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Ch. 10: Remarkable Diamonds

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REMARKABLE DIAMONDS AND GEMS
Hortensio Borgio of Venice, was not skilled enough to carry out such a task. From 793 carats the blockhead cut it down to 186. For this he was punished with the loss of his entire fortune.
Nadir Shah stole it when his turn came. His descendants were tricked into losing it to Achmed Shah, whose son was forced to give it up to Runjeet Singh. Through the people of that potentate it reached British troops. Their Queen, to whom they had loyally presented it in June 1850, had it displayed in the Great Exhibition of 1851.
She was not satisfied with the brilliance of the stone and had it cut again—this time by the great Costar of Amster­dam. He reduced it to 106 carats.
Costar and his men came over from Amsterdam for the purpose, and installed the equipment at the Queen's jew­eler's shop. A steam engine was erected to do the work. It was the Duke of Wellington himself who set the machinery in motion, and made the first cut. All England was a breathless spectator of the thrilling scene. A single slip of the cutter's hand might have done a mischief not to be measured save by hundreds of thousands of pounds. A moment's inattention might have cost a million. Happily the operators' nerves were steady, and their thoughts con­centrated on their work, so that no accident occurred. The Koh-i-nur is now a perfect brilliant, with duly proportioned table, facets, and culet.
Nadir Shah got the stone from the Mogul dynasty by cunning means in 1739. The unhappy Mohammed Shah, to whom Nadir Shah restored the throne of India used to
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