Origin of name
The "Begum Blue" diamond was the property of Princess
Salima Aga Khan (formerly Sarah Croker Poole), the wife of His Royal
Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV. The wife of the Aga Khan was officially
referred to as Her Highness Begum Salima Aga Khan or just as Her Highness
the Begum. The title begum which seems to be of Persian origin, is usually
used to refer to a Muslim woman of high ranking position in the Indian
Sub-continent, that includes India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Thus the name
"Begum Blue" seems to have been inspired by the title Begum associated with
the wife of his highness the Aga Khan.
Characteristics of the
diamond
The "Begum Blue" diamond is a 13.78-carat, fancy deep
blue, heart-shaped diamond of unknown clarity grade. Under the GIA color
grading scale the highest color grade is fancy vivid. The term fancy deep is
not used by the GIA. In all probability therefore the color grading of the
"Begum Blue" diamond is fancy vivid blue according to the GIA color grading
scale.
The "Begum Blue" diamond occupies the 9th position
in the list of known blue diamonds in the world. See table below.
List of known famous
blue diamonds in the world
|
S/N |
Name |
carat weight |
color |
|
1 |
Hope diamond |
45.52 |
fancy dark grayish blue |
|
2 |
Tereschenko |
42.92 |
fancy blue |
|
3 |
Wittelsbach |
35.56 |
fancy intense blue |
|
4 |
Sultan of Morocco |
35.27 |
fancy grayish blue |
|
5 |
The Blue Heart |
30.82 |
fancy intense blue |
|
6 |
The Heart of Eternity |
27.64 |
fancy vivid blue |
|
7 |
Transvaal Blue |
25.00 |
unknown color grade |
|
8 |
The Blue Empress |
14.00 |
unknown color grade |
|
9 |
The Begum Blue |
13.78 |
fancy vivid blue |
|
10 |
The Blue Magic |
12.02 |
fancy vivid blue |
|
11 |
Graff Blue |
6.19 |
fancy blue |
The "Begum Blue" diamond, being a blue diamond is a rare
Type IIb diamond, which constitute less than 0.1 % of all naturally
occurring diamonds. The diamond is Type II because of the absence of
nitrogen impurities or presence of undetectable quantities of nitrogen
impurities. Diamonds that contain detectable quantities of nitrogen
impurities are known as Type I.
The diamond is Type IIb because instead of nitrogen
impurities trace amounts of boron impurities are present, which impart the
blue color to the diamonds. The diamonds also become semi-conducting as
against other diamonds which are non-conducting. It is important to note
that both boron and nitrogen have atomic sizes comparable to that of carbon,
the atoms that constitute the diamond crystal, and as such can be easily
accommodated in the crystal.
Type IIa diamonds are not only free of nitrogen
impurities but also free of all other chemical impurities. They are said to
be chemically pure diamonds.
History
The early history of the diamond such as the country of
origin, mine of origin, date of discovery, original owners of the
diamond, the persons or company involved in the cutting of the diamond, etc
are all unknown. But given the fact that the diamond was not part of the
jewels and jewelry that had remained in the Aga Khan's family for a long
period, but was a recent gift by the Aga Khan to Pricess Salima Aga Khan
after their marriage in 1969, shows that the diamond is of recent origin,
and in all probability had originated in the Premier Diamond Mines of South
Africa, the main source of high quality blue diamonds in the world in the
20th century.
Most of the jewelry gifted by Prince Karim Aga Khan to
his wife Princess Salima Aga Khan, was specially designed for her by the
greatest designers of the world, who had a track record of designing
exquisite jewelry for the famous royal families around the world, such as
Harry Winston, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, Tiffany-Schlumberger,
Boucheron, Buccellati and Marina B. The "Begum Blue" diamond is the
centerpiece of an exquisitely designed diamond pendant necklace, that also
includes 41 other heart-shaped smaller diamonds. A second 16.04-carat,
internally flawless, D-color, heart-shaped diamond is suspended from the
"Begum Blue." The exact designers of this magnificent piece of jewelry have
not been identified, but believed to be one of the above designers.
The collection of jewelry put together by Princess Salima
Aga Khan during her 25 years of marriage to Prince Karim Aga Khan, that
lasted from 1969 to 1994, was said to be one of the most extravagant
collections of jewelry ever assembled. Judging by the value of the gifts
showered on the princess by Prince Karim Aga Khan, the marriage indeed must
have been a happy one, producing three children, Princess Zahra, Prince
Rahim, and Prince Hussain. But, unfortunately the marriage ended up in
divorce in 1995.
Prince Karim Aga Khan IV
Aga Khan IV, whose personal name is Prince Karim al-Husayn
Shah, was the eldest son of Prince Ali Khan by his first first wife Joan
Yarde-Buller, the daughter of the 3rd Baron Churston. Born on December 13,
1936, in Geneva, Switzerland, Prince Karim spent his early years in Kenya
until the end of world war II. Subsequently he received his education at Le
Rosey private school in Switzerland, and later read Islamic history at
Harvard Universsity, where he earned a Bachelor's Degree with honors, in
1959. Even before he completed his education at Harvard, he was chosen as
successor to the Imamate of the Nizari Ismaili sect of Shi'ite Muslims, by
his grandfather Aga Khan III, whom he succeeded after his death in 1957.
During the early period of his reign he visited his
followers scattered in many parts of the world such as Europe. America,
South Asia and Eastern Africa. He advised his followers to acquire
citizenship of the country in which they resided, and to migrate to other
countries wherever they were persecuted. Besides being a spiritual leader
Prince Karim Aga Khan IV is well known for his business acumen. The Aga
Khan is the head of a business empire that includes hotels, airlines,
newspapers, banks etc. The Aga Khan's companies had total sales of $
1.36 billion in the year 2004. Some of the Aga Khan's companies include
Pakistan's leading bank, Habib Bank Ltd., the Serena chain of hotels, which
includes the newly built $ 36 million Serena Hotel in Kabul,
Afghanistan, the newspaper publishing company Nation Media Group Ltd. in
Kenya. Besides the Nation Media the Aga Khan owns stakes in 15 other Kenyan
Companies. Another source of income for the imamate include the tithe of
12.5 % of the annual income, which most of the followers pay
unfailingly each year. Besides, the Aga Khan obtains bank loans, and grants
from Western Governments and aid organizations to finance his international
commitments. In the year 2004, the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED),
invested $ 325 million on various development projects around the world,
mainly in developing countries.
The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, is the
economic arm of the Aga Khan development network, which also includes units
dealing in cultural and social development projects, such as schools and
hospitals. Through this network the Aga Khan supports 325
non-denominational schools, two universities, 11 hospitals, and 195 health
clinics in 30 countries. In recognition of his philanthropy the New York
based Carnegie Corp. awarded the Andrew Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy to
the Aga Khan in October 2005.
Princess Salima Aga Khan
Princess Salima was born as Sarah Croker Poole in Delhi,
India, in 1940, where her father was a serving officer in the sixth lancers,
formerly an Indian Cavalry. Having returned to England in 1946, the family
settled in Berkshire, where they purchased a farm, before moving to London.
In 1958, at the age of 18, Sarah who was also known as Sally was presented
to the Queen of England as a Debutante. One year later at the age of 19 she
married Lord James Crichton Stuart, but separated from him after two years.
Later in the 1960s Sarah took to fashion modeling as a career, a field in
which she proved to be enormously successful, and became one of England's
top fashion models and a celebrity. During the height of her carrier as a
celebrated beauty and successful model she had the privilege of being
photographed by renowned photographers such as Norman Parkinson, Cecil
Beaton and Richard Avedon. She was much sought after for television
commercials and became best known for her Pond's Cold Cream ads.
In the year 1968 her destiny completely changed when she
met for the first time Prince Karim Aga Khan, the fourth Aga Khan and one
of the richest men in the world, at a New Year's eve party at the Palace
Hotel in St. Mortiz. An year later they were married. At the time of her
marriage to the Aga Khan she was 29 and the prince was 33 years of age. She
converted to Islam before her marriage and after the marriage was known as
Her Highness Begum Salima Aga Khan. Begum Salima, adapted herself very well
to her new role as the wife of the Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of 15
million followers of the Nizari Ismaili Sect of Shi'ite Muslims around the
world. She was accorded the same respect and regard that was granted to her
husband by his followers and was held in great esteem by all Ismailis. The
marriage was indeed a happy one and produced many issues. During the 25
years of her married life with the Aga Khan, the Prince showered her with
the most expensive of gifts, and Princess Salima became the owner of one of
the most extravagant collections of jewels and jewelry ever put together.
Divorce and sale of
Princess Salima's collection of jewelry
Unfortunately after 25 years of marriage, Princess Salima
separated from the Aga Khan in the year 1995. After the divorce agreement
was finalized the Princess decided to sell her collection of jewelry. Her
intentions in deciding to dispose of the extravagant collection appeared to
be motivated by her desire to set up a charitable foundation, to help the
less fortunate children of the world. Her line of thinking seemed to be that
jewelry just stacked up in a safe vault would not serve any purpose, but
instead if converted into cash could be better utilized to relieve the
suffering of many unfortunate people around the world, especially the
children. The comments she made to the Hello Magazine in 2002, gives
credence to this statement. "I have only got one pair of years and one neck,
and the sale has enabled me to live a more balanced life."
In the summer of 1995, Princess Salima consigned her
collection of jewelry to Christie's of Geneva, and the jewelry had a
pre-sale estimate of $ 15 million. The date of the auction was fixed for
November 13th, 1995, and wide publicity was given to the sale of the
extravagant collection. However, lawyers representing the Aga Khan filed a
suit in the courts in Switzerland, to stop the sales from going ahead. In a
two week court battle, lawyers of the Aga Khan argued that under the terms
of their clients divorce agreement finalized in march 2005, the bulk of the
Princess' jewelry, had to remain within the Aga Khan's family, unless she
needed to sell them for financial reasons. They argued that the Princess'
financial situation was quite sound as the court had awarded her $ 32
million in cash at the time of her divorce settlement. Besides, they argued
that most of the jewels owned by the Princess were actually family jewelry
that had remained in the Aga Khan's family for generations. The Aga Khan's
lawyers got a provisional ruling in October, 2005, suspending the auctions,
until the final determination of the case.
At subsequent hearings more arguments followed both in
favor of the Princess's claims and that of the Aga Khan. The lawyers of the
Aga Khan argued that under the divorce agreement the Aga Khan was given
the first option to buy certain items. The court gave the final ruling on
Thursday, November 10th, 2005, just two days before the auction was due to
take place. According to the court ruling out of more than 250 pieces
of jewelry that were to be put up for sale on November 13th, 2007, 23 lots
were to be withdrawn from the auction, and sold to the Aga Khan. The court
determined that the remaining pieces of jewelry were actually gifts given to
the Princess by the Aga Khan, and as such she was free to dispose of them
as she pleases.
The order of the court had a minimal bearing on the sale
as most of the valuable pieces of jewelry still remained as the Princess'
legal property. Francois Curiel, the Director of Christie's International
Jewelry Department, said that this was the first time in his 25 years as a
jewelry specialist at Christie's, that they were offering such a complete
and magnificent jewelry collection for sale. The jewels were reported to be
the most extravagant and lavish collection to hit the international auction
market since the Duchess of Windsor's jewels were auctioned in Geneva in
1987. The sale of the diamond took place at the Richmond Hotel in Geneva, on
November 13th, 1995.
Sale of the Begum Blue
diamond
The highlight of the sale was the 13.78-carat,
heart-shaped, fancy deep blue, Begum Blue diamond, the centerpiece of an
extraordinary necklace that comprised of only heart-shaped diamonds that
numbered up to 41, plus another 16.04-carat, heart-shaped, D-color diamond
suspended from the Begum Blue. The pre-sale estimate of this unique necklace
was $ 7 million, and intense interest was shown on the necklace by
buyers from all parts of the world. However, the successful bidder for this
necklace was Laurence Graff, the Chairman of the London-based Graff
Diamonds, who purchased the necklace for $ 7.8 million.
Other highlights of the sale included a 4.37-carat blue
diamond ring by Boucheron, which was purchased by the SIBA Corporation of
Hong Kong for $ 2.5 million, setting a world record per carat price for a
blue diamond. Another Van Cleef diamond ring was purchased by a U.S. buyer
for $ 1.75 million, which was more than four times the pre-sale estimate. An
aquamarine torsade necklace that was only estimated at around $ 2,600, sold
for over $ 13,000, which was more than five times the estimated value. Some
of the pieces sold at prices up to eight times their original estimate. The
total amount realized by the sale of the magnificent jewels was $ 27.68
million, almost $ 12 million more than the pre-sale estimate.
Princess Salima is now a child welfare activist, and a
prominent supporter of the charity SOS children.
History of the Nizari
Ismaili sect of Shi'ite Islam
The Aga Khan is the spiritual head of over 15 million
Muslims of the Ismaili Sect found mainly in East Africa, Pakistan, India,
and the Yemen. The Ismailis are a sect of the Shia Branch of Islam that
originated in the 8th century A.D. The sixth Imam or spiritual successor
to the Prophet, recognized by the followers of Shia Islam, was Imam Ja'far
Ibn Muhammad, who lived in the 8th century. When Imam Ja'far Ibn Muhammad
died in 765 A.D. only a minority of his followers accepted his eldest son
Ismail as his successor, and these followers came to be known as Ismailis.
A majority of Shiite Muslims accepted the younger son of Imam Ja'far, Musa
al Kazim as the seventh Imam or spiritual successor to the Prophet
Muhammad, and the succession was believed to continue through him up to
the 12th and final Imam. This is the largest sect of Shia Islam and they
came to be known as the Ithna Ashariya or Twelvers. The Ismailis on the
other hand believed that the Imamate continued in the line of Fatimid
Caliphs.
The first caliph of the Fatimid Dynasty, who claimed
their descent from the Prophet through his daughter Fatima, was
Ubayd Allah, who established himself in Tunis in year 909 A.D. The
Fatimids conquered Egypt in the year 969 A.D. and set up their capital in
Cairo, from where their dynasty ruled their vast empire that included
north Africa, Sicily, the Red Sea coast of Africa, Syria, Palestine, the
Yemen and the Hejaz, which also included the Holy Cities of Mecca and
Medina. During their brilliant rule of 200 years they are credited with
the founding of the city of Cairo with its citadels and mosques of great
architectural value, and the setting up of a mosque and seminary complex
known as the Al-Azhar which eventually turned out to become the Al-Azhar
University. Even though the Fatimids were Ismaili Shiites, the bulk of the
population they ruled for over 200 years remained Sunni Muslims.
The Ismaili Sect split into two factions in 1094, again
over the issue of succession, after the death of the Fatimid Caliph al-Mustansir
in 1094. The Egyptian Ismailis recognized his younger son al-Musta'li as
the successor, but the Ismailis of Iran and Syria upheld the claims of his
older son Nizar as his successor. Thus the Ismaili sect broke into two
sub-sects known as the Nizari sub-sect and the Musta'li sub-sect. The
Nizari Ismaili sect of Iran and Syria became a powerful force in 1094
under the leadership of Hassan-e Sabbah with their headquarters at the
great fortress of Alamut. Hassan-e Sabbah is believed to be the founder of
the order known as Hashshashin from which the English term Assassin was
derived to refer to a person who murders a politically important person.
The assassins adopted the policy of eliminating important political
leaders of their enemies the Abbasids, to achieve their political ends.
The Assassins power lasted until the 13th century, when in 1256 Alamut was
captured by the Mongols.
History of the Agha
Khan family
The Nizari Ismaili sect survived in Iran, and in the
early 19th century Hasan Ali Shah became the Imam or spiritual leader of
the sect. The Imam was held in high esteem by the Qajar ruler of Iran Fath
Ali Shah, who appointed him as the Governor of the province of Kerman.
Fath Ali Shah later conferred on him the title of "Aga Khan", meaning the
"Chief Commander" in the year 1818. After the death of Fath Ali Shah in
1834, Muhammad Shah ascended the throne as the new Shah of Iran. Under
Muhammad Shah's rule misunderstandings developed between the Aga Khan and
the Shah. In 1838, the Aga Khan felt that his family honor was slighted
and rose in revolt against the Shah but was defeated and fled to India,
where he settled in Bombay. The Aga Khan I died in 1881 at the age of 81
years, and was succeeded by his eldest son Ali Shah as Aga Khan II, the
Imam or spiritual leader of the Nizari Ismaili sect of Shi'ite Muslims.
However his Imamate was short as he died in 1885 just four years after
succeeding to the exalted office. During this short period he sought to
improve the conditions of his community.
After the death of Aga Khan II, his only son Sultan
Muhammad Shah succeeded him as the Imam of the Nizari Ismaili sect at the
age of eight years. The young Aga Khan, under the care of his mother,who
hailed from the ruling family of Iran, was given a broad based education
that combined both Islamic and Western traditions, that laid the
foundation for his great achievements in the future as an international
statesman and diplomat. The young Aga Khan matured into an energetic
leader who guided the destinies of his community with great distinction.
But the scope of his mission widened and eventually he became a leader of
the entire Muslim community of India. In 1906, he was the leader of the
Muslim deputation, that made representations to the British Viceroy on
matters affecting the community, that eventually led to the creation of
separate Muslim electorates. Later he was unanimously elected as president
of the All India Muslim League, during its early years, and is credited
with initiating the process that led to the elevation of the Muslim
College at Aligarh to University Status in 1920. Between the years 1930
and 1932, the Aga Khan played an active part in the Round Table Conference
held in London on Indian Constitutional Reforms. His other international
diplomatic assignments included the representation of the Indian
Government at the World Disarmament Conference held in Geneva in 1932, and
at the League of Nations Assembly from 1932 to 1937. The climax of his
diplomatic career came in 1937, when he was appointed the President of the
League of Nations. After world war II he withdrew from political activity,
and concentrated only on the affairs of his community as their spiritual
leader.
The climax of Sultan Sir Muhammad Shah Aga Khan IIIs
imamate came in March 1946, when the members of his community organized a
reception for him at the Brabourne Stadium in Bombay attended by more than
100,000 thousand of his followers, in order to show their appreciation for
his spiritual guidance, and to express their allegiance to his leadership.
At this grand and magnificent ceremony the Aga Khan wearing a silk coat
and blue turban sat on a brocade chair that was connected to a scale which
was subsequently loaded with boxes full of diamonds, until the scale
tipped, when the diamonds were equivalent in weight to 243.5 pounds the
Aga Khan's weight. The boxes of diamonds were later presented to the Aga
Khan, as a gift by his followers in India, to mark the 60th anniversary of
his role as spiritual leader. The Aga Khan was gracious enough to accept
this novel and priceless gift, but returned it to the organizers with his
blessings, advising them to use the money realized from the sale of the
diamonds for the betterment of his followers.
Sultan Sir Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III died at the age
of 80 years in 1957, and was succeeded by his grandson Prince Karim Aga
Khan IV, the present spiritual leader.
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