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Golconda Diamonds
mine locations
Golconda region in 1733 CE.[1]
ColorTypically colorless. Less often blue, translucent white and pink.
CutAntique cushion
Country of originIndia
Mine of originKollur mine and Paritala mine

The Golconda Diamonds are the Indian diamonds mined in the specific geographic area known as the Godavari delta in the present day Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states of India. Golconda Fort, located in the western part of modern Hyderabad, was a seat of the Golconda Sultanate and it became an important center for diamond enhancement, lapidary and trading. The term Golconda diamond became synonymous with Golconda itself. The region has produced diamonds for nearly 2000 years and was the only known source of diamonds until the 17th century. They are graded as Type IIa, being devoid of nitrogen and large in size, with most Golconda diamonds having good clarity.

Although the Golconda mines have been depleted since 1830 CE, they consequently hold value as antique gemstones. The mines have produced some of the world's most famous diamonds, including the colourless Koh-i-Noor (the United Kingdom), the Nassak Diamond, the blue Hope Diamond, the Idol's Eye (the United States), the pink Daria-i-Noor (Iran), the white Regent (France), the Dresden Green (Germany), and the colourless Orlov (Russia), as well as now untraceable diamonds such as the Florentine Yellow, the Akbar Shah, the Nizam (India) and the Great Mogul.

The 16th and 17th centuries were the peak period of the Golconda diamond industry, with 23 mines in the region (of which Kollur Mine was the most active),[A] with 60,000 people working at a time in one mine. The output from all the mines in Golconda was estimated to be around 10,000,000 carats (2.0 t).

Golconda diamonds are often described as diamonds of first water, making them history's most celebrated diamonds. These have also attracted many literary legends attributed to the Golconda diamonds and mines. These include such examples as the gem lore of the Priestly breastplate from Old Testament, and the Sindbad the Sailor's valley of the diamonds, while some diamonds are alleged to be cursed or bring prosperity to their owners.

In the year 2015, government agencies and institutional researchers discovered new potential sites for diamond mining in the region, though the mining is not started.

History

See also: Diamond mining in India
Sindbad the Sailor and the Valley of the Diamonds, illustrated by Maxfield Parrish(1870-1966)

Medieval records from Europe and the Middle East show India's importance as the famed source of high-quality diamonds. According to Jack Ogden, a scholar known for his publications on diamonds and the history of jewels, these records include those of Pliny, Marco Polo, Muhammed al-Idrisi and others from before the 12th century. The records state that India produced diamonds with "which the gems were engraved". In addition to these sources, ancient texts of Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains, such as the Arthashastra (2nd century BCE – 4th century CE), the Ratna Pariksha, and the Puranas, refer to cities and regions of India that produced diamonds.[2] The Roman historian Pliny the Elder (23-79 CE) describes in his encyclopedia the demand and fondness of Roman Imperial ladies for the diamonds of South India.[3][4] The tales of Sinbad's voyages written in the reign of the Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid (786–809 CE), describes the Valley of the Diamonds featured in the legendary book One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights or Alf Laila Wa Laila or Alif Laila). These regional descriptions have the same features of Deccan in general and the Golconda region in particular.[5][6] However, these names are difficult to link to modern geographic names.[2]

Recent studies note a region south of the Kurnool district, which is the area near Krishna river valley in and around the NTR district, the Palnadu district, the Guntur district, the area near Godavari delta in Rampachodavaram and Bhadrachalam of erstwhile Rajahmahendravaram district, northeastern Madhya Pradesh, eastern Chhattisgarh, western Jharkhand, northwestern Odisha (Kosala). The studies show that these regions were important diamond mines and were the historic diamond operations in India.[2] The most famous region among these was historically known as Telingana or Tilling, renamed to Golconda during the Deccan sultanates period and generally known as the Godavari delta.[7] As European travelers and traders increasingly engaged in trading with producers of this region, the famed diamonds of this region came to be referred to as the "Golconda diamonds".[8][9]

Mining

Diamond mine in the Golconda region 1725 CE from the collection of Pieter van der Aa—a Dutch publisher known for preparing maps and atlases.

The period of peak production of the Golconda diamonds was under the Qutb Shahi dynasty (16th century–17th century CE), and the region was also known as the "Golconda Sultanate". The Asaf Jahi dynasty (18th century-19th century CE) was later dominant, and it was also known as the "Nizam of Hyderabad".[7][10][11] During these times, the diamond mines were leased out to merchants under the supervision of regional governors. The periods of the leases were recorded in days. Local merchants Shantidas Jhaveri and Khushalchand were legendary diamond traders of the region.[12] Large diamonds (over 1 carat) obtained from the mines were reserved for the rulers under terms of the leases.[11]

Actual mining of the Golconda diamonds occurred in alluvial soil settings, alongside river beds, and were found within a few feet of the surface of the land.[13] After the customary survey of geological formations between the river and the mountains, mining sites were selected and a clay cistern would be prepared on the spot for use in digging.[14] The depth of the mines weas usually up to four fathoms (7.3 meters). In some situations if boulders appeared during digging, the boulders were covered with coal and burned out to make them very hot. Then water was sprayed on the boulders to produces cracks in the boulders through thermal shock. The remnants of the boulders were then carved out with tools. This removal procedure was used since gunpowder was not yet a tool for mining in the region at the time.[12][15] When mining reached ground water, digging was halted. At that point in the mining process, the miners washed away the earthy particles from the collected soil Stony substances were then collected for assortment and examination to obtain diamonds.[14] The earthy coverings of limescale ore were then removed, to yield the raw diamonds.[15] The raw diamonds from the regional mines were typically then transported to the Golconda (now the western part of Hyderabad,[16]) for skilled lapidary, enhancement and further evaluation and sale.[7][10][11]

The art of macle, which is a form of rough diamond used to produce jewelry, was first developed in the Golconda region,[17] Of the 38 diamond mines in India at the time, 23 were located in the Golconda Sultanate, of which the Kollur Mine was prominent where 60,000 workers were employed at once, making Golconda the "Diamond Capital" of the past.[10][18]

Though most of these mines were fully active until 1830 CE but were gradually abandoned as they became either submerged by the backwaters or depletion due to excessive mining. Thus mining gradually declined and finally officially close.[19][20]

In the year 2015, research was conducted by the Centre of Exploration Geophysics (the Department of Geophysics Osmania University) and by the Geological Survey of India The research identified three zones that contain 21 new potential diamond mining sites near the delta of the Krishna and Bhima rivers, specifically in the riverbeds of the Krishna, Tungabhadra and Penna. According to the research, the sites contain Volcanic pipe which probably bear Kimberlite and possibly diamonds.[21][22]

Trading

Through the centuries, Golconda was a major trading center for diamonds. Until the end of the 19th century, it was the primary source of the finest and largest diamonds in the world, making the legendary name "Golconda diamond" synonymous with Golconda itself.[7][10][18][23][24] Golconda is trading diamonds with various European kingdoms at least since the days of Marco Polo (1254–1324 CE).[8] It was the source of some of the world's most famous diamonds.[8] It was considered a point of pride by any ruler to be the owner of one of the Golconda diamonds.

The top four pink diamonds of the world are from Golconda.[25] During the 1420s, Niccolò de' Conti, a prominent 15th century Italian traveler and merchant who resided in India, had a detailed account of diamond valleys in the Golconda region.[6] The 17th century French explorer Jean-Baptiste Tavernier reported that he was "permitted to examine" the egg-shaped Great Moghul diamond, now lost and claimed to have been cut into smaller diamonds. He reported having seen a flat diamond called the Great Table diamond in Golconda. Jean de Thévenot and François Bernier were also French traders in "Golconda diamonds".[10][26][27] Estimates are that the Golconda region had traded around 10 million carats of diamonds.[28]

Popularity

Main article: List of the Golconda Diamonds
Diagram of the pre-1852 cut Koh-i-Noor.[29]

Fig I. The shaded area is the base.
Fig II. A: flaw; B and C: notches cut to hold the stone in a setting; D: flaw created by fracture at E; F: fracture created by a blow; G: unpolished cleavage plane; H: basal cleavage plane.
Fig III. The opposite side shows facets and peak of the "Mountain of Light"

Golconda diamonds were popularized in the Middle east and the Western world by some of the 15th and 16th-century travelers and traders such as Niccolò de' Conti, Muhammad al-Idrisi, Marco Polo and Jean-Baptiste Tavernier. As the exhausted diamond mines in the region produce no diamonds today, the antiques are rare and highly valued diamonds in the world.[8][30]

The Golconda diamond fields are known for producing some of the world's most magnificent diamonds.[31] For nearly 2000 years, the mines in this region were the only source of diamonds on earth until the 17th century.[4][8][32] The Golconda diamonds have been special in history and they continue to be the modern era connoisseurs' choice because they stand high on grading standards and are devoid of nitrogen, giving the rare Type IIa designation.[8][32][33] They are large in size and most of those are known for their colourless clarity, material and some are known for their colours,[8][30][34] for which they are characterised as Diamonds of First water.[30]

Notable diamonds

Although the Golconda diamonds are known for their size and clarity, the diamond mines of the Golconda region are now depleted and inactive.[35] Later discovery of diamond deposits in regions such as Brazil post-1730 CE, Australia post-1851 CE and in Africa post-1866 CE have provided significant supplies of diamonds, even though their clarity generally do not match the Golconda diamonds.[14][36][37] For these reasons, the Golconda diamonds remain among the world's most celebrated diamonds.[8][35]

Some of the notable Golconda diamonds are: The Daria-i-Noor—(Iranian Crown Jewels collection of the Central Bank of Iran in Tehran), the Nizam Diamond—(missing from Hyderabad after a police action in 1948), the Great Mogul Diamond—(also Orlov diamond part of the Diamond Fund collection of Moscow's Kremlin Armoury), the Koh-i-Noor—(now part of the Crown Jewels in the Jewel House at the Tower of London), the Hope Diamond—(housed in the National Gem and Mineral collection at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.), the Regent Diamond—(passed through the Charles X and the Napoleon Bonaparte to the French government and now part of French Crown Jewels on display in the Louvre, Paris),[19][20] the Idols Eye Diamond—(it was theft by the servant of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II while he was in exile to Paris), it was sold in Paris to an unknown Spanish aristocrat.[38][39]

Legends

Women in the process of washing earthy substances from soil, at a site of a unnamed Golconda mine.[14]
  • According to one popular legend the Koh-i-Noor should only be possessed by a female, as it will bring bad luck to a male. Alauddin Khalji who obtained it from the Kakatiya Dynasty, was murdered by his slave. Nader Shah who looted the Koh-i-Noor from the Mughals (and named it "Koh-i-Noor") was assassinated. Shuja Shah Durrani was overthrown by his predecessor and went into exile. Ranjit Singh died of a heart stroke, and, when the diamond passed to the East India Company, it was passed on to Queen Victoria. From her, the Koh-i-Noor had been successively mounted in the crowns of Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary and The Queen Mother's Crown. The crown is on public display along with the other Crown Jewels in the Jewel House at the Tower of London.[18][40][41][42][43]
  • There are legendary accounts of ill fortune and curse stories associated with the Hope diamond; Tavernier, who brought the stone to Paris was "torn to pieces by wild dogs" in Constantinople, King Louis gave it to Madame de Montespan whom later he abandoned, Sultan Hamid of Turkey gave it to Abu Sabir to "polish" but later Sabir was imprisoned and tortured. An article entitled "Hope Diamond Has Brought Trouble To All Who Have Owned It" appeared in The Washington Post in 1908.[44][45]
  • According to legend, the Regent Diamond was discovered between 1698-1701 CE at the Kollur Mine. It was then smuggled out by a slave worker who had found the diamond, by hiding it deep inside a self-inflicted cut. The slave wanted to escape from India with the diamond, and so he contacted the captain of a British ship. Both agreed to a term to share equally in the proceeds from the sale of the diamond in exchange for safe passage. Later the captain stole the diamond and killed the slave and sold the diamond to an Indian merchant "Jamchand". Jamchand allegedly sold it to Thomas Pitt who in turn sold it to Philippe d’Orléans.[46]
  • According to pervasive folklore narrated by Marco Polo from his 13th century visits to the region, the diamond valley was replete with venomous snakes, making it dangerous to obtain the diamonds. Thus the diamond traders took a herd of cattle to the hilltop near to the diamond valley. Then, after slaughtering the cattle, the cow flesh was catapulted towards the diamond valley so that it became stuck to the precious stones, which in turn were picked by eagles and vultures which carried the conglomeration to their nests to feed. The stones remained after the birds consumed the flesh, allowing the stones to be tracked and collected by the local merchants' workers.[6][47] According to "Jean R. Brink", who authored "Renaissance Culture in Context: Theory and Practice" (2017), this legend is repeated in many medieval Arabic and Chinese literary works. It was also repeated by Marco Polo who visited the region's capital Warangal (then ruled by the Kakatiya dynasty). However, he did not visit the exact mining sites. Further the author describes that it was first cited in the 4th-century treatise of St Epiphanius (of Cyprus), as Gem lore, the Breastplate of the high priest of the Temple from Old Testament, and it was finally derived from Herodotus—430 BC.[48]

See also

Explanatory notes

  1. ^ Golconda Mines originally meant the mines (Kollur and Paritala mines) that were mined during the Qutub Shahi period and continued until British times. The Deccan Sultanate of Qutub Shahis was called Golconda Sultanate. Vajrakarur (in the present-day Anantapur district) was a mine of later times and Amaragiri (present-day Kollapur, Mahbubnagar district) was not known until much later. When referring to Golconda mines, the aforementioned has to be noted.

References

  1. ^ For a map of their territory see: Schwartzberg, Joseph E. (1978). A Historical atlas of South Asia. University of Chicago Press. p. 147 map XIV.4 (l). ISBN 9780195068696. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
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  3. ^ Pliny – Natural History 10 volumes. Translated by Rackham, H.; Jones, W. H. S.; Eichholz, D. E. Loeb Classical Library. 1938–1962. pp. 20–30. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
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