Golconda Diamonds: Darya-e Noor Diamond

Darya-e Noor diamond | Jeweler Magazine

Darya-e Noor diamond - 'Sea of Light': this light pink diamond were both brought back from India by Nader Shah in 1739. After the death of Nader Shah, Ahmad Shah Durrani took the Koh-e Noor to Afghanistan, where it passed onto Shah Shuja. He, in turn, was defeated by Ranjit Singh, the Lion of the Punjab. Eventually, it fell into the hands of the East India Company, which presented it to Queen Victoria. The Koh-e Noor is now incorporated in the Queen Mother's crown. The Koh-e Noor is said to bear a curse since all the male owners of the Kohi Noor suffered terrible fates.

After Nader Shah's death, the Darya-e Noor was inherited by Shahrokh Mirza, his grandson. It then came into the possession of Alam Khan Khozeimeh, and later, Lotfoli Khan Zand, a member of Iran's Zand Dynasty. 

Nader Shah, 1739

Agha Mohammad Khan, cruel founder of Qajar dynasty, defeated the Zands, and so it came into the possession of the Qajars. 

Fathali Shah Qajar had his name inscribed on one facet. Later, Nasseridin Shah Qajar believed that that this diamond was one of the gems decorating the crown of Cyrus the Great, so he often wore it on an armband. When armbands fell from royal fashion, he wore it as brooch. On occasion, the gem would be left in the care of high personages of the land, as a sign of honor, though it was eventually kept hidden in the Golestan Palace treasury museum until Mozzafaridin Shah's time, when he wore it as a hat decoration while visiting Europe in 1902. 

Fathali Shah

Reza Shah, the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty, wore it as a decoration on his military hat during his coronation in 1926, and it was used in Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi's coronation ceremony in 1967. 

There is no doubt that the diamond was taken from the Golkandeh mines of southern India. In 1965, a Canadian team which was conducting research on the Imperial jewels concluded that this Darya-e Noor may have been part of a large pink diamond which was incorporated in the throne of the Moghul emporor Shah Jehan and described in the journal of the French jeweller Tavernier in 1642, who called it the "Diamanta Grande Table" in his journal.

Experts assert the East India Company eventually acquired the Darya-ye Noor and displayed it at London's Crystal Palace Exhibition in 1851. However, in a twist of events, officials at the Central Bank of Iran where the crown jewels are housed insisted to the Gemological Institute of America that the stone never left the Treasure Vaults.

Including the frame, it is 7.2 cm. high and 5.3 cm. wide. It is believed to weigh between 182 to 186 carats. Fathali Shah's name is inscribed on one facet.

While Famous Diamonds proposed that the Darya-ye Noor is a whopping 186 carats, the exact weight of the table cut diamond is unknown because removing it from the mid-19th century setting could potentially cause major damage. Still, the source reported that the GIA estimates this gemstone to weigh between 175 and 195 carats. The dimensions of the Darya-ye Noor, according to the Iran Chamber Society, are 7.2 centimeters high and 5.3 centimeters wide. This light pink diamond is also believed to be cut from the legendary Great Table Diamond.

Today, the Darya-e Noor is part of the Iranian Crown Jewels. However, it had a long journey before it was given this prominent placement. According to the Iran Chamber Society, the diamond was more than likely unearthed in Southern India's Golconda Mines. It's believed that both the Darya-ye Noor and the Noor-ol Ein, which is part of the Iranian imperial tiara, originally came from the Great Table Diamond. Jeweller Magazine reported that this is because after several Canadian gemologists were looking at the Iranian crown jewels in 1969, they noticed that both stones had nearly the same exact color and clarity.

Daria-e Noor

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