Zanskar Crown And The Maharaja

Recent rumors about a big cushion cut Kashmir sapphire, that was once worn by the Maharaja of Kashmir in an opulent necklace – are interesting but sketchy. It is believed that Maharaja Pratap Singh of Kashmir, had given the name Zanskar Crown to the stunning blue sapphire. Interestingly some rumors in India had years ago, talked about a similar narrative but referred to the gemstone as the Zanskar Blue.

The possibility of such a Kashmir sapphire existing is fairly high. Maharaja Pratap Singh and his predecessor Maharaja Ranbir Singh, who belonged to the Dogra Dynasty ruled over Kashmir at a time when, the Kashmir sapphire mines began operations. While mining around the Zanskar and Padar area did not last long, records state that the finest royal blue sapphires, were extracted during their reign. Mining was not conducted for long as the mines, depleted fairly soon.

While detailed information is yet to be available, the claim is that Maharaja Ranbir Singh acquired a big piece of rough Kashmir sapphire. Weight estimates vary widely and range from 450 carats to 570 carats! While some reports have referred piece of rough blue sapphire as Zanskar Crown, the general belief is that the gemstone was not named until it was cut and polished. The large cushion cut Kashmir blue sapphire was kept in the Maharaja’s treasury, it was not assigned any name and it was not used to craft any spectacular jewelry. No reliable weight estimate has been made available for the cut and polished, sapphire gemstone. Hypothetical claims of it being a 200 to 250 carat gem, are rumored.

Claims of the gemstone being set in a royal crown are being rightly ignored. There is sufficient evidence to prove that, the Maharajas of Kashmir never wore crowns. Turbans were worn along with, lavishly crafted turban ornaments. It is unlikely that the big 200+ carat blue sapphire, would make an ‘elegant’ turban ornament. Claims of the gemstone being set in a necklace sound believable. Clarifying that the best guess would be that, Maharaja Ranbir Singh kept the big sapphire in his treasury, did not give it a name and did not wear the gemstone.

Gathered information which is still not available formally, suggests that the next Maharaja namely Pratap Sing assigned the name Zanskar Crown to the cushion shape Kashmir sapphire. Since this report aims to merely compile bits of information from rumors and few reports – we will not give much thought to names like Zanskar Blue, which some claim was the name assigned by Maharaja Pratap Singh.

The necklace referred to in some narratives, is claimed to have been commissioned by Maharaja Pratap Singh, the Zanskar Crown sapphire, formed the center piece of the scintillating necklace. It is quite possible that sketches or images of the Maharaja wearing the necklace, could surface in the near future. There is little doubt that the Zanskar Crown, would have been one of the legendary precious gemstones in history.

The story of the Zanskar Crown has a feeble and even disappointing ending – this w.r.t the Kashmir sapphire being linked to the Maharajas. It is widely accepted that Maharaja Pratap Singh, set the blueprint for the development of the Kashmir region. The Maharaja believed that the arrival of the Zanskar Crown (gem) in his treasury, inspired him to remain committed to his spectacular vision of a developed Kashmir.

While a significant amount of funding was set aside for development, the tough terrain of the region raised several challenges for building infrastructure. Projects overshot planned budgets and timeframes. Add to this the fact that ambitious projects of Maharaj Pratap Singh, also included developing the education and public health systems.

Funds were strained but the Maharaja refused to be distracted from his objectives of developing Kashmir. After much self-deliberation he decided to put up the Zanskar Crown for sale. He sought solace with the justification that, the same precious gemstone that inspired his development plans – could now generate funds, that would help him execute his vision for the development of the region.

The beauty of the spectacular cushion cut Kashmir sapphire was never in doubt but, the steep price limited the number of prospective buyers. Reports indicate that it was in 1920 that, an agent appointed by Maharaja Pratap Singh, accompanied a professional European collector to execute the sale. The exact price of the transaction is not available – probably because the sale included a set of precious gemstones – rubies, spinel and priceless Colombina emeralds. This is where the relatively systematic tracking of the Zanskar Crown ends.

Fast forward to recent times and it does seem that, the Zanskar Crown has been traced – to a collector in Europe. There is a positive feel that, more details and reliable information related to the big Kashmir blue sapphire, will be available in the near future.

NOTES

The information in this report is compiled from various sources, the report is not meant to be an investment guide or a suggestion to sell or buy the Zanskar Crown or any other historic asset. Kaisilver has no commercial interest in the mentioned blue sapphire.