Kashmir-Pakistan, used in trade contexts to distinguish material from Pakistani-administered Kashmir territory from the Indian-administered Sumjam locality that produces the celebrated Kashmir sapphire, refers principally to gem material from Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the Gilgit-Baltistan region of northern Pakistan. The principal gem materials from the Pakistani-administered side include emerald from the Swat valley, ruby from Hunza and the Karakoram localities, and various pegmatite-derived materials including aquamarine, tourmaline, topaz and morganite from the Northern Areas.

Geological context

The Pakistani-administered Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan region sits within the western Himalaya and Karakoram, where continent-continent collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates produced high-grade metamorphic and pegmatitic terrains. The geological framework differs from the Sumjam Kashmir sapphire host: the Pakistani localities yield ruby and spinel from marble-hosted deposits in the Karakoram, emerald from schistose host rocks in the Swat valley, and a wide range of pegmatite-derived gems from the granitic intrusions of the Northern Areas.

Material

The principal Pakistani-administered Kashmir region gem materials include:

• Hunza rubies, recovered from marble-hosted deposits in the upper Hunza valley, with a fine-quality fraction reaching the international market.
• Swat emeralds, from the Mingora and Charbagh deposits, with a saturated bluish-green colour and characteristic inclusion suite.
• Pegmatite gems including aquamarine and topaz from Shigar valley and other Karakoram localities, in some cases producing exceptional museum-grade specimens.
• Pink topaz, tourmaline and morganite from various Northern Areas pegmatites.

Trade context

For the working trade the term "Kashmir" should not be applied to Pakistani-side material in any context where confusion with the Sumjam Kashmir sapphire premium is possible. The convention is to identify Pakistani-administered material by specific locality (Hunza ruby, Swat emerald, Shigar aquamarine) rather than by the broader Kashmir designation, since the latter carries specific market connotations tied to the Indian-administered Sumjam sapphire deposit. Country-of-origin descriptions on laboratory reports for these stones use "Pakistan" rather than "Kashmir".