Vintage Gump s Black Jade Ring

Perfectly unisex and exceedingly rare, this is an original Gump's San Francisco jade ring featuring an oval cabochon of natural and untreated white jadeite jade set into a hand-crafted 18k yellow gold mounting. The original Gump's of San Francisco was an iconic retailer known worldwide for their spectacular and always, always untreated natural jade jewelry...

A large oval cabochon of translucent seafoam green jadeite jade is surrounded by 16 luminous natural pearls in this ever-stylish 14K white gold halo ring from the early 1950s. The jade stone is natural and untreated and displays a high degree of translucency. Which is why this jade ring looks spectacular whether it is in direct sunshine, or just barely illuminated by the waning light of a nearby window. The luminous jade stone changes its appearance throughout the day, as the light changes. The jade cabochon measures 14.5mm x 9.19mm Seafoam green was pointedly on-trend in the 1950s when this ring was hand-fabricated. The pearls surrounding the jade are at least partially drilled —possibly they are drilled all the way through; I can't tell because of how they are set in the mounting. At least one and probably all of the pearls are natural, un-cultured saltwater pearls. They are older than the ring itself. It's not unusual to encounter repurposed jewelry...