The Koh-i-Noor Diamond
- Jennifer Lince
- Jun 2, 2022
- 3 min read
The Koh-i-Noor Diamond is one of the largest cut diamonds in the world at 105.6 cts (it is is said that it was originally 793cts before it was poorly cut by the Emporer's Jeweler (Hortense Borgia) who was punished after reducing its size to 186 cts before being finally cut to its present size by a Jeweler commanded by Prince Albert - but there are doubts on the authenticity of this claim.)
But it is more than just that.
The Koh-i-Noor diamond is a diamond that belongs to the Royal Family and is a part of the Crown Jewels, currently set in the Crown of the Queen Mother.
Mined thousands of years ago in India's alluvial mines (some speculate that it was the Kollur Mine) and even though it was revered by gods such as Krishna, it was believed to carry a curse.
This curse meant that if the person owning and wearing it was male then their lives would be filled with violence, murders, mutilations, torture and treachery. If the person was female, they were granted long life. A Hindu text from the time of the Koh-i-Noor's first appearance in 1306 states "Only God or a woman can wear it with impunity." ( Perhaps this is the secret to the Queen's long life?)
Some say that it was stolen from the God Krishna while he lay sleeping and others believe it to be the Syamantaka Jewel of Indian Mythology (A jewel believed to be endowed with supernatural powers). Others yet say it was a gift to earth from Surya - the Sun God - and that evidence of this can be found in ancient Sanskrit writings that go back more than 5000 years.
It didn't get its name for many years though. It passed through many hands as the result of bloody battles and it was only when it was obtained by Ahmed Shah (the then King of Afghanistan) during the 1793 invasion of Delhi, that it got its name.
He claimed that the diamond was a symbol of his power and managed to hold onto it for years and upon taking the diamond, he yelled out "Koh-i-Noor!" meaning "Mountain of Light" in both Persian and Hindu-Urdu.
This diamond was passed down through several generations until a grandson of Ahmed Shah went to Lahore in 1830, to beg the Indian Maharaja (Ranjit Singh) to help him win back his throne. As part of this deal, the diamond was handed over to its new owner (although in one account of this deal was that Shuja Shah (the grandson) initially refused upon which the maharaja threatened to kill him).
Ranjit Singh got the diamond authenticated and "donated" 125,000 rupees to Shuja Shah (approximately £1283 (which would approximate £102,319 in modern times)), however when Singh sought out a value on the diamond, it was said to be beyond calculation.
He decided to have it installed onto the front of his turban to share it with his people and paraded it while riding an elephant. However, he became paranoid that it would get stolen and kept it locked up in a fort most of the time and, should it need to be transported, it would be hidden amongst a guarded convoy of 39 camels.
It was fought over by his family when Ranjit Singh died and his treasurer, Beli Ram, hid it in a vault rather than donating it to a temple in Puri (which was believed to have been Singh's true wish for it).
After the Maharaja died in 1839, it left the Sikh kingdom without leadership, leading to coups and assassinations, leading to the British proclaiming the Punjab region as part of the British Empire in 1849, paving the way for the new maharaja (a 13-year-old called Duleep Singh) to make an impressive "gift" (some call it the spoils of war) to Queen Victoria, presenting her with the Koh-i-Noor alongside the Timur ruby in 1850.
The diamond was originally set into a brooch that was worn frequently (despite Queen Victoria's discomfort with how it had been acquired) and then was set in 2 different queen's consort's crowns after she passed until finally, in 1937, it was set in the Royal British Crown along with 2800 other diamonds and it currently resides in the Tower of London.
There is a long-standing debate on whether this diamond was gifted or whether it was stolen and for decades there has been a call for it to be returned to India for partial reparation of Britain's past colonial history there. Some state that it should be forgotten as it was a voluntary gift whilst others state it was stolen and should be returned.
What do you think?
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