Blue gems beyond the snow: a collecting guide to Kashmir sapphires

A legendary origin

The Zanskar Range is an austerely beautiful region of peaks, rivers and gorges in the northwestern Himalayas, so remote it has been called the land ‘beyond the snows’. In 1881, a major landslide in the Zanskar mountains of Kashmir unexpectedly exposed a deposit of sapphires, bringing these buried rarities to light for the first time.

The Maharaja who ruled Kashmir at the time swiftly secured exclusive mining rights to this sapphire deposit. Located on a high plateau with a harsh climate, the Kashmir sapphire mines were only accessible for about three months each summer. From 1882 and 1887, miners worked day and night, unearthing sapphires of up to 3 x 5 inches in size. This period later became known as the ‘Golden Age’ of the Kashmir sapphire mines. After 1888, the 'Old Mine' was largely depleted, and the Maharaja appealed to the British Geological Survey of India for help, and the miners moved down to the valley floor.

The sapphires there were inferior in quality, however, and since 1927, nothing of note has been found at all, adding rarity to the beauty of these Kashmir sapphires, and lending them an almost mythical aura.

Unrivalled beauty and rarity

Top-quality Kashmir sapphires possess a saturated, deep and luscious colour that appears luminous in any light, akin to the ‘cornflower blue’ of a peacock's neck. This unique hue, naturally blended with a velvety soft glow, constitutes a typical characteristic of sapphires from this origin. The ‘velvet’ texture of Kashmir sapphires is due to the scattering of light caused by parallel microscopic silk inclusions within the stone, a key feature distinguishing them from sapphires of other origins.

The rarity of Kashmir sapphires stems largely from their brief primary deposit mining history. The period from the deposit's discovery until 1887 was the ‘Golden Years’, yielding the finest and largest sapphires. However, the rich layers of the vein were quickly exhausted, and coupled with increasing mining difficulties, production plummeted. After the legendary ‘Old Mine’ was depleted, although sporadic mining occurred later, the quality was incomparable to the early finds. Official records show the mines officially closed in 1927. This means that all top-tier Kashmir sapphires with clear provenance on the market today originate from the ‘Old Mine’ over a century ago. For many gem enthusiasts, Kashmir sapphires are legendary stones not easily encountered in the market. One typically has the chance to see them only at major international auctions.

The captivating ‘royal blue’

In the jewellery world, ‘royal blue’ describes sapphires with a richly saturated, straight blue colour that does not appear blackish, possibly with a slight purplish tint, embodying nobility and elegance. For centuries, it has symbolized the pinnacle of all sapphires. Recently, gemological laboratories have begun using this term in their reports. For instance, to meet the ‘royal blue’ standards set by institutions like the SSEF Swiss Gemmological Institute and the Gübelin Gem Lab, besides colour, the sapphire must meet the stringent requirements and be completely untreated – with no enhancement of colour or clarity, nor any form of artificial treatment.

During the Hong Kong Luxury Week in Autumn 2025, Christie's is honoured to present an exquisite Kashmir sapphire necklace from an important private collection, set with 16 extremely rare cushion-shaped Kashmir ‘royal blue’ sapphires comprising 104.61 carats. These 16 mesmerising Kashmir sapphires, which range in weight from 3.43 to 13.37 carats, have all been graded ‘royal blue’, making the name 'The Royal Blue' truly fitting. With few surviving examples, the appearance of any Kashmir sapphire in the market generates eager anticipation among collectors. A necklace uniting 16 top-quality Kashmir sapphires is a treasure of unparalleled rarity, embodying the essence of nature and cosmic mystery.

How to collect Kashmir sapphires

Natural Kashmir sapphires consistently retain value in the market, reflecting their scarcity and highly sought-after reputation among collectors. This captivating blue gem is not only a marvel of nature but also holds rich and profound symbolic meaning in many cultures, representing wisdom and truth, loyalty and love, spirituality and enlightenment, protection and peace, among others.

When collecting Kashmir sapphires, it is essential to pay attention to the certificates. Belinda Yuen, a Jewellery specialist at Christie’s Hong Kong, emphasizes the importance of the ‘Comments’ section on the certificate, where the stone’s origin is noted. It also confirms if the stone has any indications of heating, which is a vital criterion for the value of natural gemstones. Furthermore, if the certificate describes the sapphire’s colour as ‘Royal blue’ or ‘Cornflower blue’, both of which are esteemed trade colours in the market, the value of the stone will significantly increase.

With the same budget, should collectors focus more on the stone size or colour? ‘Do not pursue larger stones just for the size. Quality should always be over quantity - a richly saturated clean stone that boasts a rich ‘royal blue’ colour (almost free of inclusions/silks) and of smaller carat weight would be a better investment than a larger stone of lesser saturation and with many inclusions.’ Belinda notes that the quality of the gemstone is always more important than its weight. When purchasing Kashmir sapphires from the secondary market, such as auction houses, the advantages are clear: when they come to auction, the auction houses meticulously vet each gemstone to ensure that it comes with a certificate from globally recognized gemological institutions.

Top Kashmir sapphires in Christie's saleroom

As a globally renowned leader in art and luxury auctions, Christie's has been privileged to auction several exceptionally rare Kashmir sapphire jewels. This includes ‘The Regent Kashmir’ during the Hong Kong Spring 2025 auctions – a 35.09-carat Kashmir sapphire ring that sold for HK$74,675,000, setting a new world record price per carat for a sapphire.

In November 2018, during Christie's Hong Kong Autumn auction, ‘The Peacock Necklace’, set with 21 superb Kashmir sapphires, achieved a stunning price of HK$116,537,500, setting a world auction record for Kashmir sapphires. The sapphires for this necklace were assembled over more than a century, followed by fifteen years of cutting and polishing before this exceptional treasure was unveiled at Christie’s, achieving a spectacular result.

Christie's Hong Kong Autumn Luxury Week 2025 will take place from 21- 27 November. The Magnificent Jewels live auction on November 25 will proudly feature ‘The Royal Blue’ Sapphire and Diamond Necklace, with 16 mesmerising Kashmir sapphires radiating brilliant light, marking a significant moment in the history of the jewellery industry.