The
most important Sapphires known in Europe are two magnificent stones
which were exhibited in the London Exhibition of 1862, and in the Paris
Exhibition of 1867. The larger is a stone of a somewhat oval form, of a
dark, slightly inky, colour, free from defects. It weighs about 252
carats, and was cut from the rough by Mr. Loop in 1840. The other,
though a smaller, is a richer coloured Stone. It was brought to this
country from India (Indian cut) in the year 1856. In its original form
it was a badly-shaped stone, weighing 225 carats, with a large yellow
flaw at the back, which marred the stone by casting a green reflection
into it. It was placed in the hands of the late Mr. J. N. Forster,
successor to Loop, who re-cut it, removed the defects, and made it a
splendid gem of 165 carats. This, which is by far the finest Sapphire
of the size in Europe, was sold in Paris, and is estimated to be worth
from £7,000 to £8,000.
In
the Jardin des Plantes, in Paris, is a Sapphire weighing 133-1/16
carats, and without spot or fault. This stone is said to have been
originally found in Bengal by a poor man ; it subsequently came into
the possession of the House of Raspoli, in Rome, who, in their turn,
left it to a German prince, who sold it to the French jewel merchant,
Perret, for £6,800.
In
the late Hope Collection there was a large Sapphire of a rich colour,
which retained its beauty as well by candle as by daylight. Another, in
the Orleans Collection, was called in Madame de Genii's tale " Le
Saphir Merveilleux."
Notwithstanding
the extreme hardness of the Sapphire, there are some beautifully
engraved specimens of this gem still in existence. In the Cabinet of
Strozzi, in Rome, is a Sapphire, a masterpiece of art, with the profile
of Hercules
