It was a glittering event at the Sri Krishna Diamonds & Jewellery over the weekend, when the jewellers opened a dazzling display of replicas of some of the world’s most famous diamonds. Apart from this, the event saw the launch of the ‘Krishna Collections’ with the Forevermark diamonds.

History’s best known names have all been associated with some of the most precious diamonds. Diamonds are also known to bring good luck or leave misfortune in their wake. From the ‘mountain of light — Koh-i-noor’ to ‘The Hope’, the Taj-e-Mah and the ‘Darya-i-Nur’ in the collection of the Iranian Crown Jewels, the pear shaped ‘Moon of Baroda’, the English Dresden collection, the exhibition displays true-to-life replicas of the best diamonds.
The Koh-i-noor, probably the most precious of diamonds in the world, was first reported in 1304 in the ownership of Mahlak Deo, the king of Malwa. It belonged to Shah Jahan. The East India Company came into possession of the diamond in 1849 and gifted it to Queen Victoria. Today it can be seen at the Tower of London.

The Sancy is one diamond that has changed hands many times. Of Indian origin and yellow in colour, this pear shaped diamond is said to have been the first gem with a symmetrical cut. It was bought by the Seigneur of Sancy, a keen gem collector, after it  adorned the hat of Henry III.

The Hope originally weighed 45.52 carats. It takes its name from the London buyer Henry Philip Hope. It is presently at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC. Hope, a blue diamond, left behind a bewildering trail of misfortune.

Then, there’s The Nizam,  extracted from the Golconda mines in 1830 and listed among the Nizam of Hyderabad’s assets; Tiffany, extracted in 1877 from the De Beers mines in South Africa and named after the famous jeweller Tiffany of New York; and Orlov, one of thebiggest and most famous diamonds in the world that can be admired at the Kremlin Museum in Moscow.

 The exhibition of these replicas is on till October 15, 10:30 am to 8 pm.
RR