Leisure hours among the gems

by Augustus C. Hamlin

Other famous diamonds besides the Mogul are missing; and modern history is unable to account for them. What has become of the splendid flat diamond weighing two hundred and forty-two karats, which Tavernier examined in Golconda; or the immense Agrah of six hundred and forty-five karats, in the rough, which the same traveller saw in India? Were they also gathered by the followers of Nadir, and divided in the spoliation of the property of the conqueror? We know that Persia, enriched by the last conquest of India, is immensely rich in precious stones of all descriptions; but the number, the character, and the value of them, are as shadowy as those of Turkey. However, we have a ray of intelligence from Bernier, who hastily estimated the value of the Persian jewels at thirteen and one half milliards of francs.

This prodigious estimate has been strengthened by the gorgeous appearance of the last Persian ambassador to France. The costume of this Emir fairly blazed with the brilliancy of the most costly gems, and recalled the departed glory of the last Prince of Esterhazy. The presents sent at the same time by the Sultan to the Empress Eugenie were most magnificent, especially the diamond bracelets, and were glorious emblems of Oriental favor.

Among the diamonds possessed by the Persian Crown, besides the Daria-i-noor, which is said to weigh two hundred and thirty-two karats, we have information of three others of remarkable size and beauty. They are named the Taj-Mah, or Crown of the Moon, of one hundred and forty-six karats; the Sea of Glory, of sixty-six karats; and the Mountain of Splendor, of one hundred and thirty-five karats, valued at $729,000.

Dr. Beke, at the meeting of the British Association, in 1851, read a paper on a new diamond that had lately come into the possession of Persia. He referred to the diamond slab of one hundred and thirty karats that had been captured at Coocha, in 1832, and which he thought might have been a part of the Koh-i-noor when in its natural state. The only account of its history the Persians could obtain, was the statement that it was found in the possession of a poor man, a native of Khorasan, who used it for the purpose of lighting his fires, by striking it against steel [the mineral does not possess the property], and that it had thereby sustained some damage. The gem was presented by Abbas Murza to his father, Futteh Ali Shah, and is presumed to be now among the crown jewels of Persia.

One of the latest accounts of the Persian treasures is given by Mr. Eastwick, who was permitted to examine them. He found them placed in a small, strongly built room, to which access was had by means of a narrow, steep stairway and very small door. In this apartment, spread out upon thick, velvety carpets, were displayed gems and jewels of the value of $35,000,000. Conspicuous among them was the Kaianian crown, which was shaped like a flower-pot, and topped by an immense uncut ruby as big as a hen’s egg, which is supposed to have come from Siam. Beside this tiara were spread two lambskins covered with beautiful aigrettes of diamonds; and before them lay trays of pearl, ruby, and emerald necklaces, with countless rings. The famous Kaianian belt was also an object of wonder. This relic of barbaric splendor weighs about twenty pounds. It is nearly a foot in depth, and is incrusted massively with splendid diamonds, pearls, rubies, and emeralds.

The exhibition of arms was worthy of the Oriental taste for martial decoration, and recalled to memory the ancient fondness for such things, and the sword and scabbard of Mithridates, which has been mentioned in history as being of enormous value. Some of these, now belonging to the Persian Shah, are magnificently decorated with gold and gems, to the value of more than a quarter of a million of dollars.

The arms of defence of the Oriental nations have been noted from the earliest times for the beauty and splendor of their decorations, in which lavish use has been made of the finest diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and other precious stones, set in a variety of metals. The excellence of these precious productions was made known to the nations of the Mediterranean by means of commercial caravans long before the invasions of Xerxes or Alexander; and some of them are objects of admiration to the skilled artisans of the present day.

In Lahore, Benares, and Lucknow are yet preserved the secrets of the gold workers of Assyria and ancient Phœnicia, which have long been forgotten in the countries where they were invented. The enamels of these artisans, especially the green, red, blue, and turquoise hues, are not surpassed in beauty of tint by the finest enamels of Paris.

As Persia is the home of the turquoise, the traveller would expect to see the finest representative of the mineral species in this collection. And he will not be disappointed, for the specimen of turquoise treasured here above all others is of a magnificent color, from three to four inches long, and without a flaw. Its value is not given; but we may draw an inference from Shylock’s turquoise, which was worth “a wilderness of monkeys.”

Besides the above enumerated articles the treasury contains numberless objects of value not described, and among them piles of gauntlets and belts, massive with pearls and diamonds.