The famous Kashmir sapphire deposits, where the most prized sapphires come from, were originally found by two hunters after a hillside slipped away in 1881 above the small village of Sumjam, Kashmir.

They found that the whole floor of the valley was overlain by only a few feet of earth and rock debris, and that below that was a thick layer of material that contained carried sapphires in such large quantities that for a time they could be picked up "almost like pebbles on a beach."

Sapphire was once believed to provide healing properties for colic, rheumatism and mental illness. It was also considered an antidepressant.