Great Mogul Diamond

Great Mogul

A replica of the Great Moghul Diamond
Weight 280 carats (56 g)
Country of origin India
Mine of origin Kollur Mine, Andhra Pradesh
Drawing of the Great Moghul diamond, by Tavernier in 1676

Great Mogul is believed to have been discovered around 1650 most probably around Kollur Mine in the Golconda region of southern India. Tavernier described the diamond as "The stone is of the same form as if one cut an egg through the middle"[1]

History

The 787 carats (157.4 g)[1] rough diamond was gifted by Emir Jemla to Shah Jahan, the 5th Mughal emperor, as part of diplomacy between the two families.[2][3]

Jemla described it as “that celebrated diamond which has been generally deemed unparalleled in size and beauty.”[4]

A Venetian lapidary named Ortensio Borgio was assigned to cut the stone. It is believed that the Great Mogul Diamond exhibited several inclusions. Rejecting the idea of cutting the diamond into several fine stones, Borgio decided to address the inclusion problem by grinding away at it until the unwanted flaws were gone. Much to the horror of the Emperor, Borgio’s work yielded very poor results, including a great loss of weight. Showing great restraint, Shah Jehan spared Borgio’s head, instead fining him 10,000 rupees (all the money he had) for his ineptitude.

Around 1665 the Shah’s son, Shah Aurangzeb, showed the stone to the famous jeweler and world traveler Jean Baptiste Tavernier. At that time Tavernier wrote in his Six Voyages: “The first piece that Akel Khan (Chief Keeper of the King's jewels) placed in my hands was the great diamond, which is rose cut, round and very high on one side. On the lower edge there is a slight crack, and a little flaw in it. Its water is fine, and weighs 319-1/2 ratis, which makes 280 of our carats, the rati being ⅞th of a carat.”[5]

Later, the Great Mogul Diamond became part of the spoils of war when India was invaded and Delhi sacked by the Persian ruler Nadir Shah. Nadir Shah returned with the stone to his home in Isfahan in 1739. However, Nadir Shah’s ownership proved shorted-lived. He was assassinated in 1747 and the stone disappeared.

There are many legends regarding its fate. Some believed it to be the stone from which the Koh-i-noor was cut, or perhaps the Darya-ye-Noor, but most popularly it is speculated to be the Orlov Diamond because its bluish tinge and rose cut are similar to the Great Mogul Diamond. A more probable explanation is that it was stolen and cut into smaller gems to disguise its origin.

References

  1. 1 2 Spring 1941, Important Diamonds of the World - The Great Mogul; Star of South Africa (or Dudley), Robert M Shipley, p. 143, 2pp.
  2. ↑ George John Younghusband - The jewel house : an account of the many romances connected with the royal regalia, Page 9
  3. ↑ http://www.langantiques.com/university/index.php/Great_Mogul_Diamond
  4. ↑ Orpen, Mrs. Goddard. Stories about Famous Precious Stones Boston: D. Lothrop Company, 1890. pp. 204
  5. ↑ Streeter, Edwin W. The Great Diamonds of the World: Their History and Romance London: George Bell and Sons, 1882. pp. 69-72

See also

Anna Malecka, The Great Mughal and the Orlov: One and the Same Diamond? The Journal of Gemmology, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 56-63.

External links

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