked by pavé-set diamonds across a polished 18k yellow gold band—a design architecture that traces its lineage to late-twentieth-century jewellery workshops seeking maximum sparkle through economy of space. The pavé technique, named after the French word for paving stones, holds small diamonds closely together on the shoulders, creating a continuous glitter that amplifies the vivid blue of the sapphires. Yellow gold, rather than white or platinum, lends warmth and a distinctly Continental sensibility; it was the favoured metal for sapphire-and-diamond bands in the 1980s and early 1990s, when geometric channel and bar settings gave way to more organic, light-gathering arrangements. The smoothness of channel setting makes this ring style an everyday favourite, and the 11.1-gram weight suggests a substantial shank, comfortable for daily wear and a canvas sturdy enough to support the 1.75 total carats of gemstones. The combination of near-colorless diamonds in VS–SI clarity with natural sapphires reflects a restrained, traditional approach to colour contrast—blue against white, metal against stone—that has anchored cocktail and anniversary rings for more than a century.