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THE BOOK OF DIAMONDS
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the jewel in his head covering, which he never took off. At the
farewell ceremony, however, when the two rulers exchanged once more the
assurance of external friendship and faith, Nadir Shah took his
sheepskin cap, trimmed with the costliest pearls, off his head, as if
to strengthen his asseveration by an outward sign, and placed it upon
the head of Mohammed Shah, but at the same time cocked his friend's
turban upon his own head. In the turban, however, lay the Koh-i-nur,
and Mohammed could not, according to the strict etiquette of his
country, even make a wry face at his loss. The empire-changing times
which dawned in India, and often revolved around the jewel made its
destiny a wonderful one. Through Achmed Shah the Koh-i-nur came to
Peshawer, where the English ambassador first saw it on the breast of
Shah Shurja. The unhappy king saved the diamond in Kashmir, but was at
last obliged to deliver it up to his conqueror, Runjeet-Singh, who
adorned himself with it on all public occasions. The stone remained
henceforth in Lahore, where, at the suppression of the famous revolt of
the Sikh troop, the Koh-i-nur became the booty of the East India
Company who reserved it for the English Crown and as previously stated
it was presented to Queen Victoria. At this time it was valued at
$700,000. The cutting by Costar required thirty-eight days of twelve
hours each and is said to have cost $40,000 to cut it. In the process
the diamond lost eighty-four carats.
The Star of the South, a much larger stone, required three months by the same man. The Pitt or Regent during
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