This item is a part of the following collections:

Treasures of the Earth

"Treasures of the Earth" is a collection of noteworthy gemstones hand-picked by our team of gemstone experts. Every gemstone in this collection will captivate you with its intrinsic beauty and spectacular flair.

Kashmir-origin blue sapphires over 10 carats are extremely rare and highly sought after.

— Harshil Zaveri, Founder & CEO

Geographic Origin:
Kashmir - India

Gemologist's Comments on Origin:
Discovered in 1881 in the Zanskar range of the Himalayan mountains in northwest India, the legendary Kashmir sapphires are the most beautiful and treasured of all blue sapphires.

The finest sapphires from Kashmir have a highly saturated color, along with a characteristic "silkiness" or velvety glow that makes them a phenomenon of nature. With the original mines long depleted, Kashmir sapphires are a rare find and among the most prized of all gemstones today.

Treatments:
No Treatments (Unheated/Untreated)

Transparency:
Transparent

Clarity Grade:
Very Slightly Included

Clarity Grade Description:
Inclusions are very slightly visible on close eye inspection but don't detract the viewer's eye from the stone's beauty

Large Size:
The size of this gemstone is large compared to the commonly available sizes in this species/variety, making it rare and highly sought-after.

Velvety Appearance:
This gemstone exhibits an appearance that is classified as "velvety". Such an appearance results from very fine microscopic particles that scatter light, causing the coveted visual effect without negatively affecting the gem's transparency. Gemstones with a velvety appearance have little to no extinction, display a warm glow, and look very pleasing to the eye. Therefore, velvety appearance is considered a highly sought-after trait in gemstones. The most prominent examples of gemstones coveted for their velvety appearance are the legendary Kashmir sapphires.

This item is accompanied by the following gemological reports. We will ship the original reports along with the item.

Gemological Institute of America report # 7122897828

• The accompanying GIA report authenticates this gemstone as a "Natural Sapphire" of "Kashmir" origin with "No Indications of Heating (NTE)".

International Gemological Institute report # 539240767

• The accompanying IGI report authenticates this gemstone as a "Natural Sapphire" of "Kashmir" origin with a comment stating "No indications of treatment have been found".