The Kohinoor diamond or “Mountain of Light” for its meaning in Persian has long been one of the most controversial diamonds in the world, as well as has been a reason for intrigues and conquests for centuries, getting to be in the hands of Afghan rulers, Mughal princes and Iranian warriors, among others.Therefore, we are going to present some fun facts about this diamond:
The “Kohinoor” book: There is a book that tells the story of the Kohinoor diamond, in which it is classified as the most infamous in the world” and its authors William Dalrymple and Anita Anand explain some of the myths about this gemstone of an incalculable cost. Let’s unveil some of those curious pieces of information:
The Kohinoor diamond is not the preeminent Indian diamond: When this gem that was originally 190.3 carats; that is, 38 grams, came to England, it presented two similar brothers at least: the Darya-i-Noor, or Sea of Light, which is currently in Tehran and has between 175-195 carats, which is between 35 and 39 grams; and the Great Mogul Diamond, with 189.9 carats that associate it with the Orlov diamond. These diamonds left India in 1739, when the Shah Nader of Persia invaded that country.
However, at the beginning of the 19th century it was when the Kohinoor diamond arrived in the northern region of India of Punjab and it was there where it began to become famous as the preeminent diamond of India.
The Kohinoor diamond was not a pure diamond: There is evidence that the original rough diamond was defective and had many yellow spots in its center. One of these spots was very large and diminished the ability of this gem to refract light; which subtracted purity from this legendary gem.
The story tells that the British stole it: This gem of 105 carats which represent about 21 grams came to England in the mid-nineteenth century to be part of the crown jewels, and is exhibited in the famous Tower of London. However, the Hindus argue that the English stole it, so the issue of the gem ownership represents a conflict.
The Kohinoor diamond is not the largest diamond in the world: On the contrary, it is only the in the 90th position in the largest; even next to the Cullinan diamond and other diamonds that accompany it in the Tower of London the beautiful stone looks very small, and this is commented by many of the tourists who visit this tourist destination.
It is false that the Kohinoor diamond was found at the Kollur mine in India in the 13th century: According to specialists in the field, it is impossible to know exactly where and when this diamond was found, which adds a lot of mystery to the story of this gemstone.
The Kohinoor diamond was not the most precious treasure of the Mughals: The belief that this diamond has been the most valuable treasure of the Mughals is not true since they, like the Persians, had a preference for very large, brightly colored and uncut gemstones. However, it can be said that this diamond is only one among the wonderful objects within their collection of stones and jewelry, where the most precious ones were the red spinels of Badakhshán, in what is now a province of Afghanistan, as well as the rubies of Burma.
The Kohinoor diamond was stolen from the Mogol Emperor Muhammad Shah Rangila: A popular history says that there was a conspiracy by Nader Shah of Persia, and he used the pretext of making a ceremonial turban exchange with the emperor where the gem was hidden. However, this story is uncertain, and as a Persian historian named Marvi told, who is said to have been an eyewitness, the emperor would not have been able to wear this precious stone in the turban because it was placed in the center of the Peacock Throne of Shah Jahan.
The Kohinoor diamond was reduced in size: It has been said for years that this gem had been cut very clumsily by a polisher of stones from Venice, who managed to reduce its size significantly; but the truth, according to a traveler and merchant of French origin called Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, is that this diamond was called the Great Mogul Diamond, a gift from the Mughal King to the diamond merchant Mir Jumla, and not the famous Kohinoor diamond.
The great diamond was drastically reduced by the Venetian polisher Hortensio Borgio with the permission of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, producing a great loss of one of the so-called brothers of the Kohinoor along with the Darya-i-Noor, or Sea of Light, that is in Tehran.
Undoubtedly, these fun facts about this so recognized worldwide gemstone with a historical, cultural and economic value make the different stories continue to be transmitted over the years, so we have explained the possible myths according to the writers of the Kohinoor book.
ALFA