A 5.22-carat unheated Kashmir sapphire ring with diamonds from the late 19th century
A ring adorned with a 5.22-carat unheated Kashmir sapphire and diamonds from the late 19th century will take top billing at Bonhams' New York Jewels sale scheduled for May 19.
The 18-karat pink gold and silver-topped gold ring is valued at US$280,000 to US$480,000. According to the auction house, Kashmir sapphires are highly prized for their rarity, beauty and unique vivid blue hue.
"Discovered in India in the 1880s and mined for less than a decade, Kashmir sapphires originate in the Zanskar region of the Himalayas, a place so high and inaccessible it is referred to as 'above the snows,'" Bonhams New York Head of Jewels Caroline Morrissey commented. “The Kashmir sapphire and diamond ring in our May sale is an outstanding example of this coveted jewel that has long been prized by royalty as talisman for protection and a symbol of power. The blue tint of this 5.22-carat cushion-shaped Kashmir sapphire is piercingly bright and beautifully set within a charming old European-cut frame of ten exquisite diamonds.”
Bonhams recently sold a Kashmir sapphire and diamond brooch, circa 1910, in New York in December 2020 for US$1.11 million; and an unmounted Kashmir sapphire of 9.23 carats for US$1.24 million in July 2020, also in New York.
The May 19 auction will also feature diamond rings, a Tiffany & Co ring with an oval-shaped mixed-cut Pigeon’s Blood Burmese ruby, as well as jewellery pieces from legendary houses Bulgari, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels.
