ADAM'S Fine Jewellery & Ladies Watches 12th May 2026

44 Their story begins in 1880, when a landslide in the Hima- layan region of Kashmir exposed sapphire-bearing rock high in the mountains. The stones at first appeared among the debris almost by chance, and several accounts survive of the earliest discoveries: one tells of a hunter who used a blue crystal to strike a light for his pipe, while another recalls a stone falling from a trader’s basket in the Simla bazaar, where its true nature was recognised by a jeweller. Whatever the precise sequence of events, once news of the find reached the ruling Maharaja, troops were sent to secure the area, and the finest stones were claimed for the Kashmir State Treasury. Some were said to be of extraordinary size, described in con- temporary accounts as larger than a polo or croquet ball. From 1882 to 1887, the so-called Old Mine near the village of Soomjam, in the Padar district, produced some of the largest and finest sapphires ever known. This brief period established Kashmir’s reputation almost immediately. By the end of 1887, however, the principal deposit had already been exhausted. The Maharaja, eager to uncover further riches, enlisted British assistance, and the geologist T. M. La Touche helped identify a second deposit lower in the valley. Yet this, too, proved short-lived, and later attempts to revive mining in the twentieth century were met with little success, hindered by the remoteness of the terrain and the difficulties of the region. What sets Kashmir sapphires apart above all is their colour. Often described as cornflower blue or blue velvet, they pos- sess a softness and saturation unlike that of any other sap- phires. Minute internal inclusions scatter the light, giving the stone its distinctive velvety appearance and a gentle glow that seems to emanate from within. Rather than diminishing their beauty, these delicate features lend depth and charac- ter, allowing the finest examples to remain vivid yet soft in all kinds of light. Their rarity can scarcely be overstated. With only a few pro- ductive years of mining, the supply was limited from the be- ginning. Kashmir sapphires are prized not only for their re- markable beauty, but also for the brevity of the chapter that produced them. Across centuries and cultures, sapphires have been associated with wisdom, protection and fidelity, yet among sapphires it is the Kashmir stone that has come to represent the highest standard, surpassing even the finest examples from Burma or Ceylon in the eyes of many collec- tors and connoisseurs. Today, Kashmir sapphires remain among the most coveted of all coloured gemstones. Their appeal lies in the union of rarity, beauty and origin: stones formed in an exceptional landscape, drawn from a deposit of astonishing brevity, and admired above all for a blue whose softness and depth have never lost their power to captivate. Kashmir Sapphires Kashmir sapphires hold a unique place in the world of fine gemstones. Public domain. Credit: Ministry of Mines of the Government of India, Geological Survey of India