Koh-i-Noor

"Kohinoor" redirects here. For other uses, see Kohinoor (disambiguation).

Koh-i-Noor
Replica of the Koh-i-Noor
Weight105.602[a] carats (21.1204 g)
Dimensions
  • 3.6 cm (1.4 in) long
  • 3.2 cm (1.3 in) wide
  • 1.3 cm (0.5 in) deep
ColourD (colourless)[1]
TypeIIa[1]
CutOval brilliant
Facets66[2]
Cut byLevie Benjamin Voorzanger
OwnerCharles III in right of The Crown[3]

The Koh-i-Noor (Persian for 'Mountain of Light'; /ˌkoʊɪˈnʊər/ KOH-in-OOR),[b][4][5] also spelt Koh-e-Noor, Kohinoor and Koh-i-Nur, is one of the largest cut diamonds in the world, weighing 105.6 carats (21.12 g).[a] It is part of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. The diamond is currently set in the Crown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

There are multiple conflicting legends on the origin of the diamond.[9] However, in the words of the colonial administrator Theo Metcalfe, there is "very meagre and imperfect" evidence of the early history of the Koh-i-Noor before the 1740s.[10] There is no record of its original weight, but the earliest attested weight is 186 old carats (191 metric carats or 38.2 g). The first verifiable record of the diamond comes from a history by Muhammad Kazim Marvi of the 1740s invasion of Northern India by Nader Shah. Marvi notes the Koh-i-Noor as one of many stones on the Mughal Peacock Throne that Nader looted from Delhi.[11] The diamond then changed hands between various empires in south and west Asia, until being given to Queen Victoria after the Second Anglo-Sikh War and the British East India Company's annexation of the Punjab in 1849, during the reign of the then 11-year-old Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, Duleep Singh. The young king ruled under the shadow of the Company ally Gulab Singh, the first Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, who had previously possessed the stone.[12]

Originally, the stone was of a similar cut to other Mughal-era diamonds, like the Daria-i-Noor, which are now in the Iranian National Jewels. In 1851, it went on display at the Great Exhibition in London, but the lackluster cut failed to impress viewers. Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, ordered it to be re-cut as an oval brilliant by Coster Diamonds. By modern standards, the culet (point at the bottom of a gemstone) is unusually broad, giving the impression of a black hole when the stone is viewed head-on; it is nevertheless regarded by gemologists as "full of life".[13]

Since arriving in the UK, it has only been worn by female members of the British royal family.[14] It is said to bring bad luck if it is worn by a man.[15] Victoria wore the stone in a brooch and a circlet. After she died in 1901, it was set in the Crown of Queen Alexandra. It was transferred to the Crown of Queen Mary in 1911, and to the Crown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 1937 for her coronation.

Today, the diamond is on public display in the Jewel House at the Tower of London. The governments of India, Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan have all claimed ownership of the Koh-i-Noor, demanding its return ever since India gained independence from the British Empire in 1947.[16] The British government insists the gem was obtained legally under the terms of the Last Treaty of Lahore in 1849 and has rejected the claims.

In 2018, at the Supreme Court of India the Archeological Survey of India clarified that the diamond was surrendered to the British and "it (the diamond) was neither stolen nor forcibly taken away".[17][18]


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ a b Sucher and Carriere, p. 126.
  2. ^ Smith, p. 77.
  3. ^ "Crown Jewels". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 211. United Kingdom: House of Commons. 16 July 1992. col. 944W. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  4. ^ "Koh-i-Noor". Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2008. p. 1046. ISBN 9781593394929. Archived from the original on 26 December 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019. The Koh-i-noor (Hindi for 'mountain of light') was acquired by the British in 1849 and became part of the Crown Jewels of Queen Victoria.
  5. ^ Collins English Dictionary. "Definition of 'Koh-i-noor'". HarperCollins. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  6. ^ a b Israel, p. 176.
  7. ^ Balfour, p. 184.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference rose31 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Dalrymple & Anand 2017, pp. 11–14.
  10. ^ Dalrymple & Anand 2017, pp. 15–17.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Login, E. Dalhousie (1970). Lady Login's Recollections: Court Life and Camp Life, 1820–1904. Jullundur City: Languages Department. pp. 75–83.
  13. ^ Howie, p. 293.
  14. ^ Mears, et al., p. 27.
  15. ^ Weinreb, Ben; Hibbert, Christopher (1992). The London Encyclopaedia (reprint ed.). Macmillan Publishers. p. 903.
  16. ^ Dalrymple & Anand 2017, pp. 13, 176.
  17. ^ "Kohinoor diamond not stolen, gifted to UK: Centre tells Supreme Court". The Times of India. 18 April 2016.
  18. ^ "Kohinoor Diamond Was Neither Stolen Nor Forcibly Taken, It Was 'Surrendered' To British: ASI". Outlook India. 16 October 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2024.