352 
The Nizam Diamond. [July, 
a curious slope or groove beginning at the apex. The 
general appearance is an imperfect oval, with only one pro- 
jection which will require the saw : it will easily cut into a 
splendid brilliant, larger and more valuable than the present 
Koh-i-nur. 
I can hardly wonder at this stone being ignored in 
England and in India, when little is known about it a 
Haydarabad. No one could tell me its weight in grains or 
carats. The highest authority in the land vaguely said 
“ about 2 ounces or 300 carats.”* The following statement 
has been made by Mr. Briggs : — “ Almost all the finest jewels 
in India have been gradually collected at Haydarabad, and 
have fallen into the Nizam’s possession, and are considered 
State property. One uncut diamond alone 0/375 carats is valued 
at 30 lakhs of rupees, and has been mortgaged for half that 
money.” 
For uncut stones we square the weight (375 x 375 = 140,625) 
and multiply the product by £2, which gives a sum of 
£281,250. For cut stones the process is the same, only the 
multiplier is raised from £2 to £8. Thus, supposing a loss of 
75 carats, which would reduce 375 to 300 (300 x 300 = 90,000) ; 
on multiplying the product by £8 we obtain a total value for 
the Nizam’s diamond of £7 20,000. 
I will now briefly compare the Nizam diamond — uncut 
375 carats, cut 300 — with the historic stones of the world. 
The list usually begins with the Pitt or Regent, the first cut 
in Europe. When the extraneous matter was removed, in 
unusual quantities, it was reduced to 136! carats, valued 
from £141,058 to £160,000. The Koh-i-nur originally 
gauged 900 carats ; it was successively reduced to 279 or 
280 (Tavernier), and to 186^ ( = £276,768) when exhibited 
in Hyde Park ; its latest treatment left it at 162J carats. 
Then we have the Grand Duke’s, or Austrian, of 139!- carats 
( = £153,682) ; the Orloff, or Russian (rose cut), of 195 (193 ?) 
carats ; and the Abaite, poetically called the Star of the 
South, weighing 120 carats. The “ Stone of the Great 
* Our diamond weights are as follows : — 
16 parts = 1 (diamond) grain = 4*5ths grain troy. 
4 diamond grains = i carat = 3-1-6 (3-174 grains troy). 
The Indian weights are — 
1 dhan = 15-32 grains troy; in round numbers £ a grain. 
4 dhary = 1 rati = i| grains troy. 
8 rati = 1 masha = 18 grains troy. 
12 mashas = 1 tola = 180 grains troy. 
The “ounces” in the text probably represent “ tolas,” certainly not troy 
ounces of 24 grains. 
