Description:

(GRAND DUKE SERGE ALEXANDROVICH OF RUSSIA) SAPPHIRE RING
GRAND DUKE SERGE ALEXANDROVICH (1857-1905) Grand Duke of Russia, son of Emperor Alexander II of Russia and Governor-General of Moscow from 1891-1905. The Grand Duke was an influential figure during the reigns of his brother Emperor Alexander III of Russia and his nephew Emperor Nicholas II who was the last reigning Emperor of Russia. Like all male members of the Romanov dynasty, he followed a military career, and he fought in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78, receiving the Order of St. George for courage and bravery in action. In 1889, Grand Duke Sergei was promoted to the rank of major general. In 1884, Sergei married Princess Elizabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. As Governor-General of Moscow, he pursued very conservative policies that made him a polarizing figure. His reputation was initially tarnished as he was partially blamed for the Khodynka Tragedy during the festivities following the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II. At the start of his tenure, he also expelled Moscow's 20,000 Jews and repressed a student movement to prevent the spread of revolutionary ideas. Sergei resigned from the Governorship of Moscow on 1 January 1905, though he remained head of the Moscow Military District. Targeted by the SR Combat Organization he was assassinated later that year by a terrorist anarchist bomb at the Kremlin during the 1905 Russian Revolution. In 1908, the Monument to Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich was consecrated in the exact spot of his assassination at the Kremlin. After the Bolshevik Revolution, the monument was destroyed in 1918, but was restored in 1998 in the Novospassky Monastery, where Sergei's remains are buried. The second restored monument was consecrated in the Moscow Kremlin in 2017, where the original monument once stood. Vladimir Putin made a speech at the unveiling of the reconsecrated monument. Offered here is an antique sapphire intaglio ring owned by the Grand Duke. The platinum ring features a stunning blue sapphire set at the center bearing a carving of a standing figure holding a sword and shield. Surrounding the top portion of the sapphire are thirteen round faceted diamonds. The remaining portion is accented by a band of faceted emeralds (one missing). Accompanied by a letter of provenance from a previous owner, explaining (based on a statement from one 'Mme. Lydia Kniagetvitch') how the ring had been passed down. In part: ‘...[the ring] belonged to the late Grand Duke Serge of Russia, third son of the Emperor Alexander, 2nd, the Liberator, brother of the Emperor Alexander, 3rd, and uncle and brother-in-law of Emperor Nicholas, 2nd. In 1891 the Grand Duke Serge [sic] was married to the grand-daughter of Queen Victoria of England...Grand Duke Serge [sic] was appointed as Governor General of Moscow and was killed by anarchists...After his death the Grand Duchess...(Elisabeth Fedorovna, sister of the late last Empress Alexandra Fedorovna) gave the ring to General Djonukovsky...' Vladimir Fyodorovich Dzhunkovsky (1865-1938) was a Russian statesman who held the posts of the Governor of Moscow Gubernia and the Governor-General of Moscow from 1908 to 1913. He served as adjutant of Grand Duke Sergei as well. Following the Russian Revolution, Dzhunkovsky was released from all official duties. In 1918 he was arrested by Soviet security services, who accused him of aiding in the suppression of the Revolution of 1905. Dzhunkovsky was imprisoned In the fall of 1937, during the Stalinist repressions, and was arrested again. He was sentenced to death and executed. One may presume that it was Kniagetvich who had the ring sized after receiving it from the doomed Dzhunkovsky. The ring is also accompanied by a July 7th, 2023 GIA Sapphire Origin Report, number 2223992251. The report indicates the shape as ‘Cushion Intaglio', further describing it as a natural corundum, transparent blue, geographically originating from Cambodia, weighing 5.80 grams, measuring 12.30 x 10.30 x 5.08 mm, and with no indication of heating. Until 1907, when the provinces constituting present Cambodia were returned to French Indochina, up to 90% of the global fine sapphire production came from Cambodian mines. The rare, deep blue sapphires of Pailin in Cambodia were the most highly regarded by gem traders throughout the world. The original source of the legendary Pailin sapphires is known to be the Phnum Yat volcano in the south west corner of the country. The report describes the ring as: ‘Center stone bezel set in a white metal ring with numerous near-colorless single cuts and numerous green stones of various shapes and cuts.' It appears this ring has been resized as there are slight variations in the width of the band, now a size 3 1/4.

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August 16, 2024 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
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$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $999,999 $10,000
$1,000,000 $1,999,999 $50,000
$2,000,000 + $100,000