Thai Jewelers account of Nizams Jewels

Hi, I Found this article on the net and it is interested to read and know history secrets!! Andhra Pradesh is India's fifth largest state, and a world in itself. The southern state stretches from the tropical beaches of the Bay of Bengal, across the lush coffee plantations of the Eastern Ghat hill ranges to the semi-arid Deccan Plateau. I started my journey into the vast gem rich state at Hyderabad, the 300 year old capital city of Andhra Pradesh.The first thing that struck me, as I went in search of a morning cup of "Chai" (Indian tea), was Hyderabad's mix of races and creeds. Wherever you turn your head, your eyes are welcomed by rich and colorful sights that illustrate Hyderabad's unique cultural diversity.I momentarily escaped the already intense morning heat by lingering in the hadow of the spectacular "Charminar": a huge fifteenth century Islamic styled building that arcs triumphantly at the heart of Hyderabad. I dived back in to the steady stream of people flowing westward under "Charminar" to resurface below its imposing arches on the Lad Bazaar road. Also known as "The Street of Love", the road emerges from underneath "Charminar" and leads onto a square at the west called the "Chowk".Lad Bazaar is an assault on the senses: overwhelming the unsuspecting window shopper's eyes with a spectrum of intense colors. On either side of the street rows of glittering glass and gemstone-studded bangles beckon to the curiosity of even the most blas? of window shoppers. Lad Bazaar is a treasure trove of fascinating objects: sequined clothes set with sparkling mirrors, antique gold and silver jewelry, tissue thin filigree jewelry, pearl strands and gemstone beads of garnet, chrysoberyl, moonstones, zircon, alexandrite!After making some truly excellent pearl and gemstone bead purchases, I browsed my way towards the "Mehoob Chowk", an open square that marks the end of Lad Bazaar. Working my way back through the crowded streets I came across the amazing "Mecca Masjid", dating from the beginning of the sixteenth century, it is one of the largest mosques in India.Islamic influences in Andhra Pradesh go back as far as seven centuries: however, it was the line of "Asaf Jahi", commonly referred to as the "Nizam"princes who, ruling from 1724 to 1948 were to prove to be the most famous and successful Muslim monarchs to rule Hyderabad. The "Asaf Jahi" dynasty, famous for their wealth of gold jewelry and precious gemstones, played a major part in building Hyderabad's notoriety as one of the world's leading pearl and colored gemstone jewelry centers. The first "Nizam" had a collection of pearls so vast that it was reputed to be able to cover the pavements of London's Piccadilly Circus. It all began with one man, the "Nizam" Asaf Jah (1724 ? 1748). It is said that his love of pearls extended to using the paste of crushed pearls as beauty aids for his princesses who were even given their weight in pearls on their birthdays. As the tales spread, pearl merchants from all over India flocked to Hyderabad, and little by little the city flourished as a focal point for pearls. In those days the majority of the pearls came from Basra, in the Persian Gulf. But with the discovery of oil, leading to the eventual pollution of the sea, the natural oysters in the Gulf decreased to near extinction.Luckily, by this time Hyderabad had already established itself as a center for lapidary skills. The city survived this difficult period, and the vacuum of pearls was soon filled with the advent of cultured pearls heralding from Japan and China. Today, thanks to the "Nizams", the dexterity and skills of the local lapidary craftspeople is alive and well and on display in many of Hyderabad's bazaars. In August 2001, unknown to me at the time, I witnessed the "Nizam's" pearl collection first hand. I had received a telephone call from a friend of mine who was working as a reporter for the Bangkok branch of Reuters. He told me to drop whatever I was doing, pack a bag and meet him at the airport in two hours: destination New Delhi. A gem dealer knows intuitively when to jump, so I flew. It transpired that he had been given two free press passes for a preview of an exhibition of the "Nizam's" jewels. But as I was to discover pearls weren't the half of it.The royal treasure left the palace of Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh and last "Nizam" of Hyderabad, in 1948 after the state's accession to the Indian Union. The gems were then hidden away in a bank vault. After a long and drawn out litigation case the government of India bought the jewelry in 1995 for an disclosed but princely sum. During the press conference we were informed by the exhibition's assistant director "None of the Nizams ever allowed their wealth to be seen," he went on to explain "Only a few friends and family members were allowed to look at or wear the jewels. Everything here is being shown for the first time." Little did I realize that I was about to be privileged to one of the greatest shows on Earth.The "Nizam" Princes possessed one of the most spectacular jewelry collections in the world. It comprises of over 173 pieces of rare antique jewelry, covering a period spanning nearly two hundred years. The collection is valued in excess of U.S.D. 2 billion dollars.The star of the collection is the uncut Jacob Diamond, weighing in at 184.75 carats (37 grams), one of the biggest diamonds in the world. The Jacob diamond is about twice the size of the Kohinoor: the celebrated jewel that has pride of place in the "Crown Jewels" of England. The diamond was named after Alexander Jacob; the "Nizam's" mysterious confidante immortalized by Rudyard Kipling in the book "Kim" as Lurgan Sahib, a British agent. It is said that the seventh "Nizam" of Hyderabad, who was also the last, had found the egg-sized diamond hidden in his father's slippers and had then used it as a paperweight. Of equal interest is a 640 carat diamond encrusted belt made in France by Oscar Massi Pieres and a pair diamond studded bracelets featuring 270 diamonds. Left: Queen Victoria and the Kohinoor Diamond. Middle: The 7th Nizam and one of the Scarpechs. Right: Rudyard Kipling and the Jacob Diamond. Another diamond highlight are the elaborate paisley-shaped "Sarpechs" dating from the 1800's, these precious "objects d'art" were used to adorn the ""Nizam's" turbans: at that time, under the imperial reign of Queen Victoria, the princes were not permitted to wear anything that resembled a crown. The "Sarpechs" are encrusted with large Colombian emeralds set amidst gardens of diamonds. The weight of the sarpech's six emeralds alone is estimated at over 300 carats (60 grams). In addition to these emeralds there is a selection of 22 fine, partially uncut loose emeralds weighing 414.25 carats (83 grams).By no means eclipsed by its gemstone cousins is a ring made of one of the world's rarest gems: Alexandrite, sought the world over for its unique color change effect, going from emerald green in natural light to a brownish red in artificial light. The ring was a gift from Mughal (the last dynasty before the "Nizams") emperor Aurangzeb to one of his most generals. This particularly fine example of Alexandrite heralds from the Russian Urals. Ironically Alexandrite is one of the reasons that I came to Andhra Pradesh...but that's another story!The spectacular jewelry, apart from a short stay in the Salar Jung museum in Hyderabad, is now kept in the vaults of the Reserve Bank of India in Mumbai. Many people have voiced the opinion that the Indian government should decide to put Hyderabad's fabulous heirlooms back in their rightful place. Speaking personally, if they do I would seriously consider residing in Hyderabad in permanence! .......................................... Nice one right ! Thanks, Mani