View source for Jewels of the Nizams of Hyderabad

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[[File:Sarpech Rubies & Diamonds.jpg|thumb|A decorative crown for the Nizam's of Hyderabad]]	
[[File:Sarpech Diamonds & Pearls.jpg|thumb|A crown that forms part of the Jewels]]

The '''Jewels of the Nizams''' of [[Hyderabad State]] are among the largest and most expensive collection of [[jewels]] in present-day India.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://nationalmuseumindia.gov.in/press_release.html | title = Exhibitions at National Museum of India,New Delhi (India) - Nizams' Jewellery | author = National Museum, New Delhi | website = nationalmuseumindia.gov.in|accessdate = 15 December 2013 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20090402032500/http://nationalmuseumindia.gov.in/press_release.html | archivedate = 2 April 2009}}</ref> The jewels belonged to the [[Nizams]]. After the annexation of their kingdom by [[Dominion of India|Union of India]], the [[Nizam of Hyderabad|Nizam]] and his heirs were barred by the Indian government from taking the collection, claiming that it was a national treasure. After much litigation, the diamond was purchased by the Government of India from the nizam's trust for an estimated $13 million in 1995, along with other jewels of the nizams, and is held at the Reserve Bank of India vaults in Mumbai.

Once the Nizams' state [[regalia]], the ornaments date from the early 18th century to the early 20th century. Crafted in gold and silver and embellished with [[vitreous enamel|enameling]], the jewels are set with Colombian [[emeralds]], 99% diamonds from the Kollur Diamond Mine in Guntur district and diamond mine in Krishna district (Andhra Rayalaseema Diamond mines group, Burmese [[rubies]] and [[spinels]], and [[pearls]] from [[Basra]] and the [[Gulf of Mannar]].{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

There are 173 jewels, which includes [[emerald]]s weighing nearly {{convert|2000|carat|kg}}, and [[pearls]] exceeding 40,000 [[Buddam (unit)|chows]]. The collection includes [[gemstone]]s, [[turban]] ornaments, [[necklaces]] and [[pendant]]s, [[belt (clothing)|belts]] and [[buckles]], [[earrings]], [[armbands]], [[bangle]]s and [[bracelets]], [[anklet]]s, [[cufflinks]] and [[buttons]], [[watch chain]]s, and [[ring (finger)|rings]], [[toe ring]]s, and [[nose piercing|nose rings]]. Among them is the seven-stringed [[Basrah]] pearl necklace, known as [[Satlada]], which has 465 pearls embedded in it. One of the prized possessions in the collection is the [[Jacob Diamond]], the fifth largest diamond in the world weighing 184.75 carats, which was found by the last Nizam, [[Osman Ali Khan]], in the toe of his father’s shoe at [[Chowmahalla Palace]] and he himself used it as a paper weight for a long time.

==History of the jewels==
[[File:Sarpech Emeralds & Diamonds.jpg|thumb|A decorative crown with studded Emeralds]]
[[File:Sarpech Prince.jpg|thumb|A decorative crown for the Nizam's of Hyderabad]]

In 1995, the [[Government of India|Indian government]] bought the jewels for ₹218 [[crore]] (about US$70 million), many years after the death of [[Nizam of Hyderabad|Last Nizam of Hyderabad]], [[Mir Osman Ali Khan]] in 1967. In reality, the Nizam's trustees agreed to sell the famous collection to India in lieu of tax. The government had tried to buy the collection for less than $25 million.<ref name="independent.co.uk">"[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/nizams-heirs-end-wrangle-for-treasure-1568364.html Nizam's Heirs End Wrangle for Treasure]" ''The Independent''</ref> Fifteen years later India's Supreme Court finally fixed a price of about $65 million, much less than the $350 million the family (and the auction house [[Sotheby's]]) estimated the jewels were worth.<ref name="guardian.co.uk">"[https://www.theguardian.com/g2/story/0,3604,497496,00.html The Prince's Ransom]" ''The Guardian''</ref> The sole legitimate heir [[Mukarram Jah]]'s share of the sale was $20 million, but lawsuits from the Nizam's other descendants have ensured that he has never seen the money, as "the case disappeared down the black hole of India's imponderable legal system".<ref name="guardian.co.uk"/>

The collection is with the Union Government and had been deposited in the vaults of the [[Reserve Bank of India]] in its headquarters at Mumbai. It has been showcased a few times in exhibitions; in 2001 and 2006 at the [[National Museum, New Delhi]] and the [[Salar Jung Museum]], Hyderabad.<ref>"[http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/exhibition-of-jewels-of-hyderabad-nizams-includes-fifth-largest-diamond-in-world/1/231098.html King's Ransom: The jewels of the Nizams of Hyderabad, finally on display, include the fifth-largest diamond in the world]" ''India Today''</ref><ref>"[http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/hyderabad-misses-glitter-of-nizams-priceless-jewels/article7811095.ece Hyderabad misses glitter of Nizam’s priceless jewels]" ''The Hindu''</ref>

==References==
<references/>

==Further reading==
Jewels of the Nizams (Hardcover) by Usha R. Krishnan (Author){{ISBN|81-85832-15-3}} [https://www.amazon.com/Jewels-Nizams-Usha-R-Krishnan/dp/8175083069]

==External links==
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1513627.stm BBC]
* [http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=251461 expressindia.com]
* [http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20011021/spectrum/art.htm An account by a National Museum official]
* [http://www.indiaprofile.com/fairs-festivals/nizam-jewels.htm Nizam Jewels]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jewels of the Nizams}}
[[Category:Jewels of the Nizams of Hyderabad| ]]
[[Category:History of Telangana]]
[[Category:Hyderabad State]]
[[Category:Crown jewels]]
[[Category:Jewellery of India]]