[TIDBITS] Darya-I-Nur

D a r y a - I - N u r

No matter how hard I try, I can not get away from the Persian
Empire. Inordinate wealth in jewels and jewelry tends to attract
someone who tends to write about inordinate wealth in jewels and
jewelry. Okay, now repeat that ten times folks. Inordinate
wealth…

The world’s largest pink diamond, known as the Sea of Light, or
the Darya-I-Nur, ranks number one in the Crown Jewels of Iran.
The Sea of Light’s name is associated with the Mountain of
Light–the Koh-I-Nur-- both of which were originally possessed by
the first Mogul Emperor of India. The Koh-I-Nur was ultimately
owned by the East India Company and was presented by them to
Queen Victoria.

The Sea of Light, however, remained in Iran. After an
assassination, it became the property of Shahrokh, grandson of
Nadir Shah–you’ve heard me speak of that old warrior before–and
from Shahrokh it went to a chap called Mirza-Alam Khan Khozeime
and then to Lotf-Ali Khan Zand, and then to Agha Mohammad Khan
Qajar who founded the Qajar Dynasty. I know I know. The names
are foreign and convoluted and difficult to pronounce. Still…I
mention the sequence for those to whom these things rank
paramount in importance. For me, it’s the diamond itself that
fascinates.

Our little bauble here is a Table Diamond. Its color is a pale
pink. It measures one and a half inches long, one inch wide, and
three eighths of an inch in thickness. It weighs, my friends,
182 carats. It was worn, at different times, as an armlet, and
brooch, and amidst a plume of feathers as a head ornament.

Today it sits in a frame surrounded by the Lion and the Sun and
set with 457 diamonds and 4 rubies. There are levels of opulence
which never cease to amaze me, and the Darya-I-Nur ranks, in my
mind, as one of the wonders in gems and jewelry.

A research team concluded that the Sea of Light is part of the
Great Table diamond seen by Tavernierin 1642–which I mentioned
in a previous Tidbit. The other part of the diamond, for those
who want to know, was re-cut into a 60 carat round and set in the
middle of a diamond diadem and used exclusively by Empress Farah
after her coronation in 1967.

Now then…some of you might say…yeah…so what…what good is
it if we can’t see it? To those of you who might indeed say that,
I say to you…hey…never fret my pet…you can see the Sea of
Light on my pages. Simply pop over to my home page–listed in sig
file–and scroll down the Tables Menu till you get to the Tidbits
section. And there, lo and behold, will be a link to this pink
wonder diamond.

And there ya have it.
That’s it for this week folks.
Catch you all next week.

Take care,
Benjamin Mark

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