In antique times the blue sapphires offered the best auspices. They promised love, harmony, truth and sincerity and protected against envy and harm. Yet our ancients ignored the most beautiful of them, the velvety sapphires from Kashmir, discovered in 1881 in a vein that will be depleted before 1888.
From the mineralogical and optical point of view, the velvety sapphire from Kashmir is an exceptional gem, welcoming all lightings. A small number of inclusions generates their color which is scattered throughout the volume of the crystal, bringing the illusion that the stone is illuminated from within.
The gems from that vein usually have a very high purity beyond the inclusions that generate the color. They are altogether saturated and translucent with a spectacular homogeneity around the royal blue. They compete in beauty with blue and pink diamonds and with the Mogok rubies.
Two of the finest sapphires sold by Sotheby's were previously discussed in this column. One of them weighing 28.18 carats was sold for $ 5.1 million including premium on 29 April 2014 and the other weighing 27.68 carats for HK $ 52M including premium on 7 October 2015. Both were emerald cut in a somewhat stifling surrounding of white diamonds.
On October 4 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells a sapphire of similar quality, lot 1799 estimated HK $ 30M. Weighing 20.22 carats, it is indeed smaller than the two prestigious examples listed above but its oval cut is superb and perfectly enhanced in its mounting on a ring between two triangular diamonds. It was named The Pride of Kashmir.
unsold
I invite you to admire this sapphire in the video shared by the auction house :
From the mineralogical and optical point of view, the velvety sapphire from Kashmir is an exceptional gem, welcoming all lightings. A small number of inclusions generates their color which is scattered throughout the volume of the crystal, bringing the illusion that the stone is illuminated from within.
The gems from that vein usually have a very high purity beyond the inclusions that generate the color. They are altogether saturated and translucent with a spectacular homogeneity around the royal blue. They compete in beauty with blue and pink diamonds and with the Mogok rubies.
Two of the finest sapphires sold by Sotheby's were previously discussed in this column. One of them weighing 28.18 carats was sold for $ 5.1 million including premium on 29 April 2014 and the other weighing 27.68 carats for HK $ 52M including premium on 7 October 2015. Both were emerald cut in a somewhat stifling surrounding of white diamonds.
On October 4 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells a sapphire of similar quality, lot 1799 estimated HK $ 30M. Weighing 20.22 carats, it is indeed smaller than the two prestigious examples listed above but its oval cut is superb and perfectly enhanced in its mounting on a ring between two triangular diamonds. It was named The Pride of Kashmir.
unsold
I invite you to admire this sapphire in the video shared by the auction house :
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