Details
A MAGNIFICENT HISTORICAL DIAMOND
A MAGNIFICENT UNMOUNTED PEAR-SHAPED DIAMOND
Weighing 78.86 carats
With certificate 8654447 dated 8/9/1995 from the Gemological Institute of America stating that the diamond is D colour, VS1 clarity, accompanied by a working diagram indicating that it is improvable
Estimate on request
Ahmadabad, the capital of the State of Gujarat, is situated 275 miles north of Bombay on the Sabarmati river. Its ancient architectural glories offer a contrast to the hectic activities of the mills and factories. Ahmadabad has been for many years an important centre for silk and cotton goods upon which about one half of its population depend for a living.
The city has also for long been a centre for trading and cutting diamonds, both of which are still pursued today. One visitor to Ahmadabad in the 17th Century was the celebrated French traveller and historian, Jean Baptiste Tavernier who, within the space of forty years, undertook six expeditions to the East. In chapter XXII of Part II of his "Travels in India", Tavernier described some of the notable diamonds and rubies which he had seen during the course of his travels in Europe and Asia, often illustrating them with drawings. Under Fig. No. 4 (see illustration) Tavernier wrote:
"No. 4 represents a diamond which I bought at Ahmadabad for one of my friends. It weighed 178 ratis, or 157 1/4 of our carats".
Under Fig. 5 (see illustration) Tavernier stated that it:
"represents the shape of the above mentioned diamond after it had been cut on both sides. Its weight was then 94 1/2 carats, the water being perfect. The flat side, where there were two flaws at the base, was as thin as a sheet of thick paper. When I had the stone cut I had all this thin portion removed, together with a part of the point above, where a small speck of flaw still remains".
Diamonds in the rough are often found in unusual shapes, perhaps not often as bizarre as the one portrayed under Fig. 4; therefore, it is not surprising that Tavernier felt impelled to give a short description of the process of cutting which ultimately led to the briolette shape of the cut gem. Among his drawings, this is the sole instance of Tavernier supplying drawings of both the rough and polished states of a diamond.
The diamond presumably was cut in Ahmadabad: after that its history is not known for sure. Who was the friend for whom Tavernier purchased the diamond? The most likely person was his sovereign, Louis XIV, of France, to whom he had sold several diamonds which included two briolettes. But there has never been any reference to a diamond such as the 'Ahmadabad' entering the Crown Jewels of France. Others, including Edwin Streeter, the author of two books on celebrated diamonds, have indicated that the diamond may have found its way to Persia via one of the numerous ports of Gujarat which served as a gateway to the Persian Gulf and Arabia, but no trace of it has been found among the Iranian Crown Jewels.
A 'friend' is an unlikely epithet to apply to the mighty Aurengzeb, the sixth and last of the Mughal Emperors, whose long reign extended from 1659 to 1707, and who, in addition to being a devout Muslim, was a noted collector of diamonds. It is more probable that the 'friend' may have been one of the Emperor's courtisans, which would suggest that this diamond may have never left the east. This would lend substance to reports that the 'Ahmadabad' had at one period belonged to the Begum, Hazrat Mahal, the wife of King Wajid Ali Shah of Oudh, who had been exiled to Calcutta by the British following his refusal to sign a treaty of abdication at the time of the Indian Mutiny of 1857. The Begum was a beautiful woman and an outspoken rebel leader at the time of the Mutiny. When British forces regained control after the rebellion, she was obliged to flee Nepal where, it is said, she traded the diamond in return for her life.
It is surely unlikely that a diamond such as the 'Ahmadabad' has completely disappeared. It should be noted that the weight of the present diamond, is lighter than that of the recorded weight of 90.50 carats of the 'Ahmadabad'; however, such a reduction may be explained by its transformation from a briolette to a pear-shape. But of greater significance is the fact that this gem possesses a minor flaw in the culet. Is it not probable that this is one of the two small specks of flaw which Tavernier stated had remained after the cutting had taken place? Therefore, it is likely that this splendid diamond, besides possessing an inherent beauty, found in the finest diamonds from India, is also a long lost historic gem.
Ian Balfour, Lord of Inchrye
A MAGNIFICENT UNMOUNTED PEAR-SHAPED DIAMOND
Weighing 78.86 carats
With certificate 8654447 dated 8/9/1995 from the Gemological Institute of America stating that the diamond is D colour, VS1 clarity, accompanied by a working diagram indicating that it is improvable
Estimate on request
Ahmadabad, the capital of the State of Gujarat, is situated 275 miles north of Bombay on the Sabarmati river. Its ancient architectural glories offer a contrast to the hectic activities of the mills and factories. Ahmadabad has been for many years an important centre for silk and cotton goods upon which about one half of its population depend for a living.
The city has also for long been a centre for trading and cutting diamonds, both of which are still pursued today. One visitor to Ahmadabad in the 17th Century was the celebrated French traveller and historian, Jean Baptiste Tavernier who, within the space of forty years, undertook six expeditions to the East. In chapter XXII of Part II of his "Travels in India", Tavernier described some of the notable diamonds and rubies which he had seen during the course of his travels in Europe and Asia, often illustrating them with drawings. Under Fig. No. 4 (see illustration) Tavernier wrote:
"No. 4 represents a diamond which I bought at Ahmadabad for one of my friends. It weighed 178 ratis, or 157 1/4 of our carats".
Under Fig. 5 (see illustration) Tavernier stated that it:
"represents the shape of the above mentioned diamond after it had been cut on both sides. Its weight was then 94 1/2 carats, the water being perfect. The flat side, where there were two flaws at the base, was as thin as a sheet of thick paper. When I had the stone cut I had all this thin portion removed, together with a part of the point above, where a small speck of flaw still remains".
Diamonds in the rough are often found in unusual shapes, perhaps not often as bizarre as the one portrayed under Fig. 4; therefore, it is not surprising that Tavernier felt impelled to give a short description of the process of cutting which ultimately led to the briolette shape of the cut gem. Among his drawings, this is the sole instance of Tavernier supplying drawings of both the rough and polished states of a diamond.
The diamond presumably was cut in Ahmadabad: after that its history is not known for sure. Who was the friend for whom Tavernier purchased the diamond? The most likely person was his sovereign, Louis XIV, of France, to whom he had sold several diamonds which included two briolettes. But there has never been any reference to a diamond such as the 'Ahmadabad' entering the Crown Jewels of France. Others, including Edwin Streeter, the author of two books on celebrated diamonds, have indicated that the diamond may have found its way to Persia via one of the numerous ports of Gujarat which served as a gateway to the Persian Gulf and Arabia, but no trace of it has been found among the Iranian Crown Jewels.
A 'friend' is an unlikely epithet to apply to the mighty Aurengzeb, the sixth and last of the Mughal Emperors, whose long reign extended from 1659 to 1707, and who, in addition to being a devout Muslim, was a noted collector of diamonds. It is more probable that the 'friend' may have been one of the Emperor's courtisans, which would suggest that this diamond may have never left the east. This would lend substance to reports that the 'Ahmadabad' had at one period belonged to the Begum, Hazrat Mahal, the wife of King Wajid Ali Shah of Oudh, who had been exiled to Calcutta by the British following his refusal to sign a treaty of abdication at the time of the Indian Mutiny of 1857. The Begum was a beautiful woman and an outspoken rebel leader at the time of the Mutiny. When British forces regained control after the rebellion, she was obliged to flee Nepal where, it is said, she traded the diamond in return for her life.
It is surely unlikely that a diamond such as the 'Ahmadabad' has completely disappeared. It should be noted that the weight of the present diamond, is lighter than that of the recorded weight of 90.50 carats of the 'Ahmadabad'; however, such a reduction may be explained by its transformation from a briolette to a pear-shape. But of greater significance is the fact that this gem possesses a minor flaw in the culet. Is it not probable that this is one of the two small specks of flaw which Tavernier stated had remained after the cutting had taken place? Therefore, it is likely that this splendid diamond, besides possessing an inherent beauty, found in the finest diamonds from India, is also a long lost historic gem.
Ian Balfour, Lord of Inchrye