News: The Golconda Blue diamond – “among the rarest and most important…ever discovered throughout history”, has been expected to fetch $35 million to $50 million at an auction in Geneva on May 14.
About Golconda Blue
- It is a legendary 23.24-carat fancy vivid blue diamond, renowned for its exceptional clarity, rich blue hue, and royal provenance.
- Origin: The diamond traces its origin to the famed Golconda mines in present-day Telangana, India, which historically produced some of the world’s most celebrated diamonds, including the Koh-i-Noor, the pale pink Darya-i-Nur and Hope Diamond.
- It is considered one of the rarest and most valuable diamonds in the world, with an estimated value between $35 million and $50 million.
Historical Background
- It belonged to Yeshwant Rao Holkar (1908-62), the Maharaja of Indore, who, along with his wife Sanyogitabai Devi, often collected paintings, jewellery, and other fine goods in Europe.
- Later, it was commissioned into exquisite jewelry by leading Parisian jewelers, including Chaumet and Mauboussin, and worn by Maharani Sanyogita Devi of Indore in a famous portrait.
Historical Accounts of Golconda Diamonds
- The French merchant Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605-89) wrote that diamond mining in the Golconda district grew at an explosive rate in the mid-17th century. At the Kollur mine, 60,000 diggers and washers were employed.
- The French traveller Jean de Thévenot (1633-77) noted there was no uniformity in diamond prices and the king established a monopoly in mining.
- The French Catholic physician Gabriel Dellon, who traveled to India in the late 1660s, noted that the Surat is a place of great commerce; diamonds are brought there out of the Kingdom of Golconda.
