A landslide in the early 1800s laid bare a deposit of intense blue stones with a unique velvety texture in Kashmir, the Himalayan state in northern India. Nearly one century later, in 1882, the Indian Museum confirmed that the stones unearthed in the remote Kudi Valley by an unexpected geological event were indeed the mineral corundum.
Since their discovery, Kashmir sapphires have acquired a legendary status...
Upon learning news that the vein was replete with crystal Kashmir sapphires, the Maharaja of Kashmir swiftly purchased the land, which he mined aggressively until 1887 when the supply was depleted and production was officially halted. Though poachers continued to excavate the earth through 1906, the Kashmir mine was officially active for only five years.
From left: Sketch plan of the Kashmir sapphire mines, Pádar, Kashmir. Photograph by T.D. LaTouche of the Kashmir sapphire mines.
Since their discovery, Kashmir sapphires have acquired a legendary status for their unmatched rich blue hue, velvet texture and rarity. Kashmir sapphires constitute a minuscule percentage of the globe's total sapphire supply. Thus, finding an example is a truly unusual stroke of good fortune. Discovering an unheated gem quality Kashmir surpassing five carats, as in the present example from our New York Jewels auction on 7 June, is a remarkable event.
Time and time again gemologists and geologists have returned to Kashmir desperate to uncover another mythical blue deposit but without success—making the production mined through 1887 increasingly desirable. For this reason, auction is one of the few existing avenues whereby gem connoisseurs can attain the revered stones.
Though gem quality sapphires are discovered in Burma, Madagascar and Sri Lanka, no other deposit comes close to rivaling the deep royal blue hue and vivid color born out of Kashmir's mountains—a region that is today divided among three countries: Pakistan, India and the People's Republic of China.