Click to play videoJammu: For the first time in 20 years, the famous Kashmir peacock-neck-blue sapphire comes under the hammer to help the sick mining industry in the state.
“This is the purest form of sapphire in the world. It is the best blue sapphire,” claims Director JK Minerals Ltd, S S Anand.
Buyers from abroad are equally spell-bound.
“I know about Kashmir sapphire from a long time. We have studied its history. We never saw it in the rough before. This is first time. It is history for us,” a buyer from Bangkok, Thainal, says.
The sapphire industry in the state had suffered a major setback due to militancy. The Padder area, where the mines are located, is also inaccessible. The state government's auction of rough sapphire is meant to revive the ailing mineral industry and pay its employees their salaries.
“We will be doing a scientific assessment of the sapphire. The best quality of sapphire will be extracted. This is to revive these Padder mines once again,” Secretary of Industries and Commerce, Pawan Kotwal explains.
Over 74 buyers from India and abroad were in Jammu for the auction; however, not everyone was satisfied.
"Kashmir sapphire is world-famous but these pieces are not of gem quality," a disappointed buyer, Rashid Malik, says.
But for a beginning, the 12 kg of sapphire auction raked in Rs 1.32 crore. Hopefully, better responses in the future will add more glitter to the famous Kashmir sapphire.
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