Kashmir Sapphire
The word “sapphire” is generally considered to come from the Latin term “saphirus,” the Greek “sappheiros”, and the Arabic “safir” revealing a history with connections to diverse cultures and languages. Sapphires symbolise lasting feelings such as harmony, trust, loyalty, and love. In some religious traditions, sapphires are imbued with sacred meaning. People have attributed spiritual and metaphysical power to this mysterious blue gem. Ceylon (Sri Lanka) is home to the world’s first sapphire mines, and the island was the primary source for gem-grade sapphires for hundreds of years. In Myanmar, the Mogok mine, while famous for top-quality rubies, is also an important producer of excellent sapphires.
In the history of sapphires, the most important event may be the extraction that took place in the early 1880s. A rock found at high elevations in the Himalayas revealed deposits of Kashmir sapphires, and the area quickly became legendary for the exquisite sapphires it produced. Mining these gems was extremely challenging because of the demanding geography and arduous climate. Even though Kashmir has produced a very limited number of sapphires, connoisseurs and collects ors prize them for their beautiful, velvety colour. The classic blue of the Kashmir sapphire is one of the most coveted and captivating – soft and deep yet dazzling.
Kashmir sapphires weighing more than 20 carats are very rare in the market. The 28.37 carat natural Kashmir sapphire (Lot 1852) offered at this season’s auction is certainly large, but it also has a highly saturated, even colour, as well as exceptional claritys and cut proportions. This extraordinary sapphire has never been heat treated, further enhancing its rarity and desirability.
克什米爾 傳世藍寶
藍寶石英文為Sapphire，一般認為是源自於拉丁文的saphirus、希臘文的sappheiros和阿拉伯文的safir，透露其蘊含多元文化和語言的歷史背景。藍寶石象徵堅毅和持久的感情，例如和睦、信實、忠貞和愛情等。藍寶石在許多宗教傳統中，都被賦予神聖的意義。許多人將屬於心靈層面、形而上的力量，歸功於這神秘的藍色寶石。錫蘭是世界上第一個被發掘的藍寶石產地，數百年以來，一直都是寶石級別的藍寶石之主要來源地。而緬甸，以生產頂級紅寶石聞名的偏遠山谷—莫谷礦區，也是高品質藍寶石的重要產地。
然而，藍寶石開採的歷史上最重大的事件，則是發生在1880年代初期，位於喜馬拉雅山脈高海拔的一塊岩石坡，揭露了喀什米爾藍寶石的礦床，而這個地方也因為產出極其精美的藍寶石而成為一段傳奇。因為險峻的地理環境與氣候，使得開採作業十分困難，儘管喀什米爾只產出數量極其有限的藍寶石，但其柔美、如絲絨般的色澤，儼然已是藍寶石的典範，備受鑑賞家及收藏家的青睞。經典的喀什米爾藍寶石色調，是最受追捧的顏色之一，既柔和又深刻，既耀眼又悅目，令人心醉神迷。
市面上超過20克拉的喀什米爾藍寶石非常稀有，本次拍賣的28.37克拉天然喀什米爾藍寶石(拍品編號1852)，不僅碩大，亦展現高度飽和、均勻一致的色澤，同時兼具極佳的淨度及切割比例。這枚非凡的藍寶石，從未經過熱處理，集各項完美條件而渾然天成，十分珍罕難得。