134 THE GREAT DIAMONDS OF THE WORLD.
routine,
betraying little inventive power, and showing themselves incapable of
grappling with the problem of how best to reduce a stone, with the
least sacrifice of its weight, and the greatest display of its natural
lustre.*
The
" Koh-i-Nur " is preserved in Windsor Castle. A model of the gem is
kept in the jewel room of the Tower of London, to satisfy the laudable
curiosity of Her Majesty's faithful lieges. Although not of the very
finest water, and of a greyish tinge, the stone was valued before being
re-cut at about £140,000. But Barbot considers it far from being worth
such a sum. He allows, however, that it is still an extraordinary
stone, "but more on account of its great surface than for its play,
which is almost neutralised by its great spread." It must, however, be
remembered that this is the criticism of a Frenchman naturally alarmed
for the hitherto unrivalled reputation of the " Regent." Since
Barbot's time it will be seen in our account of the " English Dresden,"
that the lustre even of the " Regent," has been somewhat dimmed by the
absolutely faultless character of the Bagagem crystal.
Although
yielding to these and perhaps to one or two others in brilliancy, as it
does to several in size, the " Koh-i-Nür " must ever remain without a
rival for the intense interest attaching to the sanguinary and romantic
incidents associated with its marvellous career. A strange fatality
presided over its early
