This diamond, in weight of 104 carats, is, without a doubt, one of the most famous diamond in the world. In 1936 it was assigned on the scepter of England queen Elizabeth, where it is today. But its history starts many years before. Some people believe this diamond has been discovered before 3,000 years ago and even more. Hindi traditions claim it was under the ownership of Lord Krishna, but the recorded history of the diamond starts only in the 13th century, an impressive fact. Like many other gems from the ancient period, also in this gem there are a lot of beliefs about bad luck. According to the belief, every king who owns the diamond will lose his chair and because of this reason the gem was given to a queen and not to a king when it arrived Great Britain.
Probably, the gem ownership won by Nadir Shah after he defeated the Mogol governor Mohamad Shah, but the gem changed a lot of owners in India, Afghanistan and Iran. Nadir Shah was the person who gave the diamond its name, means “The Light Mountain.” Some people tell it was his first comment when he saw the diamond and amazed by its beauty.
How the diamond arrived England? After Nadir Shah has been killed (1747) the gem transferred to Ahmed Sah Abdali in Afghanistan, the one who became the Emir of Afghanistan later. The gem transferred in his family and got to the ownership of Shah Dorani who allied with England in order to avoid Russian invasions to Afghanistan. Dorani eliminated from his role by Mohamad Shah and had to escape while he takes the diamond with him. He escaped to Lahore, where he got a shelter from Rangit Singh. Of course, for his shelter, he had to pay and gave the diamond.
Singh instructed to endow the diamond to one of the Hindi temples after he’ll die, but his request has been refused. When the British occupied Lahore in 1949, they took the diamond, but they insisted that the local crown prince will give it in his hand to Queen Victoria as a symbol of his surrender. And it happened. In 1850, the local crown price, under many security guards, went to England on a steamship. It wasn’t an easy journey. Some peoples on the ship spread the Cholera after the ship docked in Mauritius, and it’s caused Mauritius residents to demand the ship will leave their territory immediately, and if not, they’ll start to attack them. At the end, the diamond arrived England and given to Queen Victoria on 3 July 1850.
England queen was disappointed in the look of the diamond, something that happened a lot of times when ancient & polished diamond arrived in England. In 1952 the diamond sent again to polishment, and during this process, the diamond lost 42% of its weight. The original diamond weighed 186 carats but after the polishment, it weighed only 105 carats. The diamond became one of the crown jewels that kept in London Tower. In the World War II the diamond moved into hiding and kept in secret in a bottom of a lake.
Today, the diamond is owned by the British Royal Family, but there is still a disagreement about its ownership. The Indians, Pakistans and even the Afghans are all claims they need to own the diamond and they’re demanding its return.
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