Kashmir sapphire valued at up to €200,000 at Adam’s

Sapphires have been a symbol of power, strength and wise judgment for centuries.

The celestial blue gemstone’s name derives from the Latin word sapphirus, which means blue. In ancient Greece it was believed that the sky was a reflection of a giant sapphire upon which the world rested. The Egyptians used sapphires in healing, while elsewhere they were worn to connect the wearer to the spirit world.

Sri Lanka has the longest history of sapphires; it was once known as Ratna-Dweepa – Gem Island. But sapphires from the rugged Zanskar range of the Himalayan mountains in Kashmir, northwest India, are the rarest and most sought after.

And so, it was with great excitement that Claire-Laurence Mestrallet, head of the jewellery and watch department at Adam’s auction house, discovered that she had a Kashmir sapphire among her lots for the Fine Jewellery and Watches auction on May 13th.

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“The sapphire was tested at the gemmological lab and the result was only communicated to me shortly after the catalogue had gone to print,” she says. “Once the sapphire was identified as being from Kashmir, the estimate went from €8,000-€12,000 to €150,000-€200,000.”

Conscious that buyers might be nonetheless cautious, Mestrallet sought further confirmation of the sapphire ring’s Kashmiri origin by having it tested at the world-renowned Swiss Gemmological Institute (SSEF). Late last week, she got confirmation that meticulous microscopic observation of the gemstone revealed that it is indeed a high quality Kashmir sapphire.

Kashmir sapphires are prized for both their unique colour and texture – a vivid and well saturated blue sometimes described as cornflower blue with a slightly velvety appearance – and their rarity, according to Michael S Krzemnicki of the SSEF.

They were first found when a landslide in the Zanskar mountains in 1881 exposed a 30m-wide (100ft) area of pegmatitic rock with blue crystals. Locals began to trade the stones for salt but by 1882, the blue gemstones had reached Delhi and other areas of India. A geologist from the Geological Survey of India revealed their mineralogical and chemical properties that same year.

Harsh weather made extracting the stones difficult and miners were only able to do so during the summer months. However, the original mine was depleted by 1888, in spite of attempts by British surveyors to create another landslide in search of more sapphires.

“Kashmir sapphires have tripled in value in the last decade and this Kashmir sapphire and diamond ring is part of a private collection of eight pieces, which the French seller inherited from his parents,” says Mestrallet.

Rare cultured pearl clip pendant brooch, circa 1940 (€5,000-€7,000), Adam's Fine Jewellery and Watches auction

Other striking pieces in the auction include a rare cultured pearl clip pendant brooch, circa 1940 (€5,000-€7,000), and a rare pair of cultured pearl pendant ear clips (€8,000-€10,000). Both these pieces, with their cluster of grapes design – and a Bombé-style cultured pearl ring (€15,000-€20,000) – were made by Parisian jewellery designer René Boivin.

Cultural pearl pendant ear clips (€8,000-€10,000)

Bombé-style cultured pearl ring (€15,000-€20,000), made by René Boivin

Staying with the theme of jewellery and watches, it‘s interesting to hear that Nomadic Watches, the independent Belfast-based watch brand, will open a store in its home city in June, so customers can see watches being assembled.

Founded in 2021 by Peter McAuley, the watch brand was inspired by Belfast‘s shipbuilding history and is named after the SS Nomadic, the last remaining White Star Line vessel in the world (you can visit the ship in the dry dock just across from the Titanic Museum in Belfast).

“I firmly believe that in a world filled with artificial intelligence, people value a meaningful in-person experience more than ever,” says McAuley.

“Speaking face-to-face with an expert, getting hands on with a watch and immersing themselves in an incredible retail environment is not something you can replicate online. We see this space as less about retail and more about connecting with people.”

The Nomadic Watches Belfast store is due to open in June

Customers will also be able to observe the watches being assembled. Prices of these modern, durable watches used by divers and other adventure seekers, are between £1,000 and £1,500 (€1,174-€1,761).

And finally, for lovers of country houses and their beautiful gardens, there is an opportunity to hear two experts share their knowledge and expertise in the historic setting of Nun’s Cross church, Killiskey, Ashford, Co Wicklow on Friday, May 16th at 7.30pm.

Robert O’Byrne will speak about country houses and gardens at the Co Wicklow event. Photograph: RTÉ

Robert O’Byrne, art and architectural historian, erstwhile writer of this column and author of books including The Irish Country House: A New Vision, and Seamus O’Brien, renowned plantsman, author and manager of the National Botanic Gardens at Kilmacurragh in Co Wicklow, will speak about country houses and gardens at the event.

Tickets are €22.50 and available on Eventbrite. All funds will go to the ongoing restoration of this fine Gothic Revival church, with its striking collection of stained glass windows and items in wood, stone and marble from the Arts and Crafts era.

Adams.ie; nomadicwatches.com