Kashmiri sapphire is a collector’s dream
Kashmir sapphires are the most expensive and coveted stones around the world, along with the rarest crystal clear diamonds. Inspired by the mysterious appeal of these oriental treasures, we named our Jewelry House “KASHMIR” – as a symbol of luxury available only to the elite.
Minerals of a deep, mesmerizing blue color with a purple hue come from the northern valleys separating India and Pakistan on the Kashmir Peninsula.
In ancient times, Kashmir was the Padar principality in the Himalayas, in the bowels of which there was an invaluable source of the world’s best sapphires, but after the discovery of the deposit in 1880, after 7 years, it was completely exhausted.
Most of the first sapphires mined in Kashmir adorn the jewels of the British royal court. In the 19th century, Kashira was one of the British colonies, and sapphires were worn by kings, hence the well-known concept in the jewelry color classification “royal blue” – Royal Blue.
Currently, all sapphires that have been mined in Kashmir are the so-called “old” stones that have changed hands many times. There is no new mining in India, which explains why sapphires from Kashmir are the subject of a real hunt for collectors.
So what is it about Kashmiri sapphires that bewitches and falls in love with you at first sight?
First of all, it is an unforgettable color: a high-quality sapphire has a velvety medium blue, slightly glowing from the inside.
The color of Kashmir sapphire is also often described as “sleepy” due to the characteristic “milky haze” inside the stone, caused by liquid-filled cavities or tiny crystals that are difficult to see even under a powerful microscope. Therefore, sometimes, Kashmiri sapphires are given such beautiful epithets as foggy, sleepy, with a milky haze.
The most common shades of sapphire are purple, violet, green. The purple hue of the stone is a sign of the highest quality.
What makes up such a high price of Kashmir sapphire?
The most expensive are sapphires with a mixed oval cut, which allows emphasizing the natural beauty of the stone. The cost of a carat of high quality Kashmiri sapphire is in the range of 100 thousand euros.
The rarity and high cost of the price are due to the unique natural composition of the mineral. Since sapphires belong to the corundum family, which also includes rubies.
Blue-colored corundums consist of two chemical elements – aluminum and oxygen, which are abundant in nature. And here is another element – titanium, to which Kashmir sapphire owes its magnificent color, worth its weight in gold.
Therefore, the color of other sapphires is evaluated solely in comparison with the ideal shade of Kashmir. Some of the finest Ceylon and Burmese sapphires come close to it in merits, but nonetheless can never match the Kashmiri sapphires. It should be noted that not all Kashmiri sapphires are really good. The buyer should remember that a gemological certificate confirming the extraction of a stone in Kashmir does not yet guarantee its high quality.
Where can you buy Kashmiri sapphire these days?
Today, sapphires from Kashmir have an almost mystical reputation as they are almost never found in nature. Their rare specimens can only be found in private collections, at auctions of jewelry of special importance, and even less often – at jewelry brands.
There is an opinion in the jewelry world that once you see the cornflower blue hue of a Kashmir sapphire, it will be impossible to forget it. Without false modesty, we declare that this is the pure truth.
