Jammu, Feb 7: Jammu and Kashmir will put world famous Kishtwar Sapphire worth millions on auction tomorrow in winter capital of the state.
 Officials sources in the Jammu and Kashmir Minerals Limited said that the auction of 22,000 grams of rough Sapphire Corundum of Paddar mines in Kishtwar will commence Monday at at Udhyog Bhawan Jammu.
 Sources revealed that number of renowned Gem Merchants and Jewelers from within and outside the state have already shown their keen interest in the auction, which is likely to generate millions of rupees. “We are expecting more than fifty bidders to participate in the two days auction”, sources said adding that some Non-Resident Indians (NRI) are also likely to participate.
 They said that about 22000 grams of rough sapphire corundum (Neelam) which was mined from sapphire mines of Paddar in Kishtwar district will be kept for auction.
 In 2008 around 17 kgs of Sapphire was sold in similar auction in Jammu  after around two decades. “The sapphire was sold for around Rs 1 Crore and we are expecting much better price this time”, they added.
 The precious mineral is world famous because of its unique Peacock Neck blue colour, which is rarely available in other parts of the world.
 The Sapphire occurs in Paddar area in Distt. Doda, J&K State, which lies between longitude of 76 Deg.-15 Deg. and 76 Deg. -30 Deg. at a height of 4500 m above N.S.L.
 The Sapphire of paddar is deep bluish in colour and is world renowned Gem-stone for its clarity and transparency: Mainly used in Jewellery and has a high ornamental value.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 7 Feb 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 7 Feb 2010 18:30:00 GMT
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