The Pamir Rose
The Pamir Rose is a 285-carat carved pink spinel from the Kuh-i-Lal mine in the Pamir Mountains, the fourth-largest documented spinel from that source. Confirmed natural and untreated by two independent laboratories, it has passed through private collections for generations and is seeking the right home with a serious collector, museum, or auction house.
The Pamir Rose
A 285-carat carved spinel from Kuh-i-Lal. Centuries of private hands. One mine on earth.
One Mine Behind the Greatest Red and Pink Spinels
Exactly one place is responsible for the greatest red and pink spinels ever set into a crown. It sits high on a cliff above the Panj River, on the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan, in the Pamir Mountains.
The locals called the mine Kuh-i-Lal, "Mountain of the Spinel." For over a thousand years it was the source everyone drew from and almost no one could reach.
The "Rubies" That Were Never Rubies
Many of the world's most famous "rubies" turned out not to be rubies at all, and they likely came from here. For centuries nobody told spinel from ruby by science, only by intuition and awe. These stones traveled the world under a name that was never truly theirs.
They were called "balas rubies," after Badakhshan, the old name for the region around the mine. Kuh-i-Lal produced them for a thousand years, then, in the modern era, largely fell silent.
The Great Kuh-i-Lal Spinels
- The Samarian Spinel: nearly 500 carats, the largest known, among the Iranian Crown Jewels.
- The Russian Imperial Crown stone: 398.72 carats, the great red stone at the heart of the crown, worn as Catherine the Great's Ruby.
- The Timur Ruby: 361 carats, inscribed with the names of the Mughal emperors who once possessed it, now in the British Royal Collection.
Meet the Pamir Rose
We call our own stone from that same mine, from that same lineage, the Pamir Rose.
At just over 285 carats, it is not a faceted gem. It is a fancy carving: a swirling, leaf-and-flower composition cut directly into the body of the rough. That kind of work can only be attempted on a stone large and clean enough to survive it.
At its heart lies the deepest, largest section of the carving: a completely transparent, jewelry-grade core of pink spinel, exactly the quality this material is prized for at any size.
Where It Ranks
By weight, the Pamir Rose stands fourth among the largest documented spinels ever recorded from Kuh-i-Lal. A mine like this does not give up stones of this size twice in a generation.
| Rank | Stone | Weight | Where It Is Known |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samarian Spinel | Nearly 500 ct | Iranian Crown Jewels |
| 2 | Russian Imperial Crown stone | 398.72 ct | Russian Imperial Crown |
| 3 | Timur Ruby | 361 ct | British Royal Collection |
| 4 | The Pamir Rose | Just over 285 ct | Private family collection |
An Old Stone
We believe the Pamir Rose is genuinely old, likely cut from rough mined around five hundred years ago, in the same era that produced the other great Kuh-i-Lal specimens the world already knows.
This is our own estimation based on the material and its style of carving. It is not a documented fact, and we state it as such.
Provenance and Natural Origin
Its more recent history is quieter than its royal cousins', but no less real.
- Moved privately for generations, from one collection to the next
- Never publicly offered
- Never broken up
- Never subjected to modern heat treatment
The stone is confirmed, as it stands today, completely natural and untreated by two independent laboratories:
- MSU Gemological Center, Moscow
- GFCO Gem Lab, Switzerland
It is now part of our family's collection.
The Right Home
We are not in a hurry to sell it. A stone like this deserves the right home: a serious private collector, a museum, or an auction house prepared to place it where it belongs, alongside the handful of great Kuh-i-Lal spinels the world already knows by name.
The Pamir Rose
Kuh-i-Lal, Tajikistan
285.15 ct
Key takeaways
- What it is: The Pamir Rose is a 285-carat carved pink spinel from the Kuh-i-Lal mine in the Pamir Mountains, on the Tajikistan–Afghanistan border.
- Rank: It is the fourth-largest documented spinel from Kuh-i-Lal, behind only the Samarian Spinel, the Russian Imperial Crown stone, and the Timur Ruby.
- The carving: A swirling leaf-and-flower design cut into the rough, with a fully transparent, jewelry-grade pink spinel core.
- Natural and untreated: The MSU Gemological Center (Moscow) and GFCO Gem Lab (Switzerland) both confirm it has had no heat treatment.
- Age: We believe it was cut from rough mined about 500 years ago. This is our own estimate based on the material and carving style, not a documented fact.
- Provenance: It passed privately from one collection to the next for generations, was never publicly offered, and was never broken up.
- Spinel, not ruby: Kuh-i-Lal spinels were historically traded as “balas rubies,” and many famous “rubies” are actually spinels.
- Availability: It is part of our family’s collection. We are not in a hurry to sell and are looking for the right home: a serious collector, a museum, or an auction house.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Pamir Rose a ruby?
No. It is a **pink spinel** from Kuh-i-Lal. For centuries spinels from this mine were mistaken for rubies and traded as "balas rubies," after Badakhshan, the old name for the region around the mine.
Has the stone been treated?
No. Two independent laboratories, the MSU Gemological Center in Moscow and GFCO Gem Lab in Switzerland, confirm it as completely natural and untreated. It has never been subjected to modern heat treatment.
How old is it?
We believe it was cut from rough mined around five hundred years ago. This is our own estimation based on the material and its carving style, not a documented fact.
Is it for sale?
We are in no hurry to sell. We are looking for the right home: a serious private collector, a museum, or an auction house prepared to place it alongside the great Kuh-i-Lal spinels.