The Shah
Engraved Diamonds--A Barbarous Subterfuge--Sadek Khan Bricked Up in a Dungeon--An Incident of the Desert--"A Blaze of Jewels"--Oriental Extravagance.
THIS fine stone shares with the "Jehan-Ghir Shah" the honour of being the only diamonds that are known to have ever been engraved in the East. And so little known are even these specimens, that they are not so much as mentioned by King in his otherwise interesting account of diamond engraving in the Natural History of Precious Stones.
The "Shah" seems to have formed part of the Persian regalia from the remotest times. Barbot asserts that it was lost when Nadir Shah's treasures were plundered by his revolting troops after his death in 1747. But if so, it was afterwards recovered, for according to the generally accepted account, it was presented to the Russian Emperor, Nicholas I., by the Persian Prince Cosrhoes, younger son of Abbas Mirza, when he visited St. Petersburg in 1843. The "Shah" is table-cut, or what is technically known as lasque. It is of the very finest water, without the least cloud or flaw, and so pure throughout, that in treating it, the cutter was able to leave several of the national facets untouched. This circumstance also explains the small sacrifice which it suffered in the process of reduction. It is said to have weighed in the rough about 95 carats, and as its present weight is 86 carats, it lost 9 carats only in the cutter's hands. The three facets obtained by cleavage are beautifully engraved in Arabo-Persian characters with the names of three Persian rulers as under:-- 1. (Akbar Shah). 2. (Nisim Shah). 3. (Fat'hh Ali Shah). Round the upper edge of the stone runs a small groove, apparently for the purpose of securing the string with which it was worn suspended round the neck. By what process this intaglio and the inscriptions were executed it is impossible to say. The probability is that all were done at the same time by some European gem-engraver employed by the Persian Court. The third name engraved on this remarkable diamond is that of Aga Mohammed's nephew, who succeeded him in 1797. On Aga's death in that year, the usurper, Sadek Khan seized a great quantity of crown jewels. But he was defeated at Kasvin, and he purchased his freedom by surrendering most of these treasures. The rest he retained, intending, if necessary, to use them in a similar way on some future occasion. Some time afterwards he did actually again revolt. Fat'hh Ali's patience was now exhausted, and he not only confiscated all the remaining jewels, amongst which was this engraved stone, but also ordered the rebel Sadek Khan to be bricked up alive in a dungeon. This method of punishment was adopted because Fat'hh Ali had, on a former occasion, promised on oath never to shed Sadek's blood.