Tiffany & Co. Kashmir No-Heat Sapphire Ring

Dating from circa 1886, this antique Tiffany & Co. ring is set with an "AGL Classic Kashmir" sapphire, mounted with diamonds in platinum and 18K gold. The oval-cut sapphire weighing 2.67 carats is framed by old mine-cut diamonds with an approximate total weight of 4.75 carat, above an open gallery. Mounted with a gorgeous blue sapphire of geographical and historical value, this classic "Old Mine" Kashmir ring from the 1880s reflects both the global gem-buying reach and power and the elevated taste of this great American jeweler.

Size: 4.75 (this ring can be sized; please contact the gallery for further information)
Materials: 1 oval-cut Kashmir sapphire (weighing 2.67 carats); 8 old mine-cut diamonds (approximate total weight 4.75 carats); 18K Gold; Platinum
Gram Weight: 8.64
Signed: TIFFANY&CO. 1886
Documentation: Accompanied by American Gemological Laboratories (AGL) report no. 1152650 dated 10 December 2025 stating that the sapphire is of Classic (TM) Kashmir origin, with no indications of heating, and by Gübelin report no. 25112198 dated 18 November 2025 stating that the sapphire is of Kashmir origin, with no indications of heating. Further accompanied by IAJA Expertise report no. XP2382-291225 dated 29 December 2025, by Annamarie Sandecki stating the opinion that the ring is a genuine Tiffany item.

The fabled "Old Mine" Kashmir sapphire deposit was said to have been discovered in 1881 by a traveler passing through a high altitude valley in the remote Zanskar range of the Himalyas. A landslide had revealed pockets of sapphire crystals, some of which were "as large as pigeon's eggs". At the beginning, the gems were easily plucked from sides of the slopes, but like many famed deposits, such as the original find of Paraiba tourmalines, the supply of "Classic" 1880s Kashmirs proved to be very limited, the area yielding little or no more material by 1887. Efforts to revive mining in the 1930s, at a slightly higher elevation, are said to have produced deeper bellied, darker-toned gems. Now located in a disputed area between India and Pakistan, the deposit is not safely accessible and, based on recent surveys, judged to be effectively mined out. Detailed R.G. Dun reports (later Dun & Bradstreet) housed at the Harvard Business School confirm that Tiffany & Co. deployed a representative to the "East Indies". He was active there in the early 1880s and for some time before. The firm mounted Old Mine sapphires like this one for American elites, including the 42 plus carat Vanderbilt Kashmir. Kashmir sapphires would also have been purchased by Tiffany through its office in Paris, then the global hub of the luxury gem trade.