Etched in stone

From roses engraved into rubies for the royals to tourmalines shaped like seashells for hot-girl summer, DEEPTHI SASIDHARAN traces our obsession with carved gemstones through the decades

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The Maharaja of Kashmir was oblivious when sapphires were first discovered in his kingdom nearly 150 years ago. A small cache of rough, blue stones found in the mountain passes was picked up by passing traders as souvenirs and brought to Delhi. Someone realised their worth and they were subsequently traded, bartered and sold repeatedly until they landed in Kolkata where they were bought for a price equivalent to $400,000 today. When Maharaja Ranbir Singh of Kashmir heard of this, his furious demands led to a recall, and a reverse domino effect of sales was put in motion with every transaction undone till someone in Delhi unwittingly got a few bags of salt. The stones were returned to the gleeful Maharaja who laid claim to the now fabled mines and famously wore the finest blue sapphire stone—a beautiful ‘blue velvet’ colour— around his neck. To add to its extravagance, he had it carved.