Owing to its picturesque location in the Himalayas and Karakorams the State of Jammu & Kashmir is acknowledged as "heaven on the earth" in the world. Besides, its most beautiful and breathtaking scenic views, the State is now well recognized in the international gem trade for being a source of the highly prized "Blue Sapphires" regarded the best in the world.

The rugged Himalayas of the Jammu & Kashmir did not give up its treasures easily. Gemstones have slowly filtered into the market place via local gem dealers that occasionally purchase them from gypsies, who graze their goat herds at the high altitudes in summer. Till recent past, no organized mining had been attempted in these remote areas, because of the inadequate infrastructures and inhospitable weather conditions. Consequently, the gem buying world remained unaware of the gems occurrences, in Kashmir.
The Azad Kashmir Mineral & Industrial Development Corporation (AKMIDC), a State enterprise, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), launched a systematic search for the hidden gemstone treasures in the State. Perseverance and work hard by the dedicated geoscientists of AKMIDC has resulted in significant discoveries of Ruby, Bi-color, Spessartine, Morganite and Topaz.