Jacob Diamond

Jacob Diamond

The Jacob Diamond, also known as the Imperial or Victoria Diamond, is a colourless diamond from India (or from the Golconda mines) ranked as the fifth-biggest polished diamond in the world. The last nizam of the Hyderabad State, Mir Osman Ali Khan, found the diamond in the toe of the shoe of his father (Mahboob Ali Khan) at Chowmahalla Palace and used it as a paper weight for a long time. It was bought by the government of India for an estimated $US13 million in 1995. It is cut in a rectangular cushion-cut, with 58 facets, and measures 39.5 millimetres (1.56 in) long, 29.25 millimetres (1.152 in) wide and 22.5 millimetres (0.89 in) deep. The diamond weighs 184.75 carats (36.90 g). Currently, it is kept at the Reserve Bank of India vaults in Mumbai. As part of the Nizam's jewellery exhibition in 2001 and 2007, the Jacob Diamond was a major attraction at Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad. Unlike the famous Koh-i-Noor, the Jacob Diamond has changed hands only twice in the history of its existence and has not been associated with violence.

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