A Kashmir sapphire is a blue sapphire from the Kashmir region on the India/Pakistan border. 'Kashmir blue' is a trade name for a deep, velvety blue, with no single agreed standard.
In more detail
Many fine Kashmir sapphires contain tiny inclusions that give a velvety look without loss of transparency. 'Kashmir' is a claim of origin, so only a lab origin report can support it. A 'Kashmir-like' color does not prove it.
On a grading report
An origin report can state the opinion 'Kashmir'. Some labs also add color terms, each under its own criteria.
Related terms
- Sapphire: Sapphire is corundum of any color other than red. The word alone means a blue stone; other colors take a color word, such as yellow sapphire.
- Origin report: An origin report gives a lab's opinion on the country or region where a gem was mined.
- Royal blue: Royal blue is a trade name for a sapphire of intense, saturated, even blue. It is not a single agreed standard.
- Trade color term: A trade color term is a market name for a fine color, such as pigeon's blood, royal blue or cornflower. It is not a gemological standard.
- Silk: Silk is a mass of fine, crossing needle inclusions, usually rutile, in ruby and sapphire.