Legendary Golconda diamonds

India has been described as a source of diamonds from antiquity onwards. Most famous was the historic kingdom of Golconda (1347-1687), which stretched from near Hyderabad to Bijapur in the east and the Penna River to the south. The city of Golconda yielded the highest grade of diamonds, thus it was where much of the diamond trade was conducted. To this day, ‘Golconda’ evokes some of the oldest and finest diamonds in the world. The collection features a number of outstanding diamonds from this region, including the Mirror of Paradise Diamond and the Arcot II Diamond, which has a storied past that includes the Nawab of Arcot and Queen Elizabeth II.