The beauty of these sapphires is in their extremely rich colour, commonly called "cornflower blue". This blue is extremely pure, without the undertones of green, grey or purple. On of the most characteristic properties in the colour of the Kashmir sapphire is the "velvety" texture in the stone. This is due to microscopic inclusions called "silk"; the overall effect is magical, creating a softness and yet strong colour not often seen in other sapphires.

Another characteristic of fine Kashmir sapphires is the fact that they hold up their colour under all lighting conditions. In addition, they tend to be less included than other sapphires.
Kashmir sapphires were often cut in cabochon form, especially in the "sugar-loaf" cabochon, but also in cushion or rectangular shapes.

Concerning prices, top-quality Kashmir sapphires of 3-carat size are available from $ 8.000 - $15.000 per carat, while bigger stones range between $ 15.000 -$ 50.000 per carat.
A fine Kashmir sapphire of 21.29 cts sold at auction in November 2001 for over $ 44.000 /carat , or US $ 950.000 for the stone.

Fine unheated Kashmir sapphires are one of the rarest gemstones, unique on earth and should have their place in every gem portfolio.






< Ranbir Singh, 1829-1885 Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir from 1856 until his death in 1885 (from the Archives of American Gemological Laboratories, Inc.)