The Taj-I-Mah diamond of Indian origin


The Iranian Treasury in Iran  contained vast jewelry collections including  valuable precious stones various qualities and colors. Most of them were the  spoils of various wars that Iran  successfully carried out with other countries.  Numerous  first class items  in  the treasury  were apparently from the Indian subcontinent plundered by the Iranian rulers centuries ago. Mention may be made of Nadir Shah's raid on Delhi during the last Mogul period centuries ago.  There were  also collections from  S.African mines, most probably purchased  during  the reign of Nasir ud-Din Shah (1848-96).

Considering the value of the jewelry and gems,  the Iranian Royal jewelry  items in the treasury were  not open to public view. When open inspection was allowed in 1960, the  accidental  presence of  the Darya-I-Nur, the Nur-Ul-Ain and the Taj-I-Mah   together came  to  light  for the first time,  to the astonishment of  well known  diamond  traders and experts, confirming about the presence of
the Taj-I-Mah diamond in the lot. Among them, the two were  apparently  cut from the same stone, most probably  the  great  Table  Diamond  of  Indian origin,


The Taj-i-Mah diamond of Indian origin.www.internetstones.com


As for the Taj-I-Mah, meaning 'Crown of the Moon,' it is  the  largest  unmounted  Indian  diamond  in  the collection. Colorless, cut typical of Mogul period and fine  quality  point out  that  this  diamond -115.06 carats  was  from  the  Golconda  mines. Fath Ali Shah, the ruler (1797-1834) allowed the British administrator and diplomat Sir John Malcolm, to inspect  the  collections. He was of the opinion that The Taj-I-Mah is  a quality  stone  that weighs 146 cts whereas  Darya-I-Nur  or 'Sea of Light' weighs 186 carats with superb luster.


Travelers  to  Persia  saw  Fath Ali Shah wearing  armband - bracelet containing  Koh-I-Noor  that was not cut  and weighed  186 carats. So, the logical conclusion  was  made  based  on various gemological features that  Koh-I-Noor could have been the other diamond  with the Taj-I-Mah  in  the  collections and not the Darya-I-Nur which  is  a  light  pink  unlike the former  which is  colorless.


Ref:

http://famousdiamonds.tripod.com/famousdiamonds.html

www.internetstones.com/Taj-i-Mah-diamond-famous-jewelry.html