The Akbar Shāh, also known as the "Lustre of the Peacock Throne", is a diamond dating back to the Mughal dynasty of India. It is an irregular, pear-shaped diamond with a light green hue, weighing 73.60 carat. The names of three Mughal emperors

Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

Jahangir Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Ear ...

and

Shah Jahan Shihab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), better known by his regnal name Shah Jahan I (; ), was the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from January 1628 until July 1658. Under his emperorship, the Mugha ...

were elegantly listed on its sides, which makes it prominent

History

The Akbar Shāh diamond was found in the famed mines around Golconda Fort, Golconda, and is thus part of the group of stones collectively known as the Golconda diamonds. The Akbar Shah was once the property of the Mughal emperor

, hence its name. It was engraved on two faces with inscriptions in Arabic, by order of his grandson

Shāh Jahān Shihab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), better known by his regnal name Shah Jahan I (; ), was the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from January 1628 until July 1658. Under his emperorship, the Mugha ...

. The English translation of them is ''Shāh Akbar, the Shāh of the World, 1028'' and ''To the Lord of two worlds, 1039''. The dates are given according to the Hijrī years, and correspond to 1618 and 1629 of the Christian era. It is believed by some historians that this celebrated gem was set as one of the eyes of the peacock in the fabulous Peacock Throne. However, other scholars suggest the possibility of it being the dazzling diamonds encircled by emeralds and rubies, suspended opposite the throne. In any case, the diamond disappeared. If it had been set in the Peacock Throne it would have disappeared when the

Afsharid Afsharid Iran ( fa, ایران افشاری), also referred as the Afsharid Empire was an Iranian empire established by the Turkoman Afshar tribe in Iran's north-eastern province of Khorasan, ruling Iran (Persia). The state was ruled by the ...

Persian Emperor Nādir Shāh seized the throne along with other plundered treasures in 1739. The throne was lost on its way back to Iran in a battle with Kurds, who broke it up for the value of the metal and stones. The stone eventually reappeared in Turkey, where it had been given the new name 'Shepherd's Stone'. It was then purchased in 1866 in Istanbul by London merchant George Blogg, who commissioned Levi Moses Auerhaan to re-cut it into drop-form. Unfortunately the historic inscriptions were destroyed in the process. The stone, which had originally weighed 120 Arabic carats (about 119 metric carats 23 g), had been reduced to 73.60 metric carats (14.34 g). In the following year, the diamond was purchased by

Malhar Rao Gaekwad Malhar Rao Gaekwad was the eleventh Maharaja of Baroda State reigning from 1870 to 1875. He was the sixth son of Sayaji Rao Gaekwad II and became Maharaja of Baroda after the death of his elder brother, Malhar Rao -I Gaekwad. Reign Malhar Rao s ...

of Baroda, India, for what was said to have been 350,000 rupees (about £26,000). In 1926, the new ruler of Baroda, Sayājī Rāo Gaekwāḑ III, had

Jacques Cartier Jacques Cartier ( , also , , ; br, Jakez Karter; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French-Breton maritime explorer for France. Jacques Cartier was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of th ...

reset the stone in platinum, along with the rest of his jewelry collection; the new metal was becoming more fashionable than gold. The diamond, along with other world-famous diamonds like the

Star of the South The Star of the South, also known as 'Limar', is a diamond found in Brazil in July 1853. The diamond is cut into a cushion shape and weighs . The Star of the South is graded as a type IIa diamond, with a color grading of fancy light pinkish-br ...

and the Empress Eugénie, was in the list of properties disclosed in wealth tax returns of the late Fātehsinh Rāo Gaekwāḑ, dated 31 March 1988. Later his wife, Shanta Devi, also mentioned the diamond in her wealth tax returns. It is uncertain whether the stone is still in the family's possession or has been sold, similar to the Star of the South.

References

{{Reflist Jewels of the Mughal Empire Baroda State Golconda diamonds History of India History of Iran

History

See also

Further reading

References