Koh-i-Noor diamond – Artful Gems

The Koh-i-Noor diamond is 186 carats of colorful gem history. It is known as the mysterious and terrible stone of emperors. Its name which means “mountain of light” in Persian, is the perfect example of a cursed gem. The diamond has been owned by many over the years, many who have lost their empires and their lives. It is said that the curse is on men who owned it dating as far back as 1306. The diamond was passed from ruling family to ruling family in India, Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan after much fighting and bloodshed. After the end of the Second Anglo-Sikh War and the annexation of the Kingdom of Punjab, its Maharaj’s assets were seized by the English crown.

The story goes that after the British East India Company took possession of the diamond aboard one of its ships, cholera took hold and killed many on board. After it arrived in England, Queen Victoria was attacked as her carriage rode through the gates of the palace. In July 1850, the country’s prime minister Robert Peel died after he fell from his horse and was trampled underfoot. All of these were attributed to the arrival of the diamond at the time.

Although the Queen suffered an accident, most believe that only men are cursed by the stone, not women, and so only women have worn the diamond. And, a Hindu text from the time of Koh-i-Noor’s first authenticated appearance in 1306 states that the stone carries a curse lethal to male owners. It read: “Only God or a woman can wear it with impunity.” The stone was eventually set on the crown of England’s Queen Mary in 1911 and then the crown of the Queen Mother in 1937 for her coronation .

This notorious history did not deter the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Bhutto, to ask for its return in a letter to James Callaghan. He reminded Callaghan that it should be returned because it is an “asset(s) to which we were entitled upon the termination of British rule.” Advisers to Mr. Callaghan pointed out that the “1849 Treaty of Lahore, drawn up by Lord Dalhousie to formalize British rule in Punjab, contained a clause formally surrendering the Koh-i-Noor to “the Queen of England”.

Today, it remains on the Queen Mother‘s Crown which is now on public display in the Tower of London.

For an in depth story of the diamond, visit Smithsonianmag.com.

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