An exhibition of Nizam’s jewels – among them the world-famous Jacob Diamond – has been inaugurated at the National Museum in Delhi last week (February 19), according to Art of Jewellery. It will run until May 5, 2019.
The collection features 173 items covering a period from the 18th century to the early 20th century, including diamonds from the mines of Golconda, Colombian emeralds, Burmese rubies and spinets and pearls from Basra and the Gulf of Mannar, as well as “necklaces, belts and buckles, pairs of bracelets and bangles, earrings, armlets, toe rings, finger rings, pocket watches, buttons and cufflinks”.
The highlight of the Nizam’s jewellery collection, which was purchased by the government of India in 1995, is the Jacob Diamond. Weighing 184.75 carats, it is ranked fifth in the world in size. It is white, cut in a rectangular cushion-cut and has 58 facets. In 1995, when India bought the diamond from the Nizam’s trust, it paid an estimated $13 million for it.
