HISTORICAL AND REMARKABLE DIAMONDS. 2IS
Orloff, and another, a nameless stone, were all parts of one enormous diamond.
The Hindoos have a superstitious belief that this gem
brings certain ruin upon the person or dynasty possessing it,
and it is a remarkable historical fact that every owner except
the last, was the victim of adverse fortune ; if a ruler, his own
power or that of his line was overthrown, and, adds King,
as if its malign influence still accompanies it, not long after
the Koh-i-noor became the property of the English crown, the
Sepoy mutiny occurred, by which the government came near
losing all India.
Tavernier gives the original weight of the Koh-i-noor 793
carats ; after it was broken, it was reduced to 279^ carats,
uncut. It is not a little remarkable that there should be any
difference in the estimate of the weight after it was cut and
reçut, yet such is the case. Church places the size at 193
carats Indian cut, and I02| London cut ; Westropp gives the
weight i86£ and 103-f ; King, 186^ and 102^; Emanuel, 186 and
ιοδ^ carats. When first imported into England it was the
largest in Europe except the Orloff, but at the present time it
is surpassed by several others.
The recutting of this diamond was performed in London by
steam power, under the direction of artists from Amsterdam,
and occupied thirty-eight days, at a cost of forty thousand dollars. It is cut in the form of a brilliant, which involved great
waste of material ; and, though the beauty of the gem may
have been enhanced by this operation, which is a matter of
doubt, and some of its defects removed or rendered less apparent, yet, in the opinion of many, its value as an historical
monument has been greatly diminished.
The Great Mogul. — This is the largest authentic diamond
ever yet discovered ; the only one surpassing it, denominated
