Image credit: Bonhams
The Bonhams' New York Jewels sale scheduled for May 19 will highlight a ring adorned with a 5.22-carat unheated Kashmir sapphire and diamonds from the late 19th century.
The 18-karat pink gold and silver-topped gold ring is valued at $280,000 to $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 a 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.”
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.
Aruna Gaitonde, Editor in Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough&Polished
