The Shah Diamond

Another famous diamond is the Shah Diamond.  It is one of the most famous stones in history.  It was found in 1450 in Central India.  It was created for the Nizam Shahi court in Ahmednagar, which is the largest district in the state of Maharashtra.  It is a light, yellowish brown color and incredibly clear.  It is a large stone at 88.7 carats.  Nizam had the first inscription put on one of the facets of the stone in 1591. Nizam's grandson Shah Jehan, who loved stones, added a second inscription in 1641.  Jehan's son who was named Aureng- Zeb was the next person to inherit the diamond.  He put the diamond above his throne.  Until 1738 the Diamond Shah was held in Delhi.  When India was attacked in 1738 the stone was taken back to Persia (Iran).  In 1829 a Russian diplomat was killed in Tehran, Persia and the Russians demanded punishment.  The Shah's grandson, Khosrow Mirza went to St. Petersburg to give the Shah Diamond as a peace offering.  Therefore, the Shah Diamond now rests in the Kremlin in Russia.