In all the years I have been in the trade, I have never come across a pair of matching ruby bangles of this quality and magnitude.
In the nineteenth century, diamonds were appreciated, but nothing like they are today. The skill to cut them just had not been figured out quite yet. For thousands of years, the rarest and most exceptional objects in the world a person could own were pearls (as they had not invented "the Cultured" pearl yet) and even more rare - fine rubies. Even in the Bible, there are references "more precious than rubies." Rubies have been expensive and sought after by the richest and most powerful of the world for centuries. Also, back then, like unto today, no one knew how to heat treat rubies or bombard them with color or glass fill their inclusion and everything else they do to rubies to bring out the best in the gemstone.
This particular pair of bangles was English made, approximately 1870's. To have a matching pair of bracelets like this then, you would have needed to be of the house of Nobility or a vast land Baron. The bangles consist of over thirty-six carats of very rare, no heat Burma rubies, in eighteen karats yellow gold. It is simply unheard of to have this many rubies in a single piece of jewelry (well pair of bangles) for that era.
The color saturation and shade of red with a touch of pink is exceptional. The rubies are entirely natural with no enhancement in any way, and origin from Burma, which is the rarest and most exceptional of all rubies found in the world. The bangles are hand made with the utmost care. The jeweler even set seven of these precious jewels on the back of the bangle bracelet so that these rubies could be seen from every angle as the bangle is worn on the wrist.
To have one bangle of this magnitude would genuinely be a treasure. Then, to have a matched pair, it is merely a dream come true. This pair of ruby bangles are museum quality, and in time I suspect that is where they will probably end up. If you think about it, the world has hardly changed. Rubies are still some of the most sought after and rarest entities in the world and will continue to be for the test of time.
All The Best, William David