Bismarck Sapphire Necklace
Encyclopedia
The Bismarck Sapphire Necklace is a sapphire
necklace
designed by Cartier, Inc.
in 1935. As of 2010, the necklace is on display between the Hall Sapphire and Diamond Necklace
and the Logan Sapphire
in the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals at the Smithsonian Institution
's National Museum of Natural History
in Washington D.C., United States
. It is named for Countess Mona von Bismarck
, who donated the piece to the Smithsonian in 1967. The sapphire itself was purchased by the Countess in Sri Lanka
in 1926, during her honeymoon
with Harrison Williams.
The necklace consists of a single chain of platinum
links connected by pairs of round brilliant cut diamond
s. The 98.6 carats (19.7 g) table-cut Bismarck Sapphire is mounted in a pendant
at the front of the necklace, surrounded by baguette-cut diamonds and eight smaller square-cut sapphires placed symmetrically around the edges of the setting.
Sapphire
Sapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide , when it is a color other than red or dark pink; in which case the gem would instead be called a ruby, considered to be a different gemstone. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, or chromium can give...
necklace
Necklace
A necklace is an article of jewellery which is worn around the neck. Necklaces are frequently formed from a metal jewellery chain. Others are woven or manufactured from cloth using string or twine....
designed by Cartier, Inc.
Cartier SA
Cartier S.A., commonly known as Cartier , is a French luxury jeweler and watch manufacturer. The corporation carries the name of the Cartier family of jewellers whose control ended in 1964 and who were known for numerous pieces including the "Bestiary" , the diamond necklace created for Bhupinder...
in 1935. As of 2010, the necklace is on display between the Hall Sapphire and Diamond Necklace
Hall Sapphire and Diamond Necklace
The Hall Sapphire and Diamond Necklace has 36 matched sapphires from Sri Lanka which total 195 carats. These sapphires are surrounded by 435 pear-shaped and round brilliant-cut diamonds that total 83.75 carats. The setting is platinum....
and the Logan Sapphire
Logan sapphire
The Logan sapphire is a flawless specimen from Sri Lanka, a cushion-cut stone which possesses a rich deep blue color and is the second largest sapphire known, weighing 422.99 carats .The Logan sapphire is named after Mrs...
in the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals at the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
's National Museum of Natural History
National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. Admission is free and the museum is open 364 days a year....
in Washington D.C., United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is named for Countess Mona von Bismarck
Mona von Bismarck
Mona Travis Strader , known as Mona Bismarck, was an American socialite and fashion icon. She was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1958.-Early life:...
, who donated the piece to the Smithsonian in 1967. The sapphire itself was purchased by the Countess in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
in 1926, during her honeymoon
Honeymoon
-History:One early reference to a honeymoon is in Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him...
with Harrison Williams.
The necklace consists of a single chain of platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
links connected by pairs of round brilliant cut diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
s. The 98.6 carats (19.7 g) table-cut Bismarck Sapphire is mounted in a pendant
Pendant
A pendant is a loose-hanging piece of jewellery, generally attached by a small loop to a necklace, when the ensemble may be known as a "pendant necklace". A pendant earring is an earring with a piece hanging down. In modern French "pendant" is the gerund form of “hanging”...
at the front of the necklace, surrounded by baguette-cut diamonds and eight smaller square-cut sapphires placed symmetrically around the edges of the setting.