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Télérama – The Disquieting Fate of a Vanished National Treasure, by Sophie Cachon

Télérama

Jewellery historian Capucine Juncker rejects the theory of a heist commissioned by a billionaire collector. She fears that this national treasure of eight jewels will be broken up and sold off piece by piece.

By Sophie Cachon
Published 22 October 2025

The world now knows that it took barely seven minutes for thieves to wrench from the world’s greatest museum eight jewels from its collections—imperial masterpieces of the nineteenth century, some set with older stones of royal provenance. These unique creations, immortalised in their time by court painters, form part of the very DNA of French history. Now vanished—and perhaps already spirited out of the country—the question is what fate awaits these treasures, valued at €88 million according to the Paris prosecutor. Universally recognised, more so than ever today, they are in practice almost impossible to resell intact.

Set with a staggering number of precious stones—7,811 in all, including remarkable sapphires and emeralds, and an overwhelming majority of small, old-cut diamonds—the great fear now is their dismantling and dispersal, scattered like a puzzle. Capucine Juncker, art and jewellery historian, gemmologist, and author of the first book devoted to the fabled Golconda diamonds of India (Diamonds of Golconda, Skira Paris, 2024), offers her considered view on the troubling future that may await a national treasure that has simply vanished.

A discreet billionaire collector? A diamond dealer ready to break them up? Where could the stolen jewels go?

Two outcomes dominate: either a partial reappearance, negotiated by intermediaries after police or judicial pressure; or dispersal. In the latter scenario, stones are removed from their settings, the gold is melted down, and the components are sold off individually to obscure the trail. The tempo of the heist—extremely rapid—together with the equipment used, suggests an operation geared towards dismantling, though the other scenario cannot be ruled out. Smuggling the jewels abroad is difficult but entirely feasible. Illicit markets have existed since time immemorial; few commodities are more negotiable or more stable than a diamond.

As for the romantic notion of a heist commissioned by a fabulously wealthy collector, I remain sceptical. Investigations consistently show that thefts are almost never “commissioned”. The economics of resale prevail.

If the jewels are dismantled, will the gold be melted down? Must the diamonds be recut to pass unnoticed?

If dismantling occurs, the gold will indeed be melted, refined, anonymised, and reintroduced to the market bearing a maker’s mark and an assay mark indicating its purity.

The diamonds do not necessarily need to be recut to circulate. Most often, simple removal is enough: opening the setting and extracting the stone turns it back into an unmounted “loose” diamond—immediately negotiable and with no loss of weight. Recutting is undertaken only to obscure the identity of a celebrated stone. The emblematic case remains Louis XIV’s blue diamond, stolen in 1792 from the Crown Jewels kept at the Garde-Meuble royal, rediscovered in London in 1812 in another form. Recut, it became the “Hope Diamond”, now at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

While the pedigree of an exceptional gem can sometimes be reconstructed, one never recovers a pavé of small diamonds; they dissolve into the flow of the market. Once removed and recut, these stones become anonymous gems.

Are old-cut diamonds like those stolen from the Louvre actually sellable?

Rose cuts—flat-backed stones with a faceted dome—are readily traded on the antique market. They were produced between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, with twelve, eighteen, or more facets depending on the variant. Recutting them makes little sense: the risk of breakage is high and the yield poor.

To recognise the largest stones, one would essentially compare certain elements with any existing pre-theft photographs: carat weight, facet pattern, overall outline (round, oval, flattened pear), the height of the dome, and recurring idiosyncrasies—nicks, oblique scratches, flattened corners. Individually, these markers prove nothing; taken together, they may provide leads.

Some diamonds stolen from the Garde-Meuble in 1792 were later recovered. How are such stones authenticated?

At the time, the Crown jewellers cross-checked inventories, names, weights, measurements, and cutting peculiarities—building a converging set of clues.

Today, curators and scientific teams in gemmological laboratories prepare in advance a dossier for each stone, invaluable in case of reappearance: frontal, profile, and back photographs; ideally a 3D scan; a diagram of inclusions; and the faint polishing marks as distinctive as wood grain. Non-destructive optical tests read impurities and defects, producing a luminous signature and internal imagery that reveals the crystal’s stable identifying markers.

We often hear that their value is “inestimable”, chiefly historical. But are these stones really so rare and valuable?

It is a significant—and unsettling—question. On the market, some of these stones, especially the small ones, are worth very little because of their imperfections. The pearls in Empress Eugénie’s tiara (1853), however, are exceptional.

We must stop fantasising about “astronomical sums”. Once removed from their settings and recut, the stones become anonymous gems, generally sold at a steep discount. From an economic standpoint, if the thieves had wanted to make a substantial profit, they would have smashed the display cases of a major Place Vendôme jeweller and taken new, standardised pieces that are easily resold.

Here, the so-called “heist of the century” is an economic fallacy as well as a heritage disaster. The principal value of these jewels is historical: their mounts survive intact, their prestigious provenance is known. This is the real tragedy of the theft: we lose not only a part of our heritage, but also the expertise and irreplaceable craftsmanship of the jewellers who created them.

by Capucine Juncker

Refashioned, recut, resold… What futures await the jewels stolen from the Louvre? Insights from a gemmology expert

Beaux Arts

Vol du Louvre

The Louvre Heist
Melted down, recut, resold… What possible fates await the jewels stolen from the Louvre?
Answers from a gemmology expert
By Malika Bauwens — Published 21 October 2025

Four minutes. That was all it took for the thieves to smash the display cases in the Galerie d’Apollon at the Louvre and disappear with eight historic jewels. On Sunday, 19 October, at 9:30 a.m., Empress Eugénie’s tiara—set with 212 pearls and nearly 2,000 diamonds—together with the necklaces of Queen Marie-Amélie, Empress Marie-Louise and several other pieces, vanished in one of the most spectacular museum heists in recent memory.

What happens to national treasures if they are not recovered by investigators from the BRB (Brigade for the Repression of Banditry) and the OCBC (Central Office for the Fight against Cultural Property Trafficking)? Are they dismantled, the stones recut, the mounts melted down? Do they end up with an unscrupulous private collector, or vanish into the shadowy circuits of international trading hubs?

We put these questions to Capucine Juncker, a gemmologist and specialist in Golconda diamonds, the subject of her 2024 monograph published by Skira.

Malika Bauwens: What are the most likely resale routes?

Capucine Juncker: The scenario of a clandestine, ultra-wealthy collector belongs almost to the realm of fiction; if it did occur, it would, paradoxically, be the least damaging outcome for the integrity of the pieces. The real risk is liquidation as raw material: breaking up the jewels, melting down the mounts, removing the stones, then repolishing or recutting them before feeding them—piecemeal—into illicit trading streams to make them harder to trace. Just as devastating would be the deliberate destruction of the pieces by thieves who find themselves unable to move their loot.

M. B.: Which countries are most likely to see this loot?

C.J.: As a first hypothesis, I would look to markets with deep liquidity: Dubai (trading in rough and polished stones); Surat and Mumbai in India (repolishing/recutting, remounting); Antwerp in Belgium (resales of polished stones, under regulatory oversight); Ramat Gan in Israel (polished trading); Bangkok in Thailand (coloured stones, remounting); Hong Kong (gateway to the Asian market). Bahrain is more specifically a hub for natural pearls. In every scenario, the haul could be broken down into smaller parcels and routed through relay countries to make any trail harder to follow. Unless, of course, the thieves simply decide to use… the postal service.

For the anecdote: in 1958, the legendary Hope diamond -the largest blue diamond in the world -was sent by post by the dealer Harry Winston to the Smithsonian Institution. The same was true of the Cullinan in 1907, which travelled via ordinary mail while the heavily guarded safe that was supposed to contain it held only a replica. A famous ruse, but within the framework of legal, insured shipments, with no connection to illicit networks.

M.B.: If we imagine the worst: can recut stones still be traced back to their origins?

C.J.: For coloured stones, it is sometimes still possible to propose an origin after a light recut, on the basis of inclusions and laboratory profiles; the conclusion remains probabilistic, and a more substantial recut may erase those clues entirely. For diamonds, geographical origin cannot be established in the laboratory: only documentary traceability, or comparison with earlier records (photographs, measurements, reports), can help—and recutting further lowers the odds. Historical benchmarks (Brazil after 1725; Southern Africa from 1867 onwards) guide the analysis but do not, in themselves, amount to proof.

M.B.: Could the thieves simply melt the metal and recut the stones?

C.J.: Gold, platinum or silver mounts can be melted down without difficulty; melting erases hallmarks and provenance while leaving the metal’s intrinsic properties intact. Sapphires can be recut, with some loss of weight and a manageable technical risk. Emeralds, by contrast—low in toughness and often fissured—respond badly to recutting: breakage is frequent. A calibrated suite of 32 stones of “imperial” quality—a very rare occurrence—would, moreover, remain highly traceable.

Diamonds can also be recut, but the operation calls for exceptional skill, reduces the carat weight and can efface the reading of the original cut, complicating historical identification. Take the Wittelsbach, reputedly from Golconda and of royal provenance: originally an old-cut stone, it was acquired by Graff in 2008, recut to 31.06 ct and re-certified by the GIA as Fancy Deep Blue, IF. In purely financial terms, the stone gained in value, but it lost its soul.

The pieces concerned at the Louvre display early brilliant-type cuts, related to the first “brilliants”, with a softer lustre than the modern round brilliant that now dominates the market. Taylor Swift’s widely publicised engagement ring, set with an oval “old-cut” diamond, is reminiscent of this older cutting tradition.

M.B.: Empress Eugénie’s tiara contained 212 pearls. Can pearls be altered?

C.J.: They can—but it would be an exceptional, risky and, above all, detectable choice. Surface peeling or re-drilling alters the diameter and the orient (the play of lustre), leaving marks that can be seen by a trained eye; whitening or dyeing treatments likewise. For a heritage ensemble of 212 natural pearls (their precise provenance has not been published), such interventions would only depreciate the piece. The most plausible scenario remains extraction and dispersion of the pearls rather than their transformation.

M.B.: Have there been similar cases where jewels—or the stones themselves—were recovered after being dismantled?

C.J.: The 2019 Green Vault heist in Dresden, sadly, did not serve as much of a warning. Some stones—recut, alongside others left intact—were recovered in 2022, but several pieces are still missing. In roughly half of such cases, the jewels are never found. I am nonetheless inclined to keep a measure of hope: a pendant set with a pearl associated with Marie-Antoinette resurfaced and was sold at auction in 2018, after two centuries of documentary wandering.

To read the full interview, please click the link below:
Beaux Arts — Louvre Heist — Interview Malika Bauwens & Capucine Juncker

***

The eight jewels stolen from the Galerie d’Apollon display cases on Sunday, 19 October:

Diamonds of Golconda
Éd Skira • 208 p. • 50€

by Capucine Juncker

AMA, Mountains of light, by Phillip Barcio

AMA Art Media Agency #370
Mountains of light by Phillip Barcio

If asked to identify the cradle of diamond mining, most novices will likely say Africa. Though incorrect, it would not be a completely ignorant answer. Around two-thirds of newly mined diamonds today do come from Africa. But that is a relatively new development. The history of diamond mining stretches back at least six centuries, while the earliest known African diamond mines are only around 150 years old. “India is the historical cradle of diamonds,” says Capucine Juncker, a historian, gemologist, and author specialising in the history of jewellery and the cultural exchange of gemstones. “With the exception of modest deposits in Borneo, India remained the world’s only known source of diamonds until the discovery of Brazilian mines around 1725.”

Juncker’s latest book, Diamonds from Golconda (Skira, 2024), is devoted to India’s legendary Golconda diamonds, considered by many to be the most desirable diamonds in the world. Hers is the first book focused exclusively on the subject. “According to available sources, it is reasonable to assume that diamond mining took place [in India] at least as early as the fourth century BC, and may even be rooted in an older mining tradition, Juncker says. The earliest reference text on the subject is found in the Arthashastra, a Sanskrit treatise written between the third century BC and the third century AD, which describes an organised system for the production, control and trade of diamonds and gems under state control. This organisation appears to be an extension of even older practices, as suggested by the Ratnapariksa, the founding text of the Indian lapidary tradition.” The first century AD Roman author Pliny the Elder explicitly mentions Indian diamonds in his book Natural history, Juncker notes. “This confirms not only the antiquity of their exploitation, but also their circulation in an active international trade network between India and the Roman world.” But Juncker’s interest in Golconda diamonds is not only relegated to facts and dates. It is a passion ignited by the cultural, spiritual and mythical power these stones have wielded over human history. Part of that power comes from the fact that Golconda diamonds are some of the purest diamonds ever mined.

“Who says Golconda, says perfection of the material,” says historian and journalist Gabrielle de Montmorin, who is moderating a talk on Golconda diamonds with Juncker at the 2025 edition of GemGenève. “The fascination exerted by the so-called Golconda diamonds is an alchemy mixing history and gemmology, with this chemical Type IIa. That is to say, the purest carbon material. You add the fact that the mine is exhausted and you have all the elements of a success story.” Type IIa refers to the rating scale that indicates a diamond’s chemical quality. Much of that quality is related to nitrogen, says gem and jewellery journalist Richa Goyal Sikri. “Nitrogen is the element that is responsible for the yellow tinge in a diamond, Sikri says. Diamonds from the Golconda region are famed because many contain no measurable traces of nitrogen.”

Around 98% of natural diamonds contain significant amounts of nitrogen and are classified as Type Ia. “Type I does not in any way prevent a diamond from being colourless and internally flawless, Juncker notes. Visual and optical grading criteria used in gemological assessment are evaluated independently of the diamond’s chemical type. ”Type IIa diamonds, which are prized for their chemical purity, represent less than 2% of global production. Type IIb diamonds, which account for less than 0.1% of diamonds mined but include such famed stones as the Hope diamond, the Wittelsbach, the Farnese blue and the Idol’s eye, contain boron.“ That gives them a characteristic blue-greyish tint, says Juncker. Although even rarer than Iia diamonds, they are not purer, since boron is also an impurity.”

“Most of the ancient diamonds sourced from India were also high quality because they were alluvial,” says Sikri. Alluvial refers to something that was transported from its point of origin by moving waters. When a natural diamond deposit is disrupted by water erosion, the lower quality stones can break apart or be damaged during the process. Only the strongest survive the journey, which is why alluvial deposits tend to contain the best diamonds. The alluvial deposits from which the legendary Golconda diamonds were mined were exhausted by the early 19th century. That is one cause of their rarity today. Also adding to that rarity is the fact that proving a diamond’s provenance is difficult at best. “It is impossible to certify a Golconda diamond, Montmorin says. There are other sites for the extraction of Type IIa diamonds, starting with South Africa. A stone quarried there could very well have travelled to India to be cut, so the association that IIa equals Golconda is unfounded. Moreover, a laboratory like The Swiss Gemmological Institute (SSEF) refuses to certify such an origin because it is simply scientifically and geologically impossible.”

Juncker agrees. “It is scientifically impossible to determine where a diamond was mined,” she says. Anyway, she notes that the term Golconda does not even refer to a single mine. “It refers to a historic region and a series of mines, most of which were located along the Krishna River, she says. What is more, not all the diamonds mined there were of exceptional quality. They also produced Type I diamonds. The ‘Golconda’ label is often idealised. ‘Golconda’ refers to an area (the Deccan), a history, a date (before 1725 — when Brazilian mines began producing stones of similar quality) and a specific Indo-Islamic culture, not a universal quality. In reality, the true definition of a Golconda diamond is based on a long history of mining, documented traceability and sometimes exceptional gemmological qualities.”

If diamonds of similar quality have been mined elsewhere for centuries, and provenance is debatable, how have Golconda diamonds maintained their unique value? One reason is the mysterious, intangible quality they are said to possess, which some believe is perceptible more by feeling than by scientific analyses. Olivier Baroin is the owner of La Golconde, an antique jewellery shoppe in Paris that also manages the archives of legendary jewellery designer Suzanne Belperron. Baroin recalls a recent commission he received from a major auction house to appraise some jewellery. “While consulting the archives of the original client, I came across a note dated 17 August 1938, Baroin says. “This revealed that the client had been presented with two rings — one featuring a 7.80-carat Golconda diamond priced at 200,000 francs, and the other with an 8.28-carat Brazilian stone, offered at 100,000 francs. The emphasis was not on factors such as colour or clarity, but rather on a unique crystalline quality referred to as ‘la matière’. This purchase, and the emphasis placed on its provenance, underscores the notion that this exceptional quality, this ‘matière’, was already held in high regard.” But what is ‘la matière’ of a Golconda diamond? Is it a substance? Is it a form? Is it a quality?

“They are mythical diamonds!” says Juncker. Ancient Sanskrit lapidary treatises attributed “highly codified symbolic, astrological and spiritual properties” to diamonds, she points out. “Certain crystalline shapes, colours or sexual ‘natures’ (female, neutral) could be considered inappropriate or even harmful, depending on the caste, sex or situation of the wearer. Certain diamonds were strongly discouraged for pregnant women, as their energy was said to be disruptive.”

Some Golconda diamonds have even been associated with curses. “The most emblematic of these is undoubtedly the Koh-i-Noor, Juncker says. This legendary diamond, whose name translates to “Mountain of light”, has passed through the hands of many dynasties — Mughal, Persian, Afghan, Sikh and then British — in a history of conquest, plunder and murder.” There is a belief that only female rulers could wear the Koh-i-Noor and any male who wore it would die.“We know from the remarkable book on the subject by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand that this legend was born in 1849, at the time of the British annexation of the Punjab, when the diamond was taken from the hands of the last Sikh ruler, the young Duleep Singh, to be given to Queen Victoria, Juncker says. Since then, it has only been worn by England’s queens, a practice that continues to this day, most notably in the Queen Mother’s crown.”

Other Golconda diamonds have been linked to upheavals of history. “One of the most famous thefts in French history, that of the Crown diamonds of France, took place in 1792 during the turmoil of the French Revolution, Juncker says. Stolen over several successive nights from the Garde-Meuble de la Couronne, some of the diamonds were recovered, others disappeared irretrievably and still others were ‘masked’ by remnants such as the Hope.” The so-called Hope diamond — a 45.52 carat, blue-violet diamond currently in the collection of the Smithsonian — is believed to have been cut from one of the stones Juncker mentioned were stolen during the French Revolution. The original, larger diamond is said to have left India in 1666 in uncut form with French gem merchant Jean-Baptiste Tavernier. Tavernier gave it the name Le bleu de France and sold it to King Louis XIV two years later. Through succession, it became the possession of King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette, who were executed by guillotine shortly after Le bleu de France was stolen in the revolution. Sometime later, Le bleu de France was re-cut, which darkened the stone, and was then purchased by members of the Hope banking family, who gave it its current name.

In 1911, Evalyn Walsh McLean, an American heiress and socialite, acquired the Hope diamond, an event that Juncker says is in part responsible for the place Golconda diamonds hold in Hollywood lore and contemporary pop culture. “Pierre Cartier orchestrated its sale with an almost cinematic mise-en-scène: royal heritage, ancient spell, family tragedy, Juncker says. The Hope became Walsh McLean’s favourite piece of jewellery, which she wore on social occasions and even made her dog, Mike, a Great Dane, wear it! This kind of story helped to fuel a collective imagination that Hollywood gradually seized upon. Films featuring ‘cursed’ diamonds, inspired by the story of the Hope or similar legends were made. Examples include The Hope diamond mystery (1921), inspired directly by the Hope, and The Moonstone, adapted several times for the cinema, based on the earlier novel by Wilkie Collins.”

Ultimately, it may not matter whether the curses associated with some Golconda diamonds are real, or even whether a particular diamond can definitively be traced to the original mines. The origins of diamonds have always been enmeshed in unprovable layers of mystery and myth. That is part of their allure. Juncker quotes her favourite legend about the origins of diamonds in the first chapter of her book. “It is a story from the Sanskrit tradition about an asura — a kind of titan or demigod — who was captured by the gods of the Hindu pantheon and forced to sacrifice himself, she says. Struck by Indra’s thunderbolt (vajra), his limbs are said to have been transformed into ‘a seed of jewels.’ Since then, ‘various diamonds have been found in the places on Earth where some fragments of the bones of the Lightning Bearer’s rival happened to fall.’” It is the beauty and ambiguity of stories like this that give these precious stones their strange appeal. Connoisseurs are left to their own sensibilities to determine whether their diamonds have “la matière”, or “the stuff”, to be called Golconda.

3 questions to… Capucine Juncker by Phillip Barcio

What inspired you to write your book Diamonds from Golconda?

This book was born of the convergence of several passions: my background in gemmology, my interest in cultural exchanges between India and Europe, and my fascination with the very name Golconda — a word charged with prestige, but often dissociated from its historical and geographical reality. The aim was to tell the real story of these diamonds: their Indian roots, and their journey from the alluvial mines of the Deccan to the various empires that fought over them. I wanted to combine geography, history, myths, culture and gemmology, to offer an account that was both rigorous and sensitive.

Have diamonds always been used as adornment?

While it is true that diamonds have been used as ornaments since ancient times, especially in the ancient statuary of Hindu temples depicting goddesses dripping with jewels, it seems to me that their primary function was of a different order: spiritual, talismanic and political. In ancient India, the diamond was seen as a stone of power: it protected, associated with the divine and consolidated sovereignty. Hindu lapidary treatises such as the Ratnapariksa or the Brhatsamhita, written for jewellers, merchants and princes, show that diamonds were valued according to both physical and symbolic criteria: their crystalline form (for example, octahedral), their colour (associated with a deity or a caste), their optical purity and their “sexual nature” (male, female or neutral) determined their beneficial or harmful virtues. It was also associated with the planet Venus (Sukra), reinforcing its astrological value. In this tradition, a good diamond would protect the ruler, ward off evil forces and promote balance in the kingdom.

Do the utilitarian qualities of diamonds also have ancient roots?

Yes, in addition to their symbolic function, diamonds had an economic and strategic dimension. As early as the Arthashastra, diamonds are mentioned as a precious commodity with high added value, used to build royal treasuries, forge alliances and assert the power of the state. Hindu jewellers used the exceptional hardness of diamonds to cut or engrave other precious stones. It was probably only later that their aesthetic value came to the fore, particularly in royal jewellery. This use was first established at the Bahmanid and Deccan courts, before reaching its apogee under the Mughals, then the Safavid, Ottoman and finally European jewellery traditions, where the diamond became the stone par excellence of royal prestige.

AMA Art Media Agency #370
Mountains of light by Phillip Barcio
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The Taveez set in a necklace, 17th century, diamonds and silk cord, SANTI 1.36 × 1.18 × 0.84 cm (dimensions of the central diamond)

by Capucine Juncker

Diamonds of Golconda, IAJA, by Amber Michelle

International Antique Jewelers Association IAJA
Diamonds of Golconda
February 19, 2025
Capucine Juncker

Authored by Amber Michelle

Through the centuries some of the world’s most famous diamonds have been traced back to the Golconda Mines of India. In her book “Diamonds of Golconda”, published by SKIRA, author Capucine Juncker explores the history and lore around the mine and the gems that came from the legendary mines.

A former public relations specialist in “art de vivre” and luxury, Juncker a gemologist and historian, created the website “Property of a Lady” where she dives into jewelry history, creators and the overall market. Juncker studied history and earned a Master’s Degree in philosophy from the Sorbonne University and she also holds a diploma in gemology from the Institut National de Gemmologie and a “Diamond Essential” certificate from the De Beers Diamond Institute. After completing those studies, she then made the decision to focus on historic jewelry, writing for magazines and auction catalogs as well as authoring numerous books on the topic.

Juncker has lived in Rome, London and Dubai and currently resides in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Living in different cities inspired Juncker to focus on the international aspect of jewelry history and cultural exchanges. After years of research, “Diamonds of Golconda” was born. We spoke with Juncker about researching and writing “Diamonds of Golconda”.

What inspired you to write a book about Golconda diamonds?

I had been researching ancient diamonds from India for a long time, but always from a narrow prism: The Diamants de la Couronne de France (a collection founded in June 1530 by Francois I), Mughal jewelry and the Mughal Empire founded by Babur in 1526, as well as record-breaking historic diamonds at auction.

I realized that these various views formed a common thread running through the entire history of jewelry and I wanted to draw upon that thread. I also realized that the usual research on Golconda diamonds contained a number of inaccuracies because diamonds that were not from India were often called Golconda. Golconda diamonds have such an exceptional history and are so ancient that they have become a myth! The prestige of these diamonds has blurred their origin, as well as their historic and geographic background.

When SKIRA contacted me, I decided to go back to the origins of the diamonds and treat the subject in a cross-disciplinary way. The book is an historical account that traces the genealogy of diamonds, mined in India’s Deccan region, between antiquity and the 18th century, with a major peak in activity during the 17th century. If the Hindus, then the Sultans of the Deccan and Mughal emperors had not made diamonds the ultimate symbol of power, Europeans may not have been so interested in them.

This book is meant for those who love diamonds, but it is also for readers who are interested in history with a particular focus on international relations, both diplomatic and commercial, between India and the rest of the world. “Diamonds of Golconda” is in two parts, with an historical essay entitled “An Indian History” and an anthology devoted to the globalization of Indian diamonds. A final section devoted to contemporary jewelry using Golconda diamonds brings the book to a close.

What was the most surprising piece of information that you found out while researching the book?

While we all have an image of emperors dripping with jewels, I was surprised to discover during my iconographic research into Mughal miniatures that diamonds were very rarely depicted on portraits, but mainly on regalia — throne, crown, parasol, fly swatter, etc., weapons such as daggers, handles and sword pommels as well as horse and elephant mounts – harnesses and saddles, along with crockery, and other decorative items.

Diamonds were not part of the culture of the conquerors from Central Asia. For them, the red spinels of Badakhshan were the dynastic gems par excellence and symbols of power. Pearls, followed by emeralds that had been recently imported from Colombia, were the next most important jewels. It wasn’t until the reign of Jahangir (ruled 1605-1627), which coincided with the boom in mining in the Deccan, that diamonds, the most prized gems among Hindus since antiquity, became a full part of imperial culture and were elevated to the pantheon of the most sought after gem.

How rare is it to find a diamond from the Golconda Mines today?

The Beau Sancy, modified pear double rose-cut diamond, 34.98-carats, faint brown, private collection, Galerie Kugel© Diamonds of Golconda, Capucine Juncker, Skira, pages 130-133

The mines were exhausted over two centuries ago. Golconda diamonds are extremely rare, hence the myth and aura that surrounds them. Occasionally, during the rainy season “the miracle of the monsoon” occurs. The dry, arid land disintegrates revealing a few rare diamonds. This phenomenon leads farmers to rush to certain sites, such as Kurnool and Vajrakarur in the state of Andhra Pradesh in hopes of finding a diamond.

Golconda diamonds are rare in absolute terms and we must be extremely cautious when using this term. Diamonds are made of carbon so their geographic origin cannot be determined scientifically. The discovery of diamond mines in Brazil around 1725 put an end to the monopoly of Indian diamonds. If we want to be strict, Golconda diamonds and Indian precious objects set with Golconda diamonds should be recognized as such only if their history and the genealogy of the successive owners are officially traced.

Did you visit the area of Hyderabad where the Golconda Mines were located and how did it influence what you wrote?

I visited the bustling city of Hyderabad. I walked around and admired the majestic ruins of the Golconda Fort and wandered around the sublime tombs of the Qutb Shahi sultans. My trip to the state of Telangana was the first step towards writing “Diamonds of Golconda”, which opens with a description of the ramparts of the citadel by Pierre Loti that I love so much.

My extensive reading of 17th century travel literature added to my empirical knowledge and helped me to imagine Golconda in its heyday. One author in particular has been a major influence on my work: Jean Thevenot (1633-1667). Thevenot was a French traveler who crossed India from Surat to Masulipatam between 1665 and 1667. His account is packed with information on Hyderabad, the fortress of Golconda and the rarely seen court jewelers during the time of Sultan Abdullah Qutb Shah (1626-1672).

Today we view diamonds as beautiful gems to adorn ourselves, but historically diamonds, many from Golconda, have held deeper meaning – symbols of power, sovereignty – could you talk about the culture of diamonds prior to the 20th Century and how they were used in ways that were more than just adornment?

Diamonds have great symbolic value in India. Ancient Hindu lapidaries have shown that as early as the 6th century BC, a “science” of “gem appreciation” had developed and was compiled in a technical treatise: Ratanpariksa. This document was used by jewelers and merchants and was also intended to educate future sovereigns, whose ability to judge precious stones was an integral part of royal prestige.

For Hindus, diamonds have a metaphysical, religious and cosmological dimension – they are associated with Venus. Depending upon the shape of the rough diamond and its optical qualities, diamonds were imbued with a thousand beneficial or harmful virtues. For example, kings had to wear diamonds that were perfect in every way if they wanted a successful reign.

For a very long time, diamonds were one of India’s major trading resources. Since diamonds were found nowhere else in the world, they were a commodity that was unique to the subcontinent. Their value enabled political regimes to build up a treasure trove for trade, fueling regional and international exchange, as well as boosting the owner’s prestige. Jewelry was a symbol of that prestige and that is why there is a close association between diamonds, political and economic power.

Simultaneously, the idea of pageantry emerged very early in India. The Russian merchant Athanasius Nikitin (1433-1472), was one of the first Europeans to travel to India between 1469 and 1472, when most of the Deccan was ruled by the Muslim Bahmani dynasty (1347-1518). He described the extreme opulence of the court of Bidar: “The sultan, riding on a golden saddle, wears a habit embroidered with sapphires, and on his pointed headdress a large diamond; he also carries a suit of gold armor inlaid with sapphires, and three swords mounted in gold.”

IAJA
The International Antique Jewelers Association (IAJA) is a consortium of antique and period jewelers around the globe. The IAJA is committed to safeguarding the integrity and ethical behavior of our industry. We seek to elevate the understanding and appreciation of the unique, irreplaceable treasures we collect and trade.

by Capucine Juncker

Golconda Diamonds: Uncovering the Magic and Myth, Jill Newmann

ONLY NATURAL DIAMOND
Golconda Diamonds: Uncovering the Magic and Myth
JANUARY 30, 2025
Updated: November 11, 2025
Written by: Jill Newman

The story begins in India, where the earliest documentation of the stones comes from a 4th century Sanskrit manuscript. In 327 BC, when Alexander the Great invaded India, he returned to Europe with diamonds. Later, Marco Polo recorded the alluring beauty of diamonds on his 1292 travels to the region.

“The story of the Golconda diamonds is fundamentally Indian, rooted in Indian religion, politics, literature and economics,” said Capucine Juncker, author of Diamonds of Golconda, published in 2024 by SKIRA. “What fascinates me is that the story of the Golconda diamonds is never fully known, despite the investigations carried out in various parts of the world by leading specialists.”

In her two years of research, she learned the stories are still unfolding. “The Florentin, the Nassak and the Akbar Shah literally disappeared in the last century, while the Princie and more recently the Farnese Blue appeared by surprise; the Koh-i-Noor, a symbol of British colonization, is still at the center of a heated dispute between India and England; other Golconda diamonds are part of cultural heritage, such as the Darya-ye-nur in Iran, the Orlov in Russia and the green Dresden in Germany.”

What Makes a Golconda Diamond?
Unique Characteristics Explained
(...)

Word of caution: The term is sometimes used incorrectly. When describing the purest diamonds—classified as type IIa—some will call them Golconda, but type IIa diamonds are also found in other mines, including those in South Africa and Russia. Still, they are ultra-rare: less than two percent of all diamonds mined are type IIa.

It’s impossible to verify a stone’s Golconda origin without a paper trail...
Click here to read the full article @naturaldiamonds.com

The Archduke Joseph Diamond. (Courtesy of Christie’s Auction House)

by Capucine Juncker