The Jewel of Kashmir

The Jewel of Kashmir is a $6.7 million sapphire surrounded by pear-shaped diamonds. The incredibly expensive gem was sold in 2015 by Sotheby’s auction house. According to Sotheby’s, the gem is completely natural and reportedly comes from Kashmir, a region near India.

Interestingly, sapphires from Kashmir are incredibly rare. Important sapphire mines in the region were depleted by the late 1800s, so it’s become essentially impossible to unearth more of these precious stones in the area.

Kashmir sapphires are often praised for their beautifully rich color. Experts call this stone “cornflower blue,” but all Kashmir sapphires are noteworthy for their ability to maintain perfect coloring under any light source.

Price: 52,280,000 HKD (about $6.7 million USD)

Year Sold: 2015

Number of Carats: 27.68

Interesting Fact: Stones of this kind are very rare due to depleted mines