The largest Kashmir sapphire ever auctioned and a royal tiara which everyone can try on via Instagram are the stars of this year’s May magnificent jewels sales in Geneva, media reports said on Friday.
The Kashmir sapphire, a 55.19 carat gem, was formerly in the collection of Maureen Constance Guinness, a marchioness of the aristocratic Anglo-Irish brewing family, who died in 1998.
Kashmir sapphires of over 30 carats are very rare. It is being sold alongside a cushion-shaped Kashmir sapphire weighing 25.97 carats and the pair are estimated to fetch 2-3 million dollars.
Following their discovery in the early 1880s, the mining of Kashmir sapphires only lasted from 1882 and 1887, making such gems some of the most coveted on the market, according to Sotheby’s.
They have a rich cornflower blue hue with a soft, velvety texture, and retain their lustre in any light.
“Kashmir sapphires are among the rarest coloured gemstones known to man,” said Benoit Repellin, head of magnificent jewels sales at Sotheby’s in Geneva, as per news agency AFP.
“These gems have over the years acquired an almost legendary status.”
(With input from Agencies)
