The Darya-I-Noor

In gem trade, when the term pink diamonds is mentioned it immediately makes one think of Australian mines producing one of the most rare color of diamonds- pink! But, history has witnessed that one of the most exquisite pink gem ever unearthed came from the mines of India in Andhra Pradesh. This legendary diamond is known as the Darya-I-Noor.

The Jewel Affair attempts to put forward the story of this renowned gem,The Darya-I-Noor which literally means the sea of light!

 

REPLICA OF THE GREAT TABLE, THE DARYA-I-NOOR AND NOOR-UL-AIN

The Darya-I-Noor is the largest ever naturally pink color diamond which was discovered in the Golconda mines in Andhra Pradesh (India). The first ever account of this stone was given by Jean-Baptiste Tavernier in his book Travels in India in the year 1642. Darya-I-Noor has been referred to as the Great Table Diamond and the estimated weight suggested is 242 cts.  After this account there was no mention of this stone anywhere, it seemed to have disappeared. There are few suppositions as to what happened to this fabled diamond. According to a speculation the stone first belonged the first Mughal emperor of India and it eventually it came to Nadir Shah in the year 1739 when the Mughal empire was invaded. In the battle of Karnal, Nadir Shah easily defeated Mohammed Ali Shah and captured the capital. Famous jewels like Koh-I-Noor, the Darya-I-Noor and the Peacock Throne were surrendered by Mohammed Ali Shah, to Nadir Shah and gradually these gems and jewels found their way to Iran.

THE DARYA-I-NOOR

Couple of years later when Nadir Shah died, the gem passed on to his grandson and changed hands with many other owners including the Zend Dynasty.The stone in this period was observed by Sir Harford Jones Brydges, who was the envoy in the court of the Zend dynasty. The stone was sold to raise money for war against the The Dynasty of Kajars. He observed that it was a pale pink, huge table diamond which matched the findings of Tavernier. It was a speculation that Darya-I-Noor and the Great Table was one and the same. The only discrepancy was in terms of weight. According to Brydges it weighed approximately 176 carats.

Finally the war was won by the Kajars and the spectacular gem was taken over by them and in the year 1834, Fath Ali Shah had his name inscribed on the gem. Later the gem was acquired by Pahalvi Dynasty and was worn by Reza Shah in his coronation military hat. The stone was seen again in the year 1967 on a special occasion where gemologists from Canada were invited to study and certify the Crown Jewels of Iran. When the gemologists took a closer look at the Darya-I-Noor, they found that the stone had striking resemblance with the The Great Table. The only matter of concern was the weight. Later they arrived at a conclusion that may be the stone met with an accident and split into two pieces. Their assumptions found a ground when they discovered another pink diamond in the Iranian Crown Jewels, Noor-ul-Ain which weighs nearly 60 carats and exactly matches the color of the gem. The Noor-ul-Ain was set as a centerpiece in a tiara made by Harry Winston, for the wedding of the Empress of Iran, Farah Diba for her wedding.

NOOR-UL-AIN

EMPRESS FARAH DIBA

However when the weight of both the stones was put together it surpassed that of the Great Table. The gemologists started working to put this puzzle together and later arrived at a supposition that Tavernier’s findings were incorrect.

This stunning gem has had an extremely mysterious past but its beauty never fails to baffle the onlooker.  It not only has been a pride of the royalties but also been an example of classic and timeless splendor.