FINE JEWELLERY, WATCHES, SILVER & COINS 15th July at 12pm

4 LIVE AUCTION OF FINE JEWELLERY, WATCHES, SILVER & COINS • WEDNESDAY, 15th JULY 2026 AT 12PM We are delighted to present a remarkable unheated Kashmir sapphire to the market, accompanied by a repor t from SSEF. Renowned for its rich, velvety blue colour, the Kashmir sapphire is among the rarest and most coveted gemstones in the world, often surpassing the value of almost every other coloured gemstone and even many exceptional diamonds. Its extraordinary rarity is due largely to its extremely limited supply; it is estimated that fewer than 10,000 carats of gem-quality Kashmir sapphires were ever recovered.This scarcity was compounded by the immense challenges of accessing the mines and the relatively shor t period during which they were actively worked. Derived from the Sanskrit word n ī lam, meaning "blue stone", sapphires have long been revered throughout history.The famous Kashmir sapphire deposits were discovered in the Padder Valley in around 1881, following a landslide that exposed the gem-bearing rock. Located high in the remote mountains in the region of Jammu and Kashmir, often described as the "region beyond the snows", the mines could only be reached for a brief period each year. Heavy snowfall typically prevented access until late June, while fresh snow often arrived again by late September, leaving only a narrow mining season. Political instability in the region fur ther complicated access. Kashmir Sapphire