Tracing the sparkle

For centuries, man has been mesmerised by the beauty and mystery of gemstones. Countless rare and beautiful stones have been turned into precious jewels and symbols of riches, power and love. Some gems are believed to possess special powers while others have held great personal significance. And there are those precious few that are so spectacular that we stand in awe of their uniqueness, which may be due to their size, colour or simply their history and lore, making each one special.

Kohinoor Diamond

Originating in India, this dazzling diamond weighing about 108.93 carats is believed to have ornamented the famous Peacock Throne of the Mogul kings as one of the peacock's eyes. When the Persian king Nader Shah invaded Delhi, he was so astonished on seeing this diamond that he called it Kohinoor, meaning ‘mountain of light' in Persian. It was thus passed on or seized by other successive rulers until the British established their rule in the early 19th century.

Today, it adorns the Queen's crown, along with 2,800 smaller diamonds, and resides in the Tower of London with the rest of the Royal Family's Crown Jewels.

The Mogul Emerald

Discovered in Columbia by the Spanish conquistadors, and most likely to have arrived in India through trade during the Mogul dynasty, it is known to be one of the largest emeralds in the world. This rectangular cut tablet weighs 217.80 carats and is about 10 cm high with Islamic prayer inscriptions on one side and magnificent flower ornaments on the other.

The emerald was auctioned off at Christie's of London for $2.2 million (about Dh8 million) to an anonymous buyer in 2001.

Hope Pearl

Known to be one of the largest saltwater pearls in existence and currently residing in the British Museum of Natural History, this 450-carat pearl was owned by Henry Philip Hope.

It is a white, drop-shaped pearl ranging in colour from greenish-gold on one end to white on the other.

Rosser Reeves Star Ruby

Found in Sri Lanka with its rich colour and well-defined star, the 138.7-carat Rosser Reeves Star Ruby is known to be the largest and finest star ruby in the world. When a gem dealer in London purchased it in the late 1950s, the ruby weighed 140 carats, but it was subsequently re-cut to centre the star.

The advertising pioneer Rosser Reeves, whose name it now bears, donated the piece in 1965 to the Smithsonian Institution.

The Star of India Sapphire

Formed about two billion years ago and discovered more than 300 years ago in Sri Lanka, this 536-carat blue cabochon-cut star sapphire is considered to be the largest and most famous star sapphire in the world.

J. P. Morgan, famous industrialist and financier, presented the sapphire to the Morgan-Tiffany Collection in the American Museum of Natural History in New York in 1900.