The Peacock Necklace

Kashmir sapphires are prized for their brilliance and intense velvet blue saturation, which resembles the color of a peacock's neck. This magnificent necklace features 21 top-quality Kashmir sapphires totaling 109.08 carats. The suite's largest sapphire weighs an incredible 10.56 carats. This necklace contains an alternate pattern of complementing diamonds in addition to rare sapphires. The pattern takes its name from the sapphires' deep velvet blue, which resembles peacock feathers.

The story of The Peacock Necklace begins in 1881, when sapphire-bearing boulders were discovered after a landslide in the Zanskar region of the northwestern Himalayas. The region produced the majority of the world's most beautiful and valuable sapphires, including the current stones. Kashmir's first sapphire mine had run dry by 1887, and production had ended. As a result, gem-quality Kashmir sapphires are becoming increasingly scarce.

This necklace took over 15 years to produce. During this time, the rough stones were delicately chopped and polished, and the peacock-feather patterns on the platinum mounting took nine months to engrave.

Price: $14.9 million