“Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs.”
–Malcolm S Forbes –(1919 – 1990)
The Koh-i-Noor is a large, colourless diamond that was found near Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, India, possibly in the 13th century. According to legend, it first weighed 793 carats (158.6 g) uncut, although the earliest well-attested weight is 186 carats (37.2 g); it was first owned by the Kakatiya dynasty. The stone changed hands several times between various factions in South Asia over the next few hundred years going from the Mughal Dynasty’s Peacock throne to Nadir Shah of Persia and then to the ruler of Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, before being possessed by Queen Victoria after the British conquest of the Punjab in 1849.
The Koh-i-Noor acquired a reputation within the British royal family for bringing bad luck to any man who wears it since it is associated with the downfall of the Mughals and Singh’s empire in Punjab, and the ill-fate of the ship that carried to Britain. Since arriving in the country, it has only ever been worn by female members of the family.