The Encyclopedia · Stones & materials
Kashmir sapphire
Sapphire from the mines of Kashmir, worked briefly in the 1880s, famous for its velvety cornflower blue.
Sapphires were discovered high in the Himalayas of Kashmir in the early 1880s, and the deposit was largely exhausted within a few years. The stones have a soft, velvety cornflower blue, caused by fine inclusions that scatter light. They are the rarest and most valuable sapphires, found mostly in jewels of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
What to look for
Only a leading laboratory can confirm Kashmir origin. Without a report, a stone should not be described as Kashmir.
In the collection
Kashmir sapphire, available now
Related terms