The British Royal Collection

The original weight of the Koh-i-Noor diamond was a stunning 186 carats.  It is now set in a British Royal crown.  The name Koh-i-Noor means "Mountain of Light" and its history is violent and fascinating. This rare gemstone was never bought or sold, yet it changed many hands. The date of mining is unknown - also unkown is how the Indian ruler, Babur, took it into his possession in the 16th century. 

It remained in the hands of the Mughal rulers of India until they were defeated by the Iranian Nader Shah in the 18th century. The legend says that Nader Shah was informed that the local ruler, Mohammad Shah, concealed the diamond in his turban. He promptly arranged a feast to celebrate their friendship during which he proposed to exchange turbans with Mohammad Shah as a sign of friendship. During the night Nader Shah unfolded the turban and found the famous diamond.

Diamonds, Jewels and Gems 

Glass replica of the Koh-I-Noor

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Sixty years of fighting and bloodshed during the Sikh wars followed, and the diamond finally became the property of Maharaja Duleep Singh, who soon lost it to the British in 1849. The surrender of the diamond explicitly appears in their Treaty.Koh-i-Noor made its way to England and was presented to Queen Victoria in 1850.

The diamond has finally to come to rest as a British Crown Jewel, and adorns the crowns of British queens since 1911. However, the British public who saw it on the 1851 Great Exhibition was largely unimpressed. The cutting was clumsy and the stone did not reveal its natural beauty. Queen Victoria quickly reacted, and the stone was re-cut from its original 186 1/6 carats to 105.602. It lost over 42% of its weight, but gained much in beauty and brilliance, and remains to this day one of the largest and well-known diamonds in the world.

Crown from the British Royal Collection

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