Blue Nile

30% Off

Jewelry

Learn More

Jewelry Deals

James Allen

Claim $100

Ideal Cuts

The Taj Mahal Diamond traces its roots back to the 17th
 century. The heart-shaped, table-cut diamond features inscriptions in both
 Persian and Arabic languages, clearly suggesting the possible origin of the
 diamond.

As already mentioned, Empress Nur Jahan was the original
 owner of this diamond and jade pendant. Her name has been immortalized in an
 inscription titled “Nur Jahan Begum Padshah; 23; 1037." The English
 translation of the inscription is Nur Jahan, Lady of the Padshah; 23; 1037.
 After she married Jahangir Shah in 1611, the emperor commissioned his most
 skillful artisans to design the iconic gemstone. After months of rigorous design
 work, the pendant was inscribed with Nur Jahan’s name.

In 1037 A.H. (After Hijra), Jahangir Shah presented the Taj
 Mahal Diamond as a gift to her wife in appreciation for her timeless love and
 support. The eventful gifting ceremony marked the end of Jahangir Shah’s
 22-year rule. It is important to remember that in the Gregorian calendar, 22
 years is almost equivalent to 23 years in the Islamic Lunar calendar. This fact
 might help explain the reason behind the number 23 that appears in the inscription.
 Also, historians suggest that the number 1037 in the inscription is a date on
 the Islamic calendar that translates to 1627 AD.

While Nur Jahan’s name appears on the diamond, it is
 believed that she might never have worn it; for as soon as her husband died in
 October 1627, her stepson, Prince Khurram, ascended the throne and became the
 new Shah Jahan. One of the priority agendas in Khurram’s order of business was eliminating
 everything that he perceived as a potential threat to his reign. This decree
 included his brothers and male cousins, and since he did not trust Nur Jahan
 either, he placed her under house arrest.

Before Khurram’s ascent to the throne, Nur Jahan had
 supported the short reign of Shahriyar, a younger brother to Khurram. However, Shahriyar
 was overthrown and subsequently blinded before he was put to death.

The new emperor ruled with an iron fist, and power
 struggles within the family were evident after the death of Jahangir Shah.
 Though not formally documented, Nur Jahan may have surrendered the diamond
 willingly to the new tyrant emperor. The emperor later gifted the gemstone to
 his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Some historians also suggest that Mumtaz Mahal
 and Nur Jahan related well, possibly implying that Nur Jahan may have gifted
 her the Taj Mahal Diamond on her own accord.

Empress Mumtaz Mahal was not the only wife of Shah Jahan,
 but she was indeed his favorite and most beloved. According to historians, she
 was the power behind the throne. In 1631, the new owner of the Taj Mahal
 Diamond, Mumtaz Mahal, died a tragic death while giving birth to her 14th
 child.

Much as he ruled dictatorially, the death of Mumtaz Mahal
 left Shah Jahan devastated. He reportedly ate no food for eight days and mourned
 his wife for a year. He then decided to commission the Taj Mahal mausoleum, a
 structure whose construction had been ongoing for over 20 years, in the memory
 of his wife. In what followed, the diamond, formerly known as The Nur Jahan
 Diamond, was officially christened the Taj Mahal Diamond.

It is believed that the diamond remained within the Mughal
 treasury until the neighboring Persia, under the rulership of Nadir Shah,
 invaded and overrun Delhi and Agra in February 1739. The diamond might have
 been lost in the ensuing plunder. Nadir Shah was later assassinated in 1749 by
 his bodyguards, who stole most of the valuables then under the custody of the
 Iranian treasury, which is how the diamond possibly ended up in the West. It
 was heard of next when Richard Burton purchased the stone in 1972. The diamond
 eventually went up at a New York City auction sale in 2011 for a whopping $8.8
 million.<a href="https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/all-diamonds/?a_aid=5c83f22427304" target="_blank"><img src="https://admin.petragems.com/api/Images/img-1687674586.png" alt="James Allen Diamonds" width="379" title="James Allen" height="212"></a>

Taj Mahal Diamond  Origin & History

The Taj Mahal pendant features a heart-shaped, table-cut
 diamond at its centerpiece on a thick grey jadeite mount. Also, the jadeite
 mount is heart-shaped and is further mounted on a gold backing. The latter has
 bent edges, almost resembling a bezel setting, that secures the slab of the
 jade all round. The jadeite mount features thick slanting edges mounted on each
 side and is adorned by six rhomboidal table-cut stones bezel-set with gold
 edges.

Another heart-shaped zone further surrounds the diamond,
 leaving a small margin on the jade mount. The new zone is designed with a row
 of red gemstones, adding even more elegance to the Taj Mahal Diamond. The red
 gemstones are balas rubies (spaniels), believed to have been abundant in the
 Afghan Badakshan mines during the 17th century. Each gemstone features simple
 rectangular table cuts—a popular cut used in ancient times before the
 development of modern diamond-cutting equipment.

The Taj Mahal pendant also features an enameled-gold metal
 backing, with its reverse sporting an enamel latticework motif.

Lastly, the necklace is suspended using a double-looped
 silk chord that originates from the upper tip of the pendant. Moreover, the charm
 had two silk cords tied around the neck. However, in 1972, Cartier designed a
 more elegant gold and ruby neck chain to replace the silk cord. The new
 gold-woven neck chain uses cabochon rubies and numerous other mine-cut
 diamonds.

One of the most outstanding characteristics of the Taj
 Mahal Diamond is the Lasque shape , usually achieved by
 cutting a diamond into thin sheets of different shapes and sizes. Afterward,
 only the upper surface (and, on rare occasions, the lower one) was polished. Once
 the diamond was mounted on a ring, this created a magical contrast between the
 polished and unpolished surfaces.

The Taj Mahal Diamond appears white and has often been
 classified as a Type IIa diamond, with a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.petragems.com/education/diamond-color/">color grade</a>&nbsp;ranging
 from D to F. The gemstone’s carat weight has never been established since it is
 mounted on a jade setting and is almost impossible to remove. Also, the stone
 has never been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.petragems.com/education/diamond-clarity/">graded for clarity</a>&nbsp;because
 it is already inscribed.

One thing about the Taj Mahal Diamond that has always
 fascinated gemologists is its meticulously-done inscriptions made long before
 the invention of laser technology, which, interestingly enough, is hardly used
 for Arabic inscriptions. Each one of these facts is evidence of the profound
 craftsmanship that went into developing the Taj Mahal Diamond.

The Taj Mahal Diamond is aptly named after the imposing Taj
 Mahal mausoleum . Like the structure, this diamond has lived through time,
 carrying a rich heritage reminiscent of the ancient Indian civilizations.

Characteristics of the Taj Mahal Diamond

The iconic Taj Mahal mausoleum, located in the Indian city
        of Agra, is considered one of the most beautiful buildings ever designed. The
        marble 

Taj Mahal Diamond: The Nur Jahan Gem

About the Taj Mahal Diamond

Sharif Khan

Taj Mahal Diamond: The Nur Jahan Gem

Sharif Khan

Subscribe to Our Newsletter