All about the Shah diamond

The world is full of mysteries and secrets. We are attracted by everything unknown and unexplored. One of these secrets is the world famous Shah diamond. This stone has not a simple, but very interesting history. Some parts of it are known to the general public, but other details are hidden under the locks of time, even the most initiated ones do not know about them.

It is worth considering what the Shah diamond is known for, where the precious stone came from and how it got to Russia, what the mysterious inscriptions on its surface mean, what secrets it keeps, who was the first owner of the diamond. In our article, the veil of secrecy will be slightly revealed.

Despite the fact that "Shah" is a stone of extraordinary beauty and value, the history of the stone deserves special interest. So, the stone takes its origins from Indian mines. It was in them that a diamond was discovered in the distant 16th century. It is well documented and known that the first person who began to single-handedly possess the "Shah" was Burkhan, a famous sultan from Persia. It was by his order that the first inscription was made on the stone.

However, the stone remained in the possession of Burkhan for a very short time. It is widely known that frequent bloody wars for land, power and people were a characteristic feature of ancient times. So it happened with the state of Burkhan. It was conquered by the forces of the Mongol Shah Akbar. After the conquest of the country that once belonged to Burkhan, the new ruler appropriated numerous values. The Shah also ended up in his possession.

But Akbar, unlike Burkhan, had no attachment to jewelry precious stones, therefore he was unable to appreciate the beauty and value of the "Shah" at their true worth.By order of the lord, the diamond was sent to the vault, where it took its place among a huge number of other countless treasures. The stone lay in this state for many decades.

After a long time of rest in the treasuries of the Mongol Shah, the precious stone fell into the hands of Akbar's grandson Jihan. He became the person thanks to whom the second inscription appeared on the stone.

As the story goes, since that time, the gem has become a real Mongolian relic that has been passed down from generation to generation. "Shah" took pride of place - it was hung in the center of the canopy, which was the decoration of the throne. The rulers of Mongolia were seated on it one by one.

Later, the stone was again subjected to mechanical stress. So, at one of its ends (which was thinner) a small groove was drilled, which allowed a rope to be threaded into the stone. Thus, "Shah" could be enjoyed not only from the side, but also worn around the neck. Such historically details are now known to the general public thanks to the documentary records of a merchant from France, who entered this information into his travel diary in the distant 17th century. In addition, it was this merchant who became the first European person to see the precious diamond.

But the Mongol rulers did not become the last owners of the "Shah". After their empire collapsed, and bloody wars began on its territory. The stone was forgotten for many years - it seemed to have disappeared. "Shah" appeared only 100 years later - in the 18th century. This time it became a stone of honor in the treasury of Shah Fath-Ali, who put the third final inscription on it.

After that, the stone was forgotten again. Historical sources and documents begin to mention it only in the 19th century. However, the appearance of "Shah" this time was associated with tragic events that affected our country as well. So, in January 1829, a bloody riot took place in Tehran at the place where at that time the embassy of the Russian Empire was located.

Thousands of followers of the religious cult attacked embassy staff, as a result of which 37 of our compatriots died. Among the dead there was also a poet and statesman known to this day, A. S. Griboyedov, the author of the famous work "Woe from Wit." The bodies of Russian diplomats were mutilated and mutilated, and it was rather difficult to identify them.

The reasons for such an attack are not known for certain, but it is believed that the conflict was provoked by a treaty that was signed between Persia and the Russian Empire, proclaiming the Turkmanchay peace. According to this agreement, Persia had to pay our country a rather large indemnity. The terrorist attack that took place in Tehran became a real scandal and aroused the outrage of the general public.

Therefore, Khozrev-Mirza (the grandson of the Persian Shah) came to the Russian Empire to meet with Emperor Nicholas in order to settle the conflict. The Persian ruler brought with him a huge variety of gifts: carpets, candelabra, manuscripts, weapons and numerous jewelry and jewelry, among which was the famous Shah diamond. Emperor Nicholas accepted the donated treasures and invited the representative of Persia to forget about the conflict.

The Shah diamond, despite all its splendor, is not a diamond. The fact is that the stone does not have a corresponding cut. However, "Shah" is also not rough - the edges of the stone are polished, they have 3 inscriptions on them. If we talk about color and color shades, it is important to note that the stone is transparent, but has a slightly pronounced yellowish undertone. The shape and size of the "Shah" are rather unusual and original; they represent an octahedron. The diamond weighs about 89 carats.

According to jewelers, the shape that Shah possesses is not classic in its full understanding, it is far from jewelry ideals. But on the other hand, the transparency of the stone is high. The diamond is smooth and complete - there are no spots or inclusions on its surface, no cracks, cuts or any other defects.

As mentioned above, there are 3 inscriptions on the surface of the gem. They represent a mysterious enigma and attract many. However, not everyone knows what is engraved on the Shah. If we turn to historical documents, then we learn that the first inscription on the stone was made by order of the Persian Sultan Burkhan.

The task of completing the inscription on the stone baffled the jeweler, and for a long time he could not find a solution. The fact is that the stone, in terms of its physical structure, is quite strong and hard, rather poorly supplied to any external mechanical influences. However, over time, through trial and error, as well as difficult experiments, a solution was found.

The master jeweler put the inscription on the "Shah" using the same diamond. The application technique looked something like this: diamond chips obtained from a solid diamond were collected at the tip of a needle, with the help of which the direct inscription was drawn.

Obviously, the phrase was written in Persian. If we translate it into Russian, we get the phrase "Lord of Order". It was these words that were first written on the surface of one of the most famous, but at the same time mysterious gemstones "Shah".

Many years passed after the first inscription was applied before the stone was remembered. During this time, "Shah" changed several owners. Once in the hands of the Mongol ruler Jihan, the precious diamond was transformed, having received its second inscription.

This time it turned out to be more prosaic - by order of lord Jihan, by the forces of jewelers, a second inscription was drawn on the crystal, which contained the name of Jihan, as well as the years of his reign. Jihan did not become the last shah who managed to immortalize his name on a precious diamond.

To date, historians do not know for certain exactly how the "Shah" became part of the many treasures of the Tehran ruler. One way or another, but it was his name and the years of reign that were engraved on the stone for the third in a row. Moreover, this time Shah Fath-Ali chose a solemn and significant date for him to perform such manipulations - 30 years from the date of the beginning of his reign.

The "Shah" diamond is a precious stone that keeps on its surface not only age-old inscriptions, but also age-old secrets. He belonged to the strongest and most influential rulers of our world.

After the Tehran conflict and the visit of Khozrev-Mirza to the Russian Empire, "Shah" became the property of our country. The stone was examined and studied by the most highly qualified specialists in oriental studies of the time. These scientists gave the diamond the name "Shah", which is now known all over the world. From that moment on, the stone did not leave Russia. At first, for a long time, it was kept in the Winter Palace. After the end of the Civil War, "Shah" ended up in the Kremlin Armory.

Although during the years of reconstruction the Soviet government sold a huge amount of imperial treasures abroad, the "Shah" was never touched. Today the precious stone remains in the possession of our country and belongs to the Kremlin's Diamond Fund.It is often exhibited at various exhibitions, where you can admire the historical stone, which keeps centuries-old secrets.

Thus, the famous diamond, which has an unusual history, has made a huge journey through time and space. Having started his long life in India, he traveled in the East and then arrived in Russia. This stone is a real treasure, but do not succumb to its bright shine. As we can see, he is quite cunning.

You can find out about the secrets of the Shah diamond by watching the video below.