Origin of Name :-
Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, the renowned French traveler
and jeweler of the 17th-century, began traveling at the age of 15 years
in 1620, and completed his travels in December 1668 after his sixth and
final voyage to India. He was 63 years old when he completed all his
travels, and began writing his travelogues after settling in Aubonne,
Geneva. Thus he had traveled for 48 years, with periods of short breaks
in-between voyages, during which period he disposed of the diamonds and
other precious stones he purchased from the east, particularly India,
and purchased gemstones and jewelry found in the west, for which there
was a great demand in the east. However, even during these periods
between voyages, he had hardly any time to rest, as he was constantly on
the move in Europe, looking for prospective royal customers who would
purchase his diamonds. Thus, it would not be incorrect to say that
Tavernier was on the move for almost 48 years fro 1620 to 1668, when he
finally decided to settle down in Geneva. Tavernier was indeed an
indefatigable traveler, whose movements could not be halted until he was
quite old and could not continue any further. The success of his travels
was mainly due to two reasons. One, was the combination of his business
interests with his travels, that generated sufficient funds to sustain
his travels. The second was the god-given natural immunity against
diseases that he inherited, which enabled him to move from country to
country, even through regions where there were disease outbreaks,
without being seriously affected. While there were several instances
when people who accompanied him from France, succumbed to infectious
diseases, and died, and were buried in different countries, Tavernier
continued regardless and was never affected or incapacitated by any
serious illness. Some of the scourges that could have caused certain
death at that time, were small pox, plague, cholera, typhoid and
malaria, that were prevalent in the countries he visited. But,
fortunately Tavernier was never affected by any one of these serious
sicknesses, during his 48-year period of travel, and thus he lived long
to relate his first hand experiences.
Tavernier, a traveller wearing a Moghul dress.The Six Voyages of Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, published in 1679.
During his sixth and final voyage to Persia and
India, from 1663 to 1668, Tavernier had the rare privilege of not only
being given a special audience by the mighty Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb,
at the latter's own request, in order inspect whatever precious stones
and other valuables, he had on offer for sale, with a view of purchasing
them, but also the opportunity and honor to inspect the Emperor's own
jewels, after the annual celebrations held to fete the Emperor on his
birthday. The Emperor's valuable collection consisted of diamonds,
including the "Great Moghul Diamond," emeralds, rubies and pearls, both
unmounted as well as set in jewelry. Tavernier, gave a faithful account
of the jewels he had inspected at the Mughal court, in his book Le
Six Voyages de J. B. Tavernier- The Six Voyages of J. B. Tavernier,
published in 1676, and translated into English by Dr. C. V. Ball in
1889. This webpage is especially dedicated to the pearls which Tavernier
had the privilege of examining at Aurangzeb's court on November 10,
1665.
Tavernier's Sixth and
Last Voyage to India
The first leg of his
journey by ship from Marseilles to Izmir in Turkey, and then overland to
Bandar Abbas via Yerevan, Tabriz, and Isfahan, and by ship again from
Bandar Abbas to Surat in western India
Tavernier set out from Paris on his sixth voyage, on
November 27, 1663, and unlike his previous voyages, was accompanied by a
larger team of assistants, that included besides his young nephew, the
son of Maurice Tavernier and a helper, three other specialists, a
surgeon, a goldsmith and a horologist. On this last voyage, he carried
precious stones and jewelry worth 400,000 livres. The route which he took
for his onward journey to Surat in India, was the same as the fifth
voyage. He embarked on a ship at Marseilles on January 10, 1664, and
sailing through the Mediterranean reached the Anatolian port city of Izmir (Smyrna), on April 25, 1664.
After resting for about two weeks in Smyrna, the team set off on June 9,
1664, with a caravan to Tabriz in northwest Persia, through Yerevan in
Armenia. After the long overland journey, that lasted three months, they
reached Yerevan on September 14, 1664, and then Tabriz on November 9,
1664. At Tabriz, the team suffered a set back, as two of their members,
the goldsmith and the horologist, died probably due to sickness caused
by fatigue. After, leaving his young nephew under the care of the
Superior of the Capuchin Convent at Tabriz, Tavernier continued with his
journey on November 22, 1664, with the remaining two members of his
team, until they reached Isfahan, the capital of Persia, on December 14,
1664. Shah Abbas II, on hearing of his arrival in Isfahan, invited
Tavernier to his court, as on his previous journey in 1657. The Shah who
had previously purchased jewels from Tavernier, was interested in
finding out what he had to offer this time. Shah Abbas finally purchased
several pieces of jewelry and precious stones, valued at 3,900 tomans,
equivalent to 13,455 British pounds. The transactions were carried out
to the fullest satisfaction of the Shah, who awarded him with a robe of
honor and a turban, and granted him special favors, such as exemption
from duty for the sales conducted in Persia, special treatment for all
Frenchmen arriving in Persia, and his nephew left behind in Tabriz to be
brought under the Shah's mantle of protection. Tavernier, then left
Isfahan for Bandar Abbas on February 24, 1665, reaching the port city in
the first week of April, from where he boarded a Dutch ship bound for
Surat in western India, which he reached on May 5, 1665.
Tavernier is invited
to Emperor Aurangzeb's court at Jahanabad as soon as he lands in Surat,
and proceeds immediately to keep his appointment with the emperor
Soon after Tavernier arrived in Surat, he was
summoned to the office of the Mughal Governor to be given a special
message from the mighty Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, who had invited him to
his court in Jahanabad with his jewels, so that he would be the first to
inspect them, and make any purchases if he so desired. But, Tavernier
had promised Shaista Khan, the Governor of Bengal, and the uncle of
Emperor Aurangzeb, that he would bring the jewels first to him, before
any others had a chance of seeing them. However, since this request had
come directly from the mighty Emperor himself, Tavernier was left with
little choice, but to comply with the request. Thus, he left immediately
to Jahanabad via Agra, reaching his destination on September 12, 1665.
He then visited the Emperor's court carrying with him presents for the
Emperor and his nobles. Emperor Aurangzeb who was impressed by some
of the jewels brought by Tavernier, purchased them at prices favorable
to the latter. He was also able to sell some of the jewels to Ja'far
Khan, the uncle of the Emperor. However, he declined to sell one large
pearl in which Ja'far Khan was interested, as his offer was Rupees
10,000 less than what Tavernier had wanted.
Aurangzeb, Last of the Great Mogul Emperors
Emperor Aurangzeb
requests Tavernier to postpone his departure from Jahanabad until the
end of his annual birthday celebrations, and promises to order his
treasury officials to show him his valuable jewels after the event
Having remained in Jahanabad enjoying the hospitality
of Emperor Aurangzeb, Tavernier again appeared in court on November 1,
1665, in order to take leave of the Emperor before departing from Jahanabad. Around this time intense preparations were taking place to
celebrate the birthday of the Emperor, traditionally held every year.
The five-day event was to be held from November 4th to 9th, 1665. The
Emperor requested Tavernier to stay on for a few more days, so that he
could witness this grand annual event. He further said that if Tavernier
would postpone his departure, immediately after the festival, he would
order his treasury officials to show him all his valuable jewels.
Tavernier accepted the Emperor's suggestion without any hesitation, as
he considered it a special honor conferred upon him, and also gave him a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to inspect the royal jewels of the Mughal
emperors.
The Emperor's birthday celebrations
an important occasion in the annual calendar of events
The celebration of the Emperor's birthday is an
important event traditionally held every year. On this day according to
age-old traditions, the Emperor is weighed, in front of his nobles and
other invited guests; and if the weight registered exceeds that of the
previous year, the rejoicing by his subjects will be much greater, than
if his weight remains stable or is less than the previous year. After
the Emperor has been weighed he is conducted to the Peacock Throne,
believed to be the most extravagant throne created in the history of
mankind, where he seats himself, prior to receiving the greetings and
salutations of his nobility, the governors, ladies of the court and
other distinguished citizens. They also lavish expensive gifts on the
Emperor, that include diamonds, rubies, emeralds, pearls, gold and
silver, and other items such as rich carpets, brocades of gold and
silver, and important animals used by the royalty, such as elephants,
camels and horses. Tavernier, estimates the value of the presents
received by the Emperor on this occasion to be more than 30,000,000
livres.
Preparations for the
birthday celebrations commence at least two months before the event
Covering of the
two large open courts of the palace with tents
The actual preparation for the annual event commenced
about two months earlier, on September 7, 1665. The first step in the
preparation was the covering of the two large open courts of the
palace with tents, the awnings covering the great space being made of
red velvet embroidered with gold, which was so heavy that the poles
erected to support them were of the size of a ship's mast. Some of these
poles were about 35 to 40 feet in height, and there were 38 such poles,
supporting the canopy of the first court. The poles closer to the hall
were covered with plates of gold with the thickness of a ducat (an old
European gold coin). The other poles were covered with silver plates of
the same thickness.
The seven
gem-studded thrones in the palace of which the principal throne is the
renowned Peacock throne
The principal throne known as the Peacock Throne with
dimensions of 6 feet by 4 feet and a canopy, was placed in the hall of
the first court, and the value of all the diamonds, rubies, emeralds,
pearls, gold and silver incorporated on this throne, was estimated to be
around 1070 lakhs of rupees
(107,000,000 - 107 million rupees or 107 corores of rupees),
equivalent to 160,500,000 livres at the rate of 2/3 of a rupee to the
livre. Apart from the principal throne there are six other magnificent
thrones in the emperor's court. Each of these thrones were wholly
covered with a single type of precious stones; one with diamonds
only, others with any one of the following precious stones, like
emeralds, rubies, pearls etc. A smaller throne without a canopy, oval in
shape and covered with diamonds and pearls, was placed behind the
Peacock throne. The other five thrones were arranged in a superb hall in
another court, four of them occupying the corners of a square and the
fifth placed in the middle.
Special enclosures
reserved for the commanders of the army, and principal officers of the
emperor's body guard, and for singers and dances performing at the
festival
A special tent on the right hand of the first court
was to be used for the accommodation of the singers and dancers who
would perform at the festival while the Emperor was seated on the throne. Another tent on the left hand of the
court, was for the accommodation of the commanders of the army, and the
principal officers of the Emperor's bodyguard and the Emperor's household. While
the Emperor remains seated on his throne, 30 horses were to be kept
bridled, fifteen on one side and fifteen on the other each held by two
men. The narrow bridles were encrusted with diamonds, rubies, emeralds,
pearls or gold coins. A bunch of beautiful feathers was placed on the
head of each horse between the ears, and a small cushion on the back,
embroidered with gold. A fine jewel such as a diamond, ruby, or emerald
was suspended from the neck of every horse.
Inspection of
elephants by the Emperor
Halfway through the program seven of the Emperor's
best elephants, trained for war, were to be brought for his inspection,
and one of these elephants was to have its howdah ready on its back, in
case the emperor expressed a desire to mount one of them. The elephants
were dressed with housings of brocade, with chains of gold and silver
about their necks. Four of the elephants carried the royal standard upon
their backs, carried by men mounted on them. The elephants were brought
one after the other, to a distance of 40 to 50 paces in front of the
Emperor, and when the elephant was directly opposite the throne, it
saluted His Majesty, by touching the ground with its trunk, and then
lifting it above its head three times, trumpeting aloud on each
occasion. The leader of these elephants, a favorite of the Emperor, was
a large and well-fed animal, that has been allocated a sum of rupees 500
per month for its expenses. The animal was fed with the best of foods,
sugar and also spirits.
Greeting of the
emperor, by his nobles and governors and the presentation of valuable
gifts
After the inspection of the elephants, the Emperor
rose from his throne and accompanied by three or four of his eunuchs,
entered his harem by a small door, behind the oval-shaped throne. After
spending about half-an-hour in his harem, the Emperor came out
accompanied by the eunuchs, and proceeding towards the five smaller
thrones described earlier, occupied the middle throne. While he is
seated on this throne, the nobles, the governors, and other
distinguished personalities, came to pay their respects, and gave their
valuable gifts to the emperor.
Emperor Aurangzeb
keeps his promise and orders all his valuable jewels to be shown to
Tavernier
The Emperor invites
Tavernier to his court on November 10, 1665 in order to show him his
valuable jewels as promised earlier
The Emperor's birthday celebrations were completed on
November 9, 1665, and as promised, the very next day in the morning, the
Emperor sent some of his officials to bring Tavernier to his court.
After Tavernier arrived at the court, the two custodians of the royal
jewels accompanied him to see His Majesty the Emperor, who ordered the
custodians to show the royal jewels to Tavernier. The two custodians
conducted Tavernier to a small enclosure at one end of the hall, where
the Emperor was seated on his throne, and from where he could see what
went on at the other end. Ākil Khān, Chief of the jewel
treasury, had been instructed by the Emperor to oversee this special
exposition, and was seated inside the enclosure. He ordered four of the
eunuchs to bring the jewels, which were brought in, placed inside two
large wooden trays lacquered with gold leaf and covered with cloth, one
made of red and other green brocaded velvet.
The first jewels to
be shown to Tavernier was his collection of diamonds and diamond jewelry
After the trays were brought in and placed on the
table in front of them, Ākil Khān took the pieces wrapped in cloth one
by one, and after unveiling them placed it on the hands of Tavernier.
When Tavernier had inspected the piece and made relevant records
pertaining to it, he returned it to Ākil Khān, who again securely
wrapped it back in the same cloth and placed it aside. He then unwrapped
another piece and placed it on the hands of Tavernier. This was repeated
until Tavernier had inspected all the pieces and made records of
information on each piece. The first piece that Tavernier had the
privilege of inspecting was the famous great Moghul diamond, a round
rose-cut diamond with a steep pavilion, a common diamond cut of the 16th
and 17th centuries. The diamond had a small notch at its basal margin
and a minor flaw inside. Otherwise its water was beautiful and the
diamond weighed 319½ ratis, which was equivalent to
280 carats. One rati = 7/8 carat = 0.875 carat. Thus 319.5 ratis = 319.5
x 0.875 = 279.56 = 280 carats (approx.). This stone was actually
presented in its rough form by Mir Jumla, to Emperor Shah Jahan. The
rough diamond was then the largest rough diamond ever discovered in the
Golconda mines, and weighed 900 ratis equivalent to 787.5 carats (900 x
0.875 = 787.5). Emperor Aurangzeb entrusted the Venetian diamond cutter
Hortensio Borgio, with the cutting of the rough diamond, and eventually
when the task was completed the rough stone had been reduced to a
rose-cut diamond weighing only 280 carats, with a loss of over 500
carats. The Emperor who saw the finished product was highly disappointed
and reproached Hortensio Borgio for spoiling the stone, with a great
loss of weight. The Emperor instead of paying Borgio for his work, fined
him rupees ten thousand for his carelessness. Tavernier himself
criticized Hortensio Borgio for his work, accusing him of not being an
accomplished diamond cutter, wasting a lot of time and energy in
grinding the stone, and eventually turning out a sub-standard product.
After Tavernier had examined the Great Moghul diamond
and returned it to Ākil Khān, he brought out another diamond
much smaller than the first, weighing only 62.5 ratis, equivalent to 55
carats. This stone had perfect pear-shape, and was of fine water,
another way of expressing its ideal color and clarity. He then showed
three table-cut diamonds, two of them very clear and of fine water, and
the third with some little black spots, and weighing between 55 to 60
ratis (48 to 52 carats). The next piece brought out by Ākil Khān
was a piece of jewelry set with 12 rose-cut diamonds, each stone
weighing between 15 to 16 ratis (13 to 14 carats). The centerpiece of
this jewel was a heart-shaped rose-cut diamond of good water, with three
small flaws, and weighing about 35 to 40 ratis (31 to 35 carats).
Following this was another piece of diamond jewelry set with 17
diamonds, almost half of them table-cut and the other half rose-cut
diamonds, two of the common cuts of the 17th-century, weighing between 7
to 8 ratis (6 to 7 carats). The centerpiece of this piece of jewelry,
was a larger diamond weighing 16 ratis (14 carats). Tavernier describes
all these diamonds as having first-class water, clean and of good form,
and the most beautiful ever found. This obviously refers to
characteristics of diamonds origination from the several diamond mines
in Golkonda, including the famous Kollur mines.
The collection of
pearls shown to Tavernier
The collection of pearls that Ākil Khān,
the Chief of the Mughal Jewel Treasury showed Tavernier, is the subject
of this webpage, and can be listed as follows :-
1) Two grand pear-shaped pearls, each weighing about
70 ratis, equivalent to 61 carats or 244 grains, a little flattened on
both sides, and of beautiful water and good form. The description
beautiful water obviously refers to the excellent white color, luster
and orient of the pearl, and also its blemish-free surface-quality.
2) A button-shaped pearl, with a weight of
approximately 55 to 60 ratis, equivalent to 48 to 53 carats or 192 to
212 grains, of gold form and good water. The color of this pearl is a
golden-yellow color, a rare color found in pearls originating from the
Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Mannar, and the good water refers to the
blemish-free surface quality, as well its luster and orient, that depend
on reflection and refraction of light respectively.
3) A round pearl of great perfection, but a little
flat on one side, weighing exactly 56 ratis, equivalent to 49 carats or
196 grains. This pearl was sent as a gift by Shah Abbas II, the King of
Persia, to the great Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. The qualification, little
flat on one side, for the round pearl of great perfection, obviously
means that the pearl was a near-spherical pearl
4) Three round pearls, each of 25 to 28 ratis (22 to
25 carats or 88 to 100 grains), their water tending towards yellow. This
means the color of the pearl is most probably yellowish-white, where the
main body color of the pearl is white and yellow is the overtone color.
5) A perfectly round pearl of 36.5 ratis (32 carats
or 128 grains), with a lovely white color, and perfect in every respect.
This pearl is without doubt a perfectly spherical pearl, going by
Tavernier's description that it is a perfectly round pearl, and also
perfect in every respect. The white color is the most sought after color
in pearls. The luster, orient. surface quality and overtone if any of
the pearls must also be excellent going by the description of the pearl.
According to Tavernier, this pearl was the only jewel that Aurangzeb,
the religious zealot, with no high regard for jewels, had purchased,
which obviously means that the beauty of this pearl, was even able to
capture the imagination of such a hard-hearted Emperor, who did not
normally have an aesthetic sense to appreciate the beauty of jewels.
Most of the jewels Aurangzeb owned was either appropriated from his
elder brother Dārā Shikoh after he was killed, or were presents
which he received from monarchs of neighboring nations, after he
ascended the throne.
6) Two pearls, perfectly round and equal, each
weighing 25.25 ratis (22 carats of 88 grains). One pearl had a very
lively water and was among the most beautiful pearls that can be seen,
but the other pearl had a slightly yellowish tinge. The description
obvious refers to a matching pair of pearls, perfectly matched for shape
and weight, both being perfectly spherical, and having exactly the same
weight, 88 grains. The only difference was in the color of the pearls,
one having the most desired white color, associated with excellent
luster, orient and surface qualities, but the other with a slightly
yellowish overtone.
7) A piece of jewelry, a chain or necklace made of
pearls and rubies. The pearls are round or spherical, and of diverse
waters, meaning of different shades of color, and a range of weight of
10 to 12 ratis (9 to 11 carats or 36 to 44 grains). The rubies were of
different shapes and pierced like pearls. The centerpiece of this chain
is a rectangular-cut large emerald, with a brilliant green color, but
having many flaws, a characteristic feature of most emeralds. The weight
of this emerald was approximately 30 ratis (26 carats).
8) A piece of jewelry, a chain or necklace made of
pearls and emeralds. The pearls were round and spherical, as in the
previous chain, with varying waters or shades of color, and the same
range of weight of 10 to 12 ratis (9 to 11 carats). The emeralds were
also round in shape and bored like the pearls. The centerpiece of this
chain is an oriental amethyst, a long table-cut gem weighing 40 ratis
(35 carats), described by Tavernier as the perfection of beauty.
9) A large olive-shaped pearl perfect in form and
luster. This was one of the five pearls of which he gave sketches in the
first English edition of his travels, published in 1678. In the book
this pearl was represented as Figure 4. The weight of the pearl was not
given, but from the sketch, George Frederick Kunz, estimated its weight
to be around 125 grains. This pearl formed the central ornament of a
chain of emeralds and rubies, which Aurangzeb sometimes wore about his
neck.
10) Tavernier also listed a round pearl of perfect
form whose sketch was indicated as Figure 5 in the book. The weight of
this pearl was also not given, but estimated from the sketch, by G. F.
Kunz to be around 110 grains. According to Tavernier, this pearl was the
largest perfectly spherical pearl he had ever seen. He further stated
that a matching pearl for it was never found, and for that reason it was
kept with the unmounted jewels.
The two large balas
rubies (spinels) that Tavernier was shown apart from the diamonds and
pearls
After the pearls in Aurangzeb's collection, Tavernier
was also shown two balas rubies, that without any doubt originated from
the balas ruby mines in, Badakhshan, Afghanistan.
The first balas ruby shown to him was cut en cabochon
and was of fine color, free of inclusions, and pierced at the apex,
possibly for suspension as a jewel, and with a weight of 17 melscals (mishkal).
1 melscal = 30 3/16 ratis or 26
5/12 carats. Thus 17 melscals = 17 x 26.42 carats = 449 carats.
This balas ruby is therefore a large stone in comparison to the famous
Timur ruby, another balas ruby in the private collection of Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II, that weighs 352.50 carats; the Samarian Spinel, the
world's largest spinel weighing 500 carats, which is part of the Iranian
Crown Jewels, and displayed at the Museum of the Treasury of National
Iranian Jewels, at the Central Bank of Iran, in Teheran; and the
398.72-carat Catherine the Great's ruby, another pear-shaped spinel
mounted on top of the Great Imperial Crown of Russia. In fact
Aurangzeb's balas ruby weighing 449 carats, becomes the second largest
balas ruby ever recorded after the 500 carat Samarian Spinel.
The second balas ruby shown to Tavernier, was another
cabochon-cut ruby of perfect color, but slightly flawed, and
pierced at the apex like the first balas ruby. The weight of this balas
ruby was 12 melscals, equivalent to 12 x 26.42 carats = 317 carats.
Thus, this balas ruby becomes the 4th largest balas ruby in the world,
after the 1st, 2nd and 3rd largest balas rubies, the Samarian Spinel,
the Catherine the Great Ruby, and the Timur Ruby, weighing respectively
500 carats, 398.72 carats and 352.50 carats.
Tavernier's closing
remarks in Chapter X of his book, Travels in India, translated by Dr.
Valentine Ball
Tavernier winds up his account of Aurangzeb's jewels,
shown to him by Ākil Khān, the Chief of the Mughal Jewel
Treasury, on the orders of the Emperor himself, on November 10, 1665,
with the following remark, that clearly demonstrates his truthfulness,
and the absence of any intention on his part to give misleading
information.
"These, then, are the jewels of the Great Mogul,
which he ordered to be shown to me as a special favor which he had never
manifested to any other Frank; and I have held them all in my hand, and
examined them with sufficient attention and leisure to be enabled to
assure the reader that the description which I have just given is very
exact and faithful, as is that of the thrones, which I have also had
sufficient time to contemplate thoroughly."
You are welcome to discuss this
post/related topics with Dr Shihaan and other experts from around the
world in our
FORUMS (forums.internetstones.com)
Related :-
1)
Sara/Tavernier/Shaista Khan Pearl
2)
Shah Sofi/Shah Safi Pearl
3)
Imam of Muscat Pearl
References :-
1) The Great Mughal orders all his jewels to be shown
to the Author - Chapter X - Travels in India by Jean-Baptiste Tavernier
- Translated by Dr. Valentine Ball.
2) Pearls Described by Tavernier - Famous Pearls and
Collections - Chapter 16, The Book of the Pearl - George Frederick Kunz
