A Blue Legend The legendary Kashmir, known for its vivid, pure blue hue is prized as the most sought variety of sapphire. Unlike sapphires sourced from other deposits, these sapphires characteristically maintain the purity and intensity of their hues when viewed in diferent natural and artifcial lighting. Kashmir sapphires originate from deposits found at a height of 16,500 feet above a remote area of the Northwestern Himalayas uncovered by a landslide in 1881. When word of the exceptional beauty of these sapphires spread, extensive mining begun. By the 1930s, the majority of mines remained exhausted. Today, while Kashmir sapphires are occasionally brought to the market, they remain rare, with stones over 5 carats are considered extremely rare.
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