JEWELS AT THE DURBAR.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 288, 25 November 1911, Page 3 (Supplement)

JEWELS AT THE DURBAR.

INDIAN AN)) IINGIASII STONIX OF SR FK i-S ING ~ T i.ENI )U I’ tl

, r fl HERE is a 'bed b-Jins I'erird J ab >ut th- forthcoming Du.s.r at 11. 1!;:. in connection with which ir .<■!• .s made ot th<s splendid display’ <>i ,•■■.'-I-. (s:...<tr; Even though the *n»!« ot u.> » mwn pw. >l.s and regalia are not going ' A I'riiv. 11. r ’ (.111 th" Lon.io,. " Dei'c Telegraph ) has not only thought of b.it written sutne most in uresting facts about the jew eh that H ill ila-.ii at this feiemony of supreui .■ .-pb-udo-ir. If the gieat Durivtr .1 i‘Jl . rts-. says) n destined to go clown to his tr ry for no other reason. it will pro I .Jly survive in the world's t»■ -nor." i-< cause of the surj.ri-ing splend >ur of the j.-'..cl,s that — perhaps for tn • l ist t line — ■■■ ill then be gathered tog." her at I'< Ihi The m.-re id -a that, alter long , n! trmold w.mdeimgs, the Kohmoor 1 11 on -o more pr< side >.'• r the DuiL.sr of an Emperor ot India 's • no :gh t . *-tir the blood by a puhatior. < r two. 1 n.-it strange, iil-fat-d stone, to ahos--1 i-tcry I shall refer later m, will f.gn paramount and unri*. all< d at Delhi rt «■ pt in mere point 01 size. (.‘oniptired .>» n je-.rj with crith.-.- of the Stars of \trica, the Kohimrir is, of <-u: ■. but .[■•ridel t» bble. Bit these huge crystals ar-> but nc’.vc'm.' rs in the galaxy .1 ta'n'. >. stones. They have still tii'ii -.pur-. to win - if th.- phrase may he used o» the t. 1 iifde claim* to notoriety that r ‘ ,1: ly alt lh< great jo.-.cis of the worb.- ] o V-.. 5, The Kohiimor has already a ! mg past — and such a past! Hut apart from the distinction lent th-so Imperial gems, the Jewels ot the Indian princes who will be present at the Durbar would of themselves form an attraction that could b ■ 1 <pi:.ll’d 110w hero ibr in the v. o. ld to-day or in in- lory. It is difficult and invidious to make comparisons between them, I it a suggestion of the huge wealth that li>-s con -ai d in Indian treason, s tn the form ot may cl si me inter, -t. Th- .Ntz.ani of Hyderabad, as the senior prim e of India, owns the largest diamond. Tins, th- " -Nizam," .s cl 2.7 carats, and is the larger half of a nun a greater stone. It is either uncut -r merely ” flatted," and, therefore, would hardly bo riotu-.si among cut stones ot half its size. The Nizam also onus another diumind, the " Victoria," >1 JMt carats, which, it is said, probably falsely, he bought some years ago t .r the enormous price of £ The Gaekwar of Baroda I a.-, thrto famous stones in his possession, the ” Star of the South," the " Akbar Shah." and the ” Eugenie." The first weighs 125 carats, and is a Brazilian crystal of the first wat-r. In th- rough it weighted 251. His Highness s said to have given £■'.>,<MH) for it when cut Th.' sec md (,'Oinetinie.s called the " deli.'rigir") is of about 71 carats. .At different times it belonged to Akbar, Shah Jeban, and Jehangir, whose name., w-re at one time engraved upon it. Somewhat unwisely it was re.-ut as a brilliant.. The last is a sing.daily line stone of .'»1 carats, wdiich, as it.-, name implies, was onto in the of the ix Empres., of the Frerv h. 'ill- Maharajah of Pitiala. perhaps, still owns th- fa’iious Saucy diamond. 'Uns stone has had a cheouered career. Emm Charles the Bold. Duke of Burgundy, Emanuel King of Portugal, and -Nicholas d- Marlay, .Sieur de Sincy (.'ho gavo it its mum), it seems to Lave pa'.M-d through the hands, at one time ..t another, of our King denies 11.-who lb 4 with it and others of the Crown jewels in IGSS—of Louis XIV., of Louis XV.. of Napoleon, of Napoleon's brother Joseph. King of Spain. i‘: ince Demidolf, and of the Maharajah of Patiala. It weighs a tritle over 53 carats. Another stone that lias iound it- way fiat-l; to India in recent years is the '* Agra Diamond." Readers may remember that some 12 years ago it

i rmi-il th" ‘.nbiect of a curious lawsuit in London. It is of an "Xouisite form and rose colour, and. at a guess, is about 35 carats in iveight. OTHER JKAVELS OF INDIA. Hut those famous and named tones are. ns n rub?, only a small part of and s.re often actually simller tfinn others of the htirlonnis in Indian |'-d--nres Most of those I have men’’,.Ti- d hart? been roncrpiin d by India heraui" of th"ir world-aide rcpntai;>ri. A'-’ s .me-.ihfi" in the tre-i--ir.-s of native chiefs, huddled up un -nr. an.l lo.>=»>, with imitation pearls, - r si t ri r-hr-a'i gilt mounts, or even sewn, uiip .lidri'd and unset, upon some di-c vied robe or State, more splendid mon:' ; than these probahlv till < xi; t. As the Et ..3 Durbar the bl.iz-• f <••.•,■- els rurpri" o<l even Indian urim--? »h< :n--i-rdves. They hid not ri-a' : • I their neighbours' wealth, and some p".rur?s. leiddy prized. s»»enii d hut ■>: hi" I"

< .ii-moitcn"" there. To rpmie b,it cue or two. I romeiul" r that the Afahar.a--i.-.h of Darhhariga was wearing the ‘•Naiil.'.kha.” th" famous £fM. -i'i rei l;I:>''i ’bat Jang Bahadur. Regi’iit ai:.l Af.irsh.nl of Nenal, took from nhe t, ri:fi. d fugitive Nana Sahib. Tho pearls «: Gwnlior are famous, b-it it i-: s'ldom that the r-xtremelv niud -rn ta of Sein.lia cares to put them •>.,. an 1 in consi'iincnc" thev cannot fall. s>>n"t nr later, to bee their emdii'ii. !’■•- riil< s a neekla' e of 12 or 1.3 ro«.i <f )•• rf> '•tiy-rw.it' l >. ! pearl i as I :r.; ■ as filberts, th" Prive of Gwallir .■.•;-nrs or Strf o"e?s'on«. a curious sash of ( 'rv' 'll vi-ivet denending from 1, s ]. ft rho-1 1 ■I• >r to hi- i'--' ; t knee. -.'■■■ rntor'a! <>r wmeh is almost hi.l b-n l.y s-irrtihl! stone; Th" ordv n.nt:. ' el .of who c'li -'call'' Srin’i;". in tne o'ntter.i pe-rls is r . -I .'r.s the Mabr.i; ill of I .'a', a"-- ■■ •••. His <k>m:nions .ibut ip ’> the Cevli'U pe'irl-T-1 1 , ri.s fir -el" tbing. nn-l. for no • lie ■•liens the t''i-!-uc liv f.-male descent. i*»!< t"O '.ir.-." s < in b. • ...t the Mi-b i' ■- i:J> v. it’i a narure of nearls r. i. !i ulr'c'i

tile iin-vi of Enroni-an site •hougii , n > d ’ ib’ in more beautiful nidi’iwi cannot f >r ;* rimmcnt ho comp , o-J. 1 rc'neu ber, (■>•>. ■■■•. in.' nt Oe’hi a ' w.>rdhi 11 cut f: •-.> ■•< single emor.ii l. It v-s h.-inils" p. nn« tin* ■■"i'itors ’>> t l ',' Dnrba; v. d! :.■ i'• •' no ii”■■’■ ortltv rd Jiti >n tn ’hi oxbi'-ition of bright stem -. Th" Mah.ivamh of N'-oa.l. whose i nirrnl' l ' ■:v- - ' 1 London tbs." rears .'"go. ■■■ ill be th. re. Th 're. t >'». will be son’." of th" fia.i '*• r English gems in private hands. If r certain d':< be«-i ntton-1.-. the '■’■ -'nv. st... v. i! 1 ’ •■•■.' the cur:- • ’■.i- -’-n’-ition that another groat diamond. I 1!" ‘"Nasik. ' wb'e’i nneo formed t-.rrt of the «ani" oo’l""t : "n as that r.i -rhieh tho ‘•N.aulakhn" belonged, han t r.-r'lv gone hack to its old hum” and i‘ ; •■n-e -■■■•' adorning the same Durbar with hi> old companion, the l:eek!:’OO of the butel’er N.'.C". An it'tef vers" tr.nious Indian 7I r:-.'. - pev-1--ir.r ’.'visit I’elh.i from the hanks of th.. Thames. Al i'-.s.v. r. a rrr’.-.in EngEsh p.'orcsM would ca'ise c interest if 'll" ere nro«ont and v. >ro the fnmme; pi-dished. but no-it. rnbv that boars the names of As : • r and bin I”'porial sweenssors There a-.' several rt those hug" rubies .”•■* being in th" re>is.sss!on of his Ma'ostv. .and two nr r’.r.ss are known tn be in th" Dl’.nlpur tron-’iry: hut thia l.nd-.'o i« prnhaWthe largest and finest in existence. Tt is po'-hans an in"h .and a quarter i" b’n-”h. and half an inch in width and depth.

j THE KOHINOOR. Bit this icfercncc to Royal jewels brings me abruptly to the greatest diav. >nd' of all. As I have said, the first place is of right due to the Kohinoor. j Tiie history of the stoni 1 since it has j !>< en definitely identified is familiar I • noiigh. Wo all know that it was the I chief jewel of tho Mogul Emperors, i c.nd how. in later years, one prince obj tained it from his brother but helpless ; sovereign by exclianging puggaries. and ! how the official denoted to hiring it to | England after the Sikh Wars pecidentrdly sent it to tho wash with his wai.sti coat. Nor do wo forget that the size of tho stone was severely reduced j (’from t'-C> carats to IG'A bv the rc- \ cutting ordered by the Prince Consort: : and the occasional exhibition of the ! gem nt tlio opening of Parliament or i other ceremonial occasions has made ! tho English people fairly well acqunint- : ed with tho most famous diamond in ■ tho world. But a halo of mvstorv. . wbirdi ha' not even yet been dispersed. ; hangs, and has for a long time hung. certain period' <>< its history. Tavoni’cr. a French jeweller of observation and capacity, reported that in ’ th > 17th c.-nturv ho had seen in Indic, a huge diamond belonging to the Emperor that ho named the Great Mogul. It uns, he said. 7 5 7. J carnts in weight, and ho estimated its value nt ‘I.- crab,! sum of t'-7.i.‘Jt" 19s ltd ft was cither uncut or mer>lv ‘‘flatted” i o.. f > side —lm compares it somewhere to an egg cut in half. Ono Horfonsio Rorgio. a dishonest or unskilful Italian <lm-nond cutter wns then cc.lleil in. am] reduced it to 26S for 2'»0) carats. He vonrlv lost l:i~ head when the Emperor <mw what. Lad boon dom- to his favourite gem. It is po-.siblc that there vp.. cause f-»r his anger If. is considered ba- n>anv experts that tho , '.-!on’ <jimond. said bv mine to have ’ ■’ • of an i- 1 ] nt ‘m-ir.an'ram. ~f t)'o Rn« : an regalia t1 r ',3 carets in w. ’ ’.t. and out. .as the Kohinoor originally V..-IS. in what tn.iv bo called a ’•orantor-stonnor nattern), and a large frng-nen ! of 132 enr.it- recovered by Ao'sn: Mirza on the taking of KiioJian, ar old capital of Khnras.nn. in Persia

— maw have both I.con cut from the. remain-, of tho Mogul diamond. Tlovovor this mar lie. the Kohinoor. whi'dt Raniio Singns used sometimes to v.oar in tho socket of lii- blind eve. continued to represent Gio original t-ein. and remains io this d.av tho symbol of imrorial authority in India. But. though, historically, tho return of the Kohinoor to India rill, in mfivo eyes, set the final seal upon tho pleat ceremony at Delhi, some of the other tjems that will nceomnnnv it will not. fail to produce their effect unon .t pocnl" that is more accustomed to KVrnbolism than ourselves. Bitt there n-'i't be no competition between tho splendour of tho Emnomr mid that of Ivs dependent Princes. Tim Kohinoor in if«lf is enough tn mark the gulf, but the ‘‘firo .and frost” of the two gigantic Smith African Hones will ba"" begun their work of splendid symbolism when they blaze out unrivalled and 'irvliallenged over the most majestic .n-senddagos of gems that Europe "r Asia has seen.