szkoła-i-dom: Golconda diamonds

Evidence: 100 • authority: 72

Golconda diamonds are mined in the Godavari-Krishna delta region of Andhra Pradesh, India. Golconda Fort in the western part of modern-day Hyderabad was a seat of the Golconda Sultanate and became an important centre for diamond enhancement, lapidary, and trading. Golconda diamonds are graded as Type IIa, are formed of pure carbon, are devoid of nitrogen, and are large with high clarity. They are often described as diamonds of the first water, making them among history's most-celebrated diamonds. The phrase "Golconda diamond" became synonymous with diamonds of incomparable quality. For 2,000 years, Golconda diamonds were the only known fine diamonds. Due to centuries of excessive mining, th…

Evidence: 45 • authority: 72

Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII (5 or 6 April 1886 – 24 February 1967) was the last Nizam (ruler) of Hyderabad State, the largest state in the erstwhile British Indian Empire. He ascended the throne on 29 August 1911, at the age of 25 and ruled the State of Hyderabad until 1948, when the Indian Union annexed it. He was styled as His Exalted Highness (H.E.H) the Nizam of Hyderabad, and was widely considered one of the world's wealthiest people of all time. With some estimates placing his wealth at 2% of U.S. GDP, his portrait was on the cover of Time magazine in 1937. As a semi-autonomous monarch, he had his mint, printing his currency, the Hyderabadi rupee, and had a private treasury that…

Evidence: — • authority: 72

The period of peak production of the Golconda diamonds (in the present-day states Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, India) was under the Qutb Shahi dynasty (16th century – 17th century CE), and the region was also known as the "Golconda Sultanate". The Asaf Jahi dynasty (18th century – 19th century CE) was later dominant, and it was also known as the "Nizam of Hyderabad". During these times, the diamond mines were leased out to merchants under the supervision of regional governors. The periods of the leases were recorded in days. Local merchants Shantidas Jhaveri and Khushalchand were legendary diamond traders of the region. Large diamonds (over 1 carat) obtained from the mines were reserved fo…

Evidence: — • authority: 72

Golconda is a fortified citadel and ruined city located on the western outskirts of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The fort was built by Kakatiya ruler Pratāparudra in the 11th century out of mud walls. It was ceded to the Bahmani Kings (before it fragmented into 5 other kingdoms known as the "Deccan Sultanates") from Musunuri Nayakas during the reign of Bahmani Sultan Mohammed Shah I, during the first Bahmani–Vijayanagara War. Following the death of Sultan Mahmood Shah, the Sultanate disintegrated and Sultan Quli, who had been appointed as the Governor of Hyderabad by the Bahmani Kings, fortified the city and made it the capital of the Sultanate of Golconda. Because of the vicinity of diamon…

Evidence: — • authority: 72

The Princie Diamond is an approximately 34.65-carat cushion-cut fancy intense pink diamond discovered 300 years ago in the Golconda mines. Christie's (who auctioned it on 16 April 2013, when it fetched a price of 39.3 million dollars) say that the Princie Diamond is believed to be the fourth largest pink diamond in the world, after the Daria-i-Noor (c. 175 to 195 carats), the Noor-ol-Ain (c. 60 carats) - which are both part of the Iranian Crown Jewels; both were cut, according to experts, from one single c. 242-carat pink diamond, - and the Pink Star (formerly known as the Steinmetz Pink), a diamond weighing 59.60 carats.

Evidence: — • authority: 72

The Hope Diamond is a 45.52-carat (9.104 g; 0.3211 oz) blue diamond that has been famed for its great size and blue-violet color since the 17th century. It was extracted in the 17th century from the Kollur Mine in Andhra Pradesh, India. The gemstone's exceptional size has revealed new information about the formation of diamonds. The Hope Diamond's recorded history begins in 1666, when the French gem merchant Jean-Baptiste Tavernier purchased the raw Golconda stone in India. After cutting the gem and renaming it "the French Blue" (Le bleu de France), Tavernier sold it to King Louis XIV of France in 1668. It was stolen in 1792, re-cut by persons unknown, and recovered after a lapse of years,…