Story of the Agra Diamond
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| The Famous Taj Mahal in India |
During the height of its influence, India was known as the Jewel in the Crown of the British Empire, and it was the source of many famous gems which eventually made their way to Britain. In 1526 Babur, the first Mogul emperor conquered the city of Agra, the eventual home of the the famous Taj Mahal. His son spared the lives of the incumbent Rajah and his family, and was given the Agra diamond among a cache of jewels as a token of gratitude.
The famous pink diamond changed hands many time as successive rulers prevailed over India. In 1857, during the Indian Mutiny, it was taken from the then ruler of Delhi by a young British soldier.
The officers of the regiment decided to smuggle the diamond back to England and share the proceeds of its sale. In a twist on the legend of the Trojan horse, they decided to bury the diamond in some horse feed, have a horse eat it and then ship the horse back to Britain. The plan worked well, until the regiment reached the port where they were to board ship, when the unfortunate horse was taken ill and had to be shot. They removed the diamond from its stomach and took it to England, where it was eventually sold to Edwin Streeter, the famous London jeweler.
A great tale of riches for all (except for the horse). But is it a true story?
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| Agra Diamond |
Doubt has been cast at least upon the date it is said these events took place. There are documents which show that on November 8th 1844 the Agra diamond was purchased by Charles, Duke of Brunswick, from Blogg & Martin, a well-known firm of diamond merchants in London at that time. A note in the catalog for the sale specifically mentioned the diamond as that which was taken by Babur in Agra in 1526.
One explanation for this discrepancy is that the diamond eaten by the horse was not the same stone. This theory is supported by other sources who have stated that the smuggled stone in 1857 weighed 46 carats rather than 41 carats.
In 1899 in Paris, the Agra was cut down to 31.41 carats by the jeweler Bram Hertz in order to eliminate some black inclusions. To make things more confusing, there is a statement by an American present at the time which indicates that he believed the stone had formerly weighed 71 carats. In any case, it seems certain that Edwin Streeter purchased the Agra from Bram Hertz in 1891.
Since then, the Agra has changed hands many times. The last time it was put up for sale was at Christie's in London on June 20th, 1990, by a seller who had inherited it in 1927. After fierce bidding it was sold for £4,070,000, well over twice its expected value, to the SIBA Corporation of Hong Kong.
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