The Little Koh-I-Noor

CERTAINLY, YOU MUST HAVE HEARD OF THE FAMOUS KOHINOOR DIAMOND BUT DID YOU KNOW THAT AN EXCEPTIONAL DIAMOND CALLED THE LITTLE KOHINOOR EXISTS TOO?

The Bala Koh-I-Noor or the Little Koh-I-Noor is a diamond that was once forgotten but now has rightfully assumed its place in history. Dr. Usha Balakrishnan, a renowned Indian historian of jewelry, traces the story of this legendary treasure across various manuscripts and archives in both India and the UK with only one word to begin her hunt with: Nizam.

Following the trail takes us back to the 1820s-1830s, when the diamond was discovered accidentally. As astonishing as it sounds, a child was found playing with this giant rough gemstone which has been described as “larger than a pigeon’s egg”.

A fraction of the stone was broken off and sold for 70,000 Indian Rupees which was an enormous amount in that era. The rest was kept in the formidable treasury of Nasir Ud Daulah, the 4th Nizam of Hyderabad among various precious jewels but none compared with the Little Kohinoor in terms of its splendor.

Henry Piddington, a museum curator in Calcutta, was the first to measure the stone and it was a whopping 277 carats. It was ranked among the largest diamonds upon its discovery.

GIA CHARACTERIZES IT “A MASTERPIECE OF HUMAN INGENUITY AS MUCH AS IT WAS OF NATURE”.

The diamond’s history is closely related to the famous Golconda diamonds that are still considered a brand in the global diamond trading industry. The Golconda Fort, located in the beautiful city of Hyderabad in India, was the world’s supplier of diamonds for approximately 1500 years. These diamonds were known for their transparency, luminosity and brilliancy.

Many a visitor to the Nizam’s court was shown the magnificent rough diamond. It was given many names: the Bala Kohinoor, Great Diamond, Hyderabad Diamond, L’Indien, The Nizam’s jewel and The Golconda. The famous English orientalist, Sir Richard Francis Burton found the name ‘Bala Kohinoor’ inauspicious and preferred the name ‘Nizam Diamond’.

The diamond was cut in the early 1920s by the order of Mehboob Ali Khan, the 6th Nizam of Hyderabad. It was cut wondrously by skilled diamond cutters who not only maintained the size of the diamond but also accentuated its beauty and liberated the radiance hidden within it. GIA characterizes it “a masterpiece of human ingenuity as much as it was of nature”.

But what happened next to make such an alluring diamond disappear? Its whereabouts were a complete mystery for a period of over 70 years. Many thought it would never be seen again.

The diamond supposedly left Hyderabad sometime in the 1940s and was sold for more than $700,000 US Dollars to settle debts amidst the turmoil in India under British Rule.

In March 2019, the diamond emerged from hiding and was displayed by Siegelson, the prominent New York gallery as ‘Nizam Diamond’ at TEFAF, The European Fine Art Fair in Maastricht. It sent the jewelry industry into a flutter.

The diamond now is 120.8 carats. It is irregular pear shaped and reflects the typical old Indian diamond cut. Its color, cut and clarity evidently resemble that of a Golconda gem and it has zero detectable nitrogen impurity.

Today, the Little Kohinoor or Nizam Diamond resides in a private collection. Maybe, if we’re lucky enough, we will get to catch sight of it someday. For now, we are happy its riveting yet bizarre story wasn’t lost to history!

FURTHER INFORMATION

For more information on the Little Kohinoor and other exceptional diamonds, check out the World Diamond Museum’s fascinating new book, “Diamonds Across Time” curated by Dr Usha Balakrishnan. Do also check out the World Diamond Museum Webinar Series ft. Dr. Usha Balakrishnan available on YouTube.