--- title: The Great Mogul Diamond date: 2015-11-05T10:34:00+00:00 author: Alison Bull canonical_url: "https://www.assetsure.com/jewellery/the-great-mogul/" section: News --- Our Customers Love Us! Jewellery Insurance [Trustpilot](https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/assetsure.com) ### Get a Quote. Choose from our range of insurances below [Home](/) › [Jewellery Insurance](https://www.assetsure.com/jewellery/) › [The Great Mogul Diamond](https://www.assetsure.com/jewellery/the-great-mogul/) # The Great Mogul Diamond The story of the Great Mogul is one of a stone that disappeared from records over 250-years-ago, when its last known owner, the Persian ruler, Nadir Shah, was assassinated. We, therefore, have only replicas and the descriptions and drawings of past witnesses to go by, when picturing what this mysterious diamond must have looked like. While, by one account, the stone was “generally deemed unparalleled in size and beauty,” another (by the famous, 17 century jeweller and traveller, John Baptiste Tavernier) is less rapturous, comparing its form to simply that of “an egg cut through the middle.” ### India’s largest diamond The Great Mogul first surfaced in around 1650 from the Kollur Mine in the Golconda region of South India. It is believed to have weighed 787 carats, making it the largest diamond ever found in the country. The stone was considerably reduced in size, however, by a Venetian lapidary named Ortensio Borgio, who was entrusted with the task of removing its inclusions and unwanted flaws. ### The costs of poor craftsmanship Rather than dividing the stone into several finer specimens, Borgio ground it down to produce one, significantly diminished, 280 carat high-crowned [rose-cut diamond](http://www.brilliantearth.com/antique-diamond/) (a style very popular during the period). Upon presenting the fruits of his labour to the stone’s then owner – the fifth Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan – Borgio met with extreme anger and outrage. Jahan was horrified by the poor results of Borgio’s work and fined him 10,000 rupees (all the money he had) – just short of a death sentence. #### The spoils of war The stone then remained in India until 1739 when the country was invaded, and Delhi ransacked, by the Persian ruler, Nadir Shah. Shah carried the stone back with him to his home in Isfahan as part of the spoils. The stone disappeared when Shah was assassinated in 1747, and its whereabouts remain unknown to this day. Speculation has linked the Great Mogul to other famous diamonds, including [the Orlov](/jewellery/precious-stones-insurance/the-orlov/) or Koh-i-Noor, however none of these theories can be proven. Perhaps the stone is, instead, lying in a private collection somewhere; or even simply lost, waiting to be re-discovered. #### Protect your own Though your own diamonds may not be as valuable as the Great Mogul, all diamonds are extremely precious; and their loss or theft, enough to cause great heartbreak. Though it would be impossible to provide complete protection against such eventualities, Assetsure’s specialist [Jewellery Insurance](/jewellery/jewellery-insurance/) policies can at least cover the stone’s financial worth, offering you greater peace of mind. ## Latest News & Advice [![Jewellery you'll probably own by the age of 50](/assets/uploads/images/_800x405_crop_center-center_none/jewellery-box-news-banner.webp)](https://www.assetsure.com/jewellery/insurance-for-jewellery-collections/jewellery-you-will-probably-own/) ### [Jewellery you'll probably own by the age of 50](https://www.assetsure.com/jewellery/insurance-for-jewellery-collections/jewellery-you-will-probably-own/) By the time you reach 50, your jewellery box has probably been decades in the making. Some pieces may have been with you since your teens or twenties.... [![Why Diamonds Fall Out of Rings](/assets/uploads/images/_800x405_crop_center-center_none/diamond-out-ring-news-banner.webp)](https://www.assetsure.com/jewellery/diamond-ring-insurance/why-diamonds-fall-out-of-rings/) ### [Why Diamonds Fall Out of Rings](https://www.assetsure.com/jewellery/diamond-ring-insurance/why-diamonds-fall-out-of-rings/) Why diamonds fall out of rings and how to help prevent it. A missing diamond from your engagement ring can come as a nasty surprise. One day your ring looks exactly as it should; the next, you notice an empty space where a stone used to be.... [![The Cost of Replacing Jewellery](/assets/uploads/images/_800x405_crop_center-center_none/jewellery-inflation-news-banner.webp)](https://www.assetsure.com/jewellery/high-value-jewellery-insurance/replacing-jewellery-costs/) ### [The Cost of Replacing Jewellery](https://www.assetsure.com/jewellery/high-value-jewellery-insurance/replacing-jewellery-costs/) How inflation affects the cost of replacing jewellery, if you bought a piece of jewellery five or ten years ago, would it cost the same to replace today? In many cases, probably not.... [More News](https://assetsure.com/news) ## Why choose our specialist insurance cover? ### Extensive Cover Our policy provides all-risks cover as standard. This means events such as loss or damage are covered with fewer exclusions and warranties. ### Worldwide Cover You are covered anywhere in the world for trips up to 60 days. ### Single Pieces or Collections We can insure single items of jewellery such as rings, earrings & pendants or whole collections. For smaller items you can insure on an "Unspecified basis" ### Protect your no claims bonus This is a "stand-alone" policy, any claim will not affect any no claims bonus you may have under your home insurance ### Excellent friendly claims service We are here to help you if you need to make a claim. We will liaise between you and the insurers to help settle your claim as quickly as possible. ### Members of BIBA We are members of the British Insurance Brokers Association,the UK's leading general insurance intermediary organisation. 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