42 % A CHAPTER ON DIAMONDS. 



Tavernier the travelling jeweller, as Gibbon calls him, esteemed 

 diamonds as the most precious of all stones, and said : " It is the 

 trade to which I am most attached. Li endeavouring to acquire a 

 perfect knowledge of them, I visited all the mines, and one of the 

 two rivers where they are found ; and as the idea of danger has 

 never impeded me in my travels, the dreadful picture given me of 

 these mines, as being placed in the most barbarous countries, only 

 attainable by the most dangerous roads, v/as neither capable of 

 frightening nor deterring me from my design." 



By the extraordinary indulgence of Aurungzebe, Tavernier was 

 permitted, on the 2d of November, .1665, to handle, examine, 

 and weigh the greatest treasure of imperial Delhi, the far-famed 

 Koh-i-Nur. The Great Mo^'ul sat on his throne of state, while 

 the chief-keeper of the jewels produced his treasures, for inspec- 

 tion, on two golden dishes. The magniticence of the collection 

 was indescribable ; but conspicuous in lustre, esteem and value, 

 was the Koh-i-Nur. 



Tavernier's system of estimating the value of large diamonds 

 was to square the amount in weight, and multiply the product by 

 the value of the stone weighing one carat. According to this 

 system, he formed the following estimate of the two largest cut 

 diamonds in the world — the Koh-i-Nur and the diamond in the 

 possession of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. That belonging to 

 the Great Mogul, he says, weighs 279 9-16ths carats, is of a 

 perfect fine water, good shape, and has but one small flaw, which 

 is on the edge of the bottom of the stone. Without this httle 

 flaw, the first carat might be valued at 160 livres ; but on account 

 of that, he put it down at 150 livres (£6) only ; at which calcula- 

 tion, according to the rule laid down, it amounted to the sum of 

 11,723,278 livres, 14 sols and 3 liards (£468,931 and a fraction.) 

 The diamond belonging to the Grand Duke of Tuscany weighs 

 139^ carats, is clear, of a fine form, and cut on all sides facet-wise, 

 but as it somewhat approaches to a lemon colour, Tavernier estima- 

 ted the first carat at 135 livres only, according to which calcula- 

 tion it amounts to 2,608,335 livres (£104,333 10s.) 



This scarcely coincides with the estimate given in the Times ^ 

 which reported £2,000,000 sterling as a justifiable price for the 

 " Mountain of Light," if calculated by the scale employed in the 

 trade. In the " Encyclopaedia Britannica," the " Mountain of 

 Light" is valued at 380,000 guineas. Mr. Jeffi'ies valued it at 



