At a press conference in Kolkata on January 29, 2002, an Indian model presented a replica of The Kohinoor, a famous Diamond of India
Shortly after Queen Elizabeth II's death on September 8, the word "Kohinoor" began to catch on Indian Twitter. The Kohinoor diamond refers to one of the most famous gemstones in the world. The Kohinoor diamond is just one of 2,800 gemstones set in the crown, which was made for Elizabeth's mother, known as the Queen, but this 105 ct oval diamond is a well-known jewel in the crown. The way the British acquired the diamond is notorious.
A replica of the Kohinoor diamond
Koh-i-Noor (/ koʊ ɪˈnʊər/ from Persian and Hindi), also spelled Kohinoor and Koh-i-Nur, is one of the largest cut diamonds in the world, weighing 105.6 carats (21.12 grams). It is part of the British Crown Jewels. This diamond is currently set in the crown of the Empress.
According to legend, this stone was first mined in the Kurur Mine in India during the Kakatian dynasty. There is no record of its original weight, but the earliest confirmed weight is 186 old carats (191 cm or 38.2 g). It was later allegedly acquired by Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khalji. However, the first traceable record of diamonds comes from the 1740s, when Muhammad Maharvi pointed out that Koh-i-Noor was one of many gemstones that Nader Shah plundered from Delhi. The diamond then changed hands between various factions in South and West Asia until it was ceded to Queen Victoria.
Kohinoor diamonds were recut in 1852
Today, the diamond is on public display at the Jewel house in the Tower of London. Since India's independence from Britain in 1947, the governments of India, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan have all claimed Kohinoor diamonds and demanded their returns. But the British government insisted that the jewel had been legally obtained through the Treaty of Lahore and rejected the demands.
Because its history involves a great deal of fighting between men, Koh-i-Noor is well known in the British royal family for bringing doom to anyone who wears it. Since arriving in the UK, it has only been worn by female members of the family. Victoria wears the gem on a brooch and ring. After her death in 1901, it was placed in the crown of Queen Alexandra, the wife of Edward VII. It was transferred to queen Mary's crown in 1911 and finally to the crown of Queen Elizabeth (later known as the Queen Empress) in 1937 to be crowned queen.
Queen Mary's crown
Since India's independence from Britain before 1947, the governments of India, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan have all claimed possession of the diamond and demanded its return. The British government insisted that the gem was legally obtained under the terms of the last Lahore Treaty and rejected the demands.
Although the UK has not yet disclosed the future location of the gem, it is still very likely that it will stay in the UK, which is one of the main reasons why many netizens in India have demanded its return.