Daria-i-Noor
Andhra Pradesh, India | |
Original owner | Kakatiya dynasty |
---|---|
Owner | Central Bank of Iran, Tehran, Iran |
The Daria-i-Noor (Persian: دریای نور, lit. 'Sea of Light' or 'Ocean of Light'[2]), also spelled Darya-ye Noor, 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] However, another theory posits that it is currently in a private collection within Bangladesh.[2]
Dimensions
It is 41.40 mm × 29.50 mm × 12.15 mm (1.630 in × 1.161 in × 0.478 in) and weighs around 182 metric carats. It is the world's largest known pink diamond.[3] It may have been cut from an originally even larger stone.[5]
History
This diamond, as is also presumed for the
In 1739, Nader Shah of Iran invaded Northern India and occupied Delhi. As payment for returning the crown of India to the Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah, he took possession of the entire fabled treasury of the Mughals, including the Daria-i-Noor, the Koh-i-Noor, and the Peacock Throne.[3]
After Nader Shah's death in 1747, the diamond was inherited by his grandson,
Return to the Indian subcontinent theory
Another theory postulates that the diamond had made its way back to the Indian subcontinent by the 19th century.[2]
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 it failed 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 Nawabs of Dhaka being the winning bidder.[2] To this day it is said to remain in a Bangladeshi bank's vault.[2]
Possible association
In 1965, a Canadian team conducting research on the
See also
- Golconda diamonds
- Great Table diamond
- Koh-i-Noor
- Noor-ul-Ain
- List of diamonds
- List of largest rough diamonds
References
- ^ a b "Darya-e Nur". Britannica. 27 October 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Bhatia, Shyam (28 March 2012). "Meet Daria-i-Noor, the Koh-i-Noor's little-known sibling". The Tribune. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ S2CID 164927031.
- ^ a b "Collections". cbi.ir. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ "Largest pink diamond in 300 years discovered in Angola". The Tribune. 28 July 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ISBN 978-81-7371-285-2.
External links
- Treasury of National Jewels of Iran Archived 2014-02-26 at the Wayback Machine