Home › The Akbar Shah, or Jehan Ghir Shah › The Akbar Shah, or Jehan Ghir Shah: African

The Akbar Shah, or Jehan Ghir Shah: African

Another South African Gem--"Off Colour," but free from Flaw or Speck--Offered for Sale by Auction.

SHORTLY before his lamented death, the distinguished mineralogist, Mr. James Tennant, of London, became possessed of this gem. From the brief account published by him in November, 1880, and illustrated with four engravings, we gather that the rough diamond was brought to him from the South African diamond fields by one of his students. In the original state it weighed 112 carats, but it has since been cut in London as a brilliant, losing 46 carats only in the process. Hence its present weight is 66 carats. Like most African stones it has a yellow tinge, and, as the printed account says, "it exceeds in size and brilliancy any diamond in the British crown." It was recently put up to auction at the rooms of Messrs. Christie, by Professor Tennant's executors, with a reserve, but was not sold. We have named it the "Tennant" in recognition of the remarkable talents of this great mineralogist. In the paper already referred to, mention is made of some other South African diamonds in the same collection, one of which is stated to weigh 56 carats. But it is apparently of inferior quality to the "Tennant," which, although of a yellow hue, is free from flaws or specks.

XXVIII. THE STAR OF DIAMONDS.

A Brilliant Gem--"All the Colours of the Rainbow."

SEEING how recently the active working for diamonds in South Africa was commenced, it is not a little surprising that we are unable to present the reader with the history of one of the most precious stones known to experts by the somewhat arrogant title of "the Star of Diamonds." It is mentioned by Dieulafait as one of the largest and finest discovered in the South African diamond fields. "A lovely stone, which attracted attention by revealing under the microscope a prospect of pointed mountain crests, lit up by vivid sunlight in all the colours of the rainbow." It weighed in the rough state 107 1/2 carats.