>GreenC bot at 15:03, 16 April 2021

2021-04-16T15:03:01Z

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{{sources|date=November 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2017}}
The '''Akbar Shāh''', also known as the "Lustre of the [[Peacock Throne]]", is a [[diamond]] dating back to the [[Mughal dynasty]] of [[India]].{{when|date=December 2011}} It is an irregular, pear-shaped diamond with a light green hue, weighing 73.60 [[Carat (mass)|carat]].

The names of three Mughal emperors [[Akbar]], [[Jahangir]] and [[Shah Jahan]] were elegantly listed on its sides, which makes it prominent. [https://www.thefridaytimes.com/a-diamond-that-bore-the-names-of-three-mughal-emperors/]

==History==
The Akbar Shāh diamond was found in the famed mines around [[Golconda Fort|Golconda]], and is thus part of the group of stones collectively known as the [[Golconda diamonds]]. The Akbar Shah was once the property of the Mughal emperor [[Akbar]], hence its name. It was engraved on two faces with inscriptions in [[Arabic language|Arabic]], by order of his grandson [[Shah Jahan|Shāh Jahān]]. The English translation of them is ''Shāh Akbar, the Shāh of the World, 1028'' and ''To the Lord of two worlds, 1039''. The dates are given according to the [[Hijri|Hijrī]] years, and correspond to 1618 and 1629 of the Christian era.

It is believed by some historians that this celebrated gem was set as one of the eyes of the peacock in the fabulous [[Peacock Throne]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.farlang.com/diamonds/streeter_great_diamonds/page_200 |title=Famous Diamonds: Akbar Shah or Jehan Ghir Shah Diamond page 200 |publisher=Farlang.com |accessdate=2014-02-25 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140128033326/http://www.farlang.com/diamonds/streeter_great_diamonds/page_200 |archivedate=2014-01-28 }}</ref> However, other scholars suggest the possibility of it being the dazzling [[diamond]]s encircled by emeralds and rubies, suspended opposite the throne.

In any case, the diamond disappeared. If it had been set in the Peacock Throne it would have disappeared when the [[Afsharid dynasty|Afsharid]] Persian Emperor [[Nader Shah|Nādir Shāh]] seized the throne along with other plundered treasures in 1739. The throne was lost on its way back to [[Iran]] in a battle with [[Kurds]], who broke it up for the value of the metal and stones.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/447845/Peacock-Throne |title=Peacock Throne - Encyclopædia Britannica |publisher=Britannica.com |date=2013-03-15 |accessdate=2014-02-25}}</ref>

The stone eventually reappeared in [[Turkey]], where it had been given the new name 'Shepherd's Stone'. It was then purchased in 1866 in [[Istanbul]] by [[London]] merchant George Blogg, who commissioned Levi Moses Auerhaan to re-cut it into drop-form. Unfortunately the historic inscriptions were destroyed in the process. The stone, which had originally weighed 120 Arabic carats (about 119 metric carats 23 g), had been reduced to 73.60 metric carats (14.34 g). In the following year, the diamond was purchased by [[Malhar Rao Gaekwad]] of [[Baroda]], India, for what was said to have been 350,000 rupees (about £26,000).<ref>G.F Herbert Smith: ''Gemstones''. London, 1940. p. 171-2</ref>

In 1926, the new ruler of Baroda, Sayājī Rāo Gaekwāḑ III, had [[Jacques Cartier (jeweler)|Jacques Cartier]] reset the stone in platinum, along with the rest of his jewelry collection; the new metal was becoming more fashionable than gold. The diamond, along with other world-famous diamonds like the [[Star of the South]] and the [[Empress Eugénie (diamond)|Empress Eugénie]], was in the list of properties disclosed in wealth tax returns of the late Fātehsinh Rāo Gaekwāḑ, dated 31 March 1988. Later his wife, Shanta Devi, also mentioned the diamond in her wealth tax returns.<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2007-03-28/india/27880016_1_diamond-cartier-sangramsinh |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022035253/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2007-03-28/india/27880016_1_diamond-cartier-sangramsinh |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-10-22 |title=Gaekwad's Star of the South diamond sold |date= |work=[[The Times of India]]|accessdate=2014-02-25}}</ref> It is uncertain whether the stone is still in the family's possession or has been sold, similar to the Star of the South.

==Further reading==
* Shipley, Robert M. (1941) ''Diamond Glossary'', pp.  7. [[Gemological Institute of America]], USA, Vol. 3, No. 10 (Summer 1941)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Jewels of the Mughal Empire]]
[[Category:Baroda State]]
[[Category:Golconda diamonds]]
[[Category:History of India]]
[[Category:History of Iran]]

Akbar Shah diamond - Revision history

>GreenC bot at 15:03, 16 April 2021