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Daria-i-Noor

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(Redirected from Ocean of Light) Large cut diamond This article is about the famous diamond. For Peter Martins' 1998 ballet, see River of Light.
Daria-i-Noor
The Daria-i-Noor (Sea of Light) diamond from the collection of the national jewels of Iran
Weight182 carats (36.4 g)
ColorPale pink
Cut
  • Tabular, free-form
  • Inscribed
Country of originIndia
Mine of originKollur Mine, present-day Andhra Pradesh, India
OwnerCentral Bank of Iran, Tehran, Iran

The Daria-i-Noor (Persian for 'Sea of Light' or 'Ocean of Light'), also spelt Darya-ye Noor, is one of the largest cut diamonds in the world, weighing an estimated 182 carats (36 g). Its colour, pale pink, is one of the rarest to be found in diamonds. The diamond is currently in the Iranian National Jewels collection of the Central Bank of Iran in Tehran. During the reign of Naser al-Din Shah, an elaborate frame was crafted from 457 smaller diamonds and four rubies, crowned by Iran’s imperial insignia.However, another theory posits that it is in a private collection in Bangladesh.

Dimensions

It is 41.40 mm × 29.50 mm × 12.15 mm (1.630 in × 1.161 in × 0.478 in) and weighs around 182 metric carats. It is the world's largest known pink diamond. It may have been cut originally from an even larger stone.

History

This diamond, as is also presumed for the Koh-i-Noor, was mined in Kollur mine in the Golcanda region of Andhra Pradesh, India. Its early origins are shrouded in mystery, but it is believed to have been one of the eyes of the Mughal Peacock Throne.

In 1739, Nader Shah of Iran invaded Northern India and occupied Delhi. As payment for returning the crown of India to the Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah, he took possession of the entire fabled treasury of the Mughals, including the Daria-i-Noor, the Koh-i-Noor, and the Peacock Throne.

After Nader Shah's death in 1747, the diamond was inherited by his grandson, Shahrokh Mirza. From there, it fell into the hands of Lotf Ali Khan. After Lotf Ali Khan's defeat at the hands of Mohammad Khan Qajar, who established the ruling Qajar dynasty of Iran, the Daria-i-Noor entered the Qajar treasury. During this time, Naser al-Din Shah Qajar was said to be very fond of the diamond, often wearing it as an arm band, an aigrette, or a brooch, and maintenance of the diamond was an honor bestowed upon higher ranking individuals.

Return to the Indian subcontinent theory

Another theory postulates that the diamond had made its way back to the Indian subcontinent by the 19th century.

Detail of the Daria-i-Noor (right, within an armlet) as it appeared in the possession of the Sikhs, from a painting of Maharaja Sher Singh by August Schoefft, ca.1841–42

Eventually the diamond made its way into the hands of Maharaja Ranjit Singh of the Sikh Empire, where it was kept in the Toshakhana (treasury). After the annexation of the Sikh Empire into the Company Raj, the stone was confiscated by the British alongside other valuables from the Sikh treasury. A reference is made to it in a list prepared by John Login of confiscated items from the treasury. Login valued the diamond at 63,000 rupees, the equivalent of £6,000 in 1840 which would convert to more than £100 million in 2012. Jewelry associated with the diamond were eleven pearls, eleven additional diamonds, and eleven garnets (known locally as choonee). The total weight was 10.8 tolas in the local weight measurement system. The Daria-i-Noor would make its way to London but fail to garner the attraction of the British nobility. Thus, two years later it was shipped back to India to be auctioned off, with the Nawabs of Dhaka being the winning bidder. To this day it is said to remain in a Bangladeshi bank's vault.

Sketch of the Daria-i-Noor

Possible association

Drawing of the Great Table diamond, by Tavernier, in 1676
Noor-ul-Ain tiara

In 1965, a Canadian team conducting research on the Iranian Crown Jewels concluded that the Daria-i-Noor may well have been part of a large pink diamond that had been studded in the throne of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, and had been described in the journal of the French jeweller Jean-Baptiste Tavernier in 1642, who called it the Great Table diamond ("Diamanta Grande Table"). This diamond may have been cut into two pieces; the larger part is the Daria-i-Noor; the smaller part is believed to be the 60-carat (12 g) Noor-ul-Ain diamond, presently studded in a tiara also in the Iranian Imperial collection.

See also

Notes

  1. In Persian, Daria-i-Noor is rendered as دریای نور.

References

  1. ^ "Darya-e Nur". Britannica. 27 October 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  2. ^ Bhatia, Shyam (28 March 2012). "Meet Daria-i-Noor, the Koh-i-Noor's little-known sibling". The Tribune. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  3. ^ Malecka, Anna (2017). "Daryā-ye Nur: History and Myth of a Crown Jewel of Iran". Iranian Studies. 51 (1): 69–96. doi:10.1080/00210862.2017.1362952. S2CID 164927031.
  4. ^ "Collections". cbi.ir. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  5. "The Darya-i-Noor Diamond - Israeli Diamond". Israeli Diamond Industry. 2016-10-06. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  6. Staff (2009-09-22). "Darya-i-noor Pink Diamond: World Famous Diamonds". jewellermagazine.com. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  7. "Largest pink diamond in 300 years discovered in Angola". The Tribune. 28 July 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  8. Satyanarayana, S. V. (2000). "Diamonds in the Deccan: An Overview". In Gupta, Harsh K.; Parasher, A.; Balasubramanian, D. (eds.). Deccan Heritage. INSA and Universities Press (India). p. 144. ISBN 978-81-7371-285-2.

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