Origin on name
The Nepal diamond gets it's name from the Kingdom of
Nepal, a landlocked country lying along the southern slopes of the Himalayan
mountain ranges, on the north-eastern border of India, wedged between two
giant neighbors India and China. The diamond is reported to have remained
with several generations of Royal Families of Nepal.
Characteristics of the
diamond
The diamond is a pear-shaped, colorless stone of unknown
color and clarity grade, weighing 79.41 carats. But, in all probability the
diamond must be a D-color stone, going by accounts of it's color and
clarity.
Absolutely colorless diamonds without any trace of a
yellow tinge are type IIa diamonds also known as D-color or top-color
diamonds. They are said to be the "purest of the pure" of all diamonds, as
they are nitrogen-free and have perfectly formed crystals without any
structural deformations. The presence of nitrogen and structural
deformations are two factors that impart colors to diamonds.
History
Information on the early history of the diamond is
scarce, but the diamond is believed to have originated in the alluvial
diamond mines in Kollur, near Golconda, in Southern India. The Kollur mines
were discovered in the mid-16th century around 1540 to1560 A.D. At the time
Tavernier visited Golconda in 1642, more than 20 mines were being worked,
employing over 60,000 people. Most of the mines were extraordinarily rich,
and produced the best quality colorless as well fancy colored diamonds, such
as pink, blue and yellow. Golconda diamonds were renowned for their color
and clarity, that the name Golconda entered the terminology in the past to
refer to the best quality diamonds irrespective of their country of origin.
Golconda was the capital of the Qutb Shahi Kingdom, one
of the five Muslim Sultanates of the Deccan region of India, from 1512 to
1687. The diamond mines of Golconda were fully exploited during this
period, possibly assisted by the expertise and ready markets provided by the
Persians, with whom they had close cultural and economic ties. The diamonds
mined during this period at Golconda, eventually ended up in three possible
locations:- (1) The capital of the Persian Empire, (2) The capital cities of
Agra and Delhi of the Mogul Emperors, (3) The capital cities of different
monarchies of Europe, such as London, Paris, St. Petersburg, Florence,
Austria-Hungary, Madrid, Lisbon, Amsterdam, etc. Many Persian and European
diamond dealers who were active in the areas of Golconda and other diamond
producing mines on the eastern side of the Deccan Plateau were responsible
for much of movement of diamonds to the West and Persia. Even Jean Baptiste
Tavernier, the 17th century French traveler and jeweler who made up to six
trips over a period of 40 years, and visited the diamond producing areas of
Golconda, and the diamond cutting centers of Ahmedabad, was partly
responsible for the movement of many notable diamonds to the capital cities
of Western Monarchies.
But, the Nepal diamond instead of taking the traditional
western route, moved northwards, and eventually found it's home in the Royal
Palaces of the Kings of the Malla Dynasty of Nepal, who ruled the country
between the 10th and 18th centuries, assuming that the diamond left Golconda
in the 17th century when the mines were having peak production outputs. Some
of the Malla Kings include Jaya Sthiti (1382-95 A.D) and Yaksha Malla
(1429-82 A.D.). Yaksha Malla divided his Kingdom among his three sons,
creating three independent principalities known as Kathmandu, Patan, and
Bhaktpur. Several smaller principalities were also subsequently created to
accommodate other high-caste Hindu Families connected to the Royal family.
The status quo continued until the early 18th century, when the Malla Kings
were replaced by the Gurkha Sha family , whose first ruler the Great Prithvi
Narayan Shah re-united the Kingdom and moved the capital to Kathmandu,
laying the foundation for the modern state of Nepal. The Shah rulers reigned
from 1769 to 1806, after which they were relegated to an honorary position,
and effective authority was wielded by the Thapa family (1806-37) and later
by the Rana family (1846-1950). After the withdrawal of the British from
India in 1947, the Rana family who were hitherto protected by the British
were ousted by the anti-Rana forces and monarchists based in India, and the
Monarchy was effectively restored in November 1950.
The Nepal diamond which had passed down several
generations of Nepal rulers, eventually found it's way to the west, after
it's purchase in 1957 from an Indian dealer, by Harry Winston Inc. Of New
York. Mr. Winston had the diamond slightly re-cut from it's original weight
of 79.50 carats to it's present weight of 79.41 carats, to improve it's
brilliance. The stone was featured in an issue of the National Geographic
Magazine in April 1958, in which the price of the diamond set in the pendant
as shown in the photograph, was quoted as $ 500,000. Later in 1959 at an
exhibition known as the "Ageless Diamond" exhibition, jointly sponsored by
Christie's and De Beers in London, the Nepal diamond was one of the few
breathtaking exhibits that drew a lot of attention.
Present owners of the
diamond
After the "Ageless Diamond" exhibition Mr. Harry Winston
sold the diamond to an anonymous European client, set in a V-shaped diamond
necklace, that also contained 145 smaller, round diamonds weighing 71.44
carats
