SRINAGAR: A rare and previously unidentified sapphire, now confirmed to be of Kashmiri origin, has stirred excitement among gem enthusiasts and collectors in Ireland. The gemstone, mounted in a retro diamond ring and long held in a private French collection, was recently certified as a Kashmir sapphire, prompting astonishment in Dublin’s auction circles, The Irish Independent reported.
The discovery was first reported by the Irish Independent, which quoted Claire-Laurence Mestrallet, head of jewellery at Adam’s Auctioneers, as saying, “I think this is the first time a Kashmir sapphire has been auctioned in Ireland.” The sapphire, weighing 6.22 carats and dating back to the 1940s, is now expected to fetch between Rs 1.35 crore and Rs 2.25 crore when it goes under the hammer at Adam’s Fine Jewellery and Ladies’ Watches auction on May 13.
Before gemmological testing confirmed its Himalayan origins, the sapphire had been valued at only Rs 7.2 lakh to Rs 10.8 lakh. But once identified as a natural, unheated Kashmir sapphire—one of the rarest and most prized in the world—the estimated value soared.
Kashmir sapphires, famed for their velvety blue hue and “sleepy” lustre, were mined only briefly between 1882 and 1887 in distant Padder valley in Kishtwar. That brief mining window and the exceptional quality of the stones have turned them into collectors’ gems with international demand and folklore-like provenance.
The Irish Independent also recounted the sapphire’s rich history, citing 1890 writings of Tom D LaTouche, then deputy superintendent of the Geological Survey of India. LaTouche wrote of a local hunter (shikari) who, while seeking a spark to light his pipe after losing the flint from his musket, accidentally used a sapphire he found during his trek through the mountains bordering Zanskar. The gem eventually made its way to Simla, now Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, where British officials recognised its worth.
“The Laholi traders were selling sapphires for as little as one rupee per seer,” LaTouche noted, leading colonial authorities to intervene and secure the source. The mines have since been closed for well over a century, which adds to the mystique and high valuation of such stones today.
Unlike modern sapphires—many of which are heat-treated to intensify colour—this stone was certified by both London’s Gemmological Certification Services (GCS) and the Swiss Gemmological Institute (SSEF) as untreated and of Kashmiri origin. Its discovery in a 1940s European ring is also unusual, as most Kashmir sapphires were mounted in Victorian-era jewellery during the British Raj.
The timing of this revelation follows another record sale: on April 25, an 11.56 carat Kashmir sapphire fetched over Rs 6.25 crore at Sotheby’s Hong Kong.
As Kashmir continues to draw global attention for its natural beauty and artistic heritage, this unexpected find in Ireland is a reminder of the region’s enduring allure, this time, shimmering through a gem that lay unnoticed for decades.
