Golconda Diamonds: Nur-ul-Ain Diamond

 Nur-Ul-Ain diamond | Jeweler Magazine

Nur-ul-Ain diamond - 'Light of the Eye': an Arabic languages coined by Persians, together with the loot plundered by Nadir Shah and his troops, after the capture and sacking of Delhi and Agra in 1739. The name by which the diamond was known while it remained with the the Mogul Emperors in India is not known. This precious stone weighs 60 carats, making it one of the largest colored diamonds in the world.

Nadir Shah

The Noor-ul-Ain is a pink diamond which means that it is part of a group of gems that only accounts for .0001 percent of the world's precious stones. On top of that, it was classified as a type IIa diamond which is the rarest type of diamonds - which accounts for diamonds such as the Hope Diamond.

It originate from Kuller mines in Southern India, the Noor-ul-Ain is one of the most impressive stones in the world. Many believe it was once part of a larger diamond 400-carat diamond called the Great Table diamond that was split into two gems we now know as the Darya-ye-Noor and the Noor-ul-Ain.

Replicas of the Great Table [DIN & NAA] | Museum Diamonds

After Nadir Shah and his army overtook Dehli in 1739, the diamond was among the items ransacked. It left India with the Shah and became part of the Iranian crown jewels in 1739. The Noor-ul-Ain changed hands several times as assassinations and military coups caused shifts in power. In 1921, after democracy failed and the British and Russians left Iran, an Iranian officer of the Persian brigade called Reza Khan crowned himself Shah.

Empress Farah Diba

Reza Shah Pahlavi

In 1958, Empress Farah Diba received one of the world's most breathtaking tiaras, the Noor-ul-Ain diamond tiara, when she married Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the last shah of Iran. The Noor-ul-Ain diamond is the centerpiece of Empress Farah's tiara, and it shines beautifully. Surrounding the Noor-ul-Ain are 324 other pink, yellow and colorless baguett-cut diamonds, many of which ranging from 14 to 19 carats each. The Noor-ul-Ain diamond and its tiara setting are still part of the Iranian Crown Jewels, a collection of the world's most impressive gems.

Nur-ul-Ain tiara

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