Following the media focus on Britain for the Diamond Jubilee, the international edition of Time magazine has published a call for a return to India of an actual diamond, the famed gem known as the Koh-i-Noor.The Koh-i-Noor, which has also been called the "Mountain of Light," has a long and complicated history. It was mined close to a thousand years ago, though some legends claim it is much older. It has turned up, at various times, in Persia and India.
In 1850, when the Punjab was conquered by the British in India, it was surrendered to the East India Company, which presented it to Queen Victoria.
The fabled jewel was displayed at the Great Exhibition of 1851. Crowds of the curious waited on line to see it. Many visitors, including the American editor Horace Greeley, reported being unimpressed with the gem, despite its legendary reputation.
A year later, the famous stone was cut by the firm of Coster of Amsterdam. It was reduced in size, but was said to exhibit more brilliance afterward.
The large diamond was worn at times by Queen Victoria, and was set into a crown worn by the mother of the present queen. It was seen by a vast television audience during the Queen Mother's funeral in 2002, as her crown, adorned with the Koh-i-Noor, was placed atop her coffin during the state ceremonies.
Among the legends surrounding the Koh-i-Noor is that males who wear it lose their thrones, while females are immune from any curse the diamond may exert. That may explain why only female members of Britain's Royal Family have ever worn it.
In the 19th century the diamond was often written about, as something might be said to be as priceless as the Koh-i-Noor. And in recent decades the Indian government has occasionally asked for its return, claiming that its removal from India was an act of unlawful plunder. For now, the fabled gem remains in London, but given how much it has moved during its long history, it is conceivable that the Koh-i-Noor could someday find a new home.
Illustration: The Koh-i-Noor as depicted on a trading card produced by an English tobacco company, circa 1890s/courtesy New York Public Library Digital Collections
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