The Daria-i-Noor (Persian for 'Sea of Light' or 'Ocean of Light'[2]),[a] also spelled Darya-ye Noor and Daria-i-Nur, is one of the largest cut diamonds in the world, weighing an estimated 182 carats (36 g).[3] Its colour, pale pink, is one of the rarest to be found in diamonds. The diamond is currently in the Iranian National Jewels collection of the Central Bank of Iran in Tehran.[4] During the reign of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, an elaborate frame was crafted from 457 smaller diamonds and four rubies, crowned by Iran's imperial insignia.[5][6] However, another diamond with the same name is in a private collection in Bangladesh.[2]
It is 41.40mm ×29.50mm ×12.15mm (1.630in ×1.161in ×0.478in) and weighs around 182 metric carats. It is the world's largest known pink diamond.[3] Originally, it may have been cut from an even larger stone.[7]
After Nader Shah's death in 1747, the diamond was inherited by his grandson, Shahrokh Shah. From there, it fell into the hands of Lotf Ali Khan. After Lotf Ali Khan's defeat at the hands of Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, who established the ruling Qajar dynasty of Iran, the Daria-i-Noor entered the Qajar treasury. During this time, Naser al-Din Shah Qajar was said to be very fond of the diamond, often wearing it as an arm band, an aigrette, or a brooch, and maintenance of the diamond was an honour bestowed upon higher ranking individuals.[4]
Return to the Indian subcontinent theory
Another theory postulates that the diamond, or another diamond of the same name, had made its way back to the Indian subcontinent by the 19th century.[2]
Detail of the Daria-i-Noor (right, within an armlet) as it appeared in the possession of the Sikhs, from a painting of Maharaja Sher Singh by August Schoefft, ca.1841–42
Eventually the diamond made its way into the hands of Maharaja Ranjit Singh of the Sikh Empire, where it was kept in the Toshakhana (treasury).[2] After the annexation of the Sikh Empire into the Company Raj, the stone was confiscated by the British alongside other valuables from the Sikh treasury.[2] A reference is made to it in a list prepared by John Login of confiscated items from the treasury.[2] Login valued the diamond at 63,000 rupees, the equivalent of £6,000 in 1840 which would convert to more than £100 million in 2012.[2] Jewelry associated with the diamond were eleven pearls, eleven additional diamonds, and eleven garnets (known locally as choonee).[2] The total weight was 10.8 tolas in the local weight measurement system.[2] The Daria-i-Noor would make its way to London but fail to garner the attraction of the British nobility.[2] Thus, two years later it was shipped back to India to be auctioned off, with the Nawab of Dhaka being the winning bidder.[2] To this day it is said to remain in a Bangladeshi bank's vault.[2]
Sketch of the Daria-i-Noor
Possible association
Drawing of the Great Table diamond, by Tavernier, in 1676Noor-ul-Ain tiara
In 1965, a Canadian team conducting research on the Iranian Crown Jewels concluded that the Daria-i-Noor may well have been part of a large pink diamond that had been studded in the throne of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, and had been described in the journal of the French jeweller Jean-Baptiste Tavernier in 1642, who called it the Great Table diamond ("Diamanta Grande Table"). This diamond may have been cut into two pieces; the larger part is the Daria-i-Noor; the smaller part is believed to be the 60-carat (12g)Noor-ul-Ain diamond, presently studded in a tiara also in the Iranian Imperial collection.[1]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
