The Kohinoor Diamond or «Mountain of light» for its meaning in Persian, it has long been one of the most controversial diamonds in the world; in addition to being the subject of intrigues and conquests for centuries, coming to be in the hands of Afghan rulers, Mughal princes and Iranian warriors, among others. Therefore, we are going to present some curious facts about this diamond:
The book “Kohinoor”: There is a book that tells the story of the Kohinoor diamond, in which it is classified as «the most infamous in the world», where its authors William Dalrymple and Anita Anand explain some of the myths about this precious stone of incalculable cost. Let’s reveal some of those curious facts:
The Kohinoor diamond is not the pre-eminent Indian diamond: This gem, which was originally 190.3 carats, that is, 38 grams, when it arrived in England had at least two similar brothers: the Darya-i-Noor, or Sea of Light, which is currently in Tehran; and that has between 175-195 carats, between 35 and 39 grams; and the Great Mogul Diamond, of 189.9 carats, which is associated with the Orlov diamond; They left India in the year 1739, when Shah Nader of Persia invaded that country.
However, it was in the early 19th century that the Kohinoor diamond reached the northern Indian region of Punjab and it was there that it began to become famous as India’s pre-eminent diamond.
The Kohinoor diamond was not a pure diamond: There is evidence that the original rough diamond was flawed, 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 detracted from the purity of this legendary gem.
The story goes that the British stole it: This gem of 105 carats, which represents about 21 grams; It arrived in 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 maintain that the English stole it, so the issue of ownership of the gem represents a conflict.
The Kohinoor diamond is not the largest diamond in the world: On the contrary, this one occupies only the 90th position among the largest; even next to the Cullinan diamond and other accompanying diamonds in the Tower of London, the beautiful stone looks very small, and this is commented on by many of the tourists who visit this tourist destination.
It is false that the Kohinoor diamond was found in the Kollur mine in India in the 13th century: According to specialists on the subject, it is impossible to know exactly where and when this diamond was found; which adds a lot of mystery to the history of this gemstone.
The Kohinoor was not the most precious treasure of the Mughals: The belief that this diamond was the most valuable treasure of the Mughals is not true, since they, like the Persians, had a preference for very large, brightly colored gemstones that were uncut. However, it can be said that this diamond is only one among the wonderful objects within your collection of stones and jewelry; where the most precious were red spinels from Badakhshan, in what is now a province of Afghanistan; as well as rubies from Burma.
The Kohinoor diamond was stolen from Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah Rangila: Popular history tells that there was a conspiracy by Nader Shah of Persia, and he used the pretext of performing a ceremonial turban exchange with the emperor where said gem was hidden. However, this story is uncertain, and according to what was reported by a Persian historian named Marvi, who is said to have been an eyewitness, the emperor would not have been able to wear this precious stone in his turban, because it was placed in the center of Shah Jahan’s Peacock Throne.
The Kohinoor diamond was reduced in size: It has been said for years, that this gem had been cut in a very clumsy and grotesque way, by a stone polisher from Venice, who managed to reduce its size significantly; but the truth, according to a traveler and merchant of French origin, named Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, that this diamond was the so-called Great Mogul Diamond, a gift from the Mogul 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 calls brothers of the Kohinoor; next to the Darya-i-Noor, or Sea of Light found in Tehran.
Undoubtedly, these curiosities about this precious stone so recognized throughout the world, of historical, cultural and economic value, mean that through the years the different stories continue to be transmitted, so we have explained the possible myths according to the Kohinoor book writers.