Why the Zound Purple Pink Blue Kashmir Sapphire Is One of the Rarest Sapphires in the World

Among the many legendary gemstones, few carry the mystique and allure of the Kashmir sapphire — and within that exclusive category is an even rarer variety known as the Zound Purple-Pink-Blue Kashmir sapphire.

If you’ve never heard of it, you’re not alone. This stone isn’t just rare — it’s almost mythical in its beauty.

A Symphony of Colour

What sets the Zound sapphire apart is its unreal blend of colours. Instead of a single dominant hue, it plays in the space between deep royal purple, soft pink, and vibrant blue, all depending on how the light hits it. This isn’t your typical colour zoning — it’s a smooth, almost musical shift of colour that seems to ripple across the stone.

That’s where the name “Zound” comes from — meant to evoke a sound-like harmony in colour, as if the gem itself is playing chords with light. It’s a poetic way to describe a visual effect, but once you’ve seen one in person, it makes sense.

Kashmir Roots

These sapphires come from the fabled Kashmir mines, known for producing some of the finest sapphires the world has ever seen. The region’s sapphires are famed for their velvety texture, often attributed to microscopic rutile inclusions that scatter light and give the gem a soft, glowing quality.

Combine that with the Zound’s multi-tonal brilliance, and you’ve got a stone that looks like it belongs in a dream rather than a jewelry box.

Why They’re so Rare

Kashmir’s original sapphire mines were active for only a short window in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and most are now long depleted. The Zound variety is not a typical find even among those rare stones — it’s a true collector’s gem, often passed down or locked away in private collections.

Many gem enthusiasts may go their entire careers without ever seeing one in person. That rarity — combined with the stone’s hypnotic appearance — is what makes it so desirable and valuable.

The Zound Purple-Pink-Blue Kashmir sapphire isn’t just a gem — it’s an experience. It challenges the usual ways we describe sapphires. It’s not just blue, not just pink, not just purple — it’s all of them, shifting and merging like colours in a dream.

If you're lucky enough to encounter one, take your time with it. Tilt it under the light. Let it show you its colours. And you’ll understand why it’s earned a name that sounds like a chord being struck.