Brewer's: Koh-i-Nur

[Mountain of light]. A large diamond in the possession of the Queen of England. It was found on the banks of the Godavery (Deccan), 1550, and belonged to Shah Jehan and Aurungzebe the Great (Mogul kings). In 1739 it passed into the hands of Nadir Shah, who called it the Koh-i-nûr. It next went to the monarchs of Afghanistan, and when Shah Sujah was depossessed he gave it to Runjeet Singh, of the Punjaub, as the price of his assistance towards the recovery of the throne of Cabul'. It next went to Dhuleep Singh, but when the Punjaub was annexed to the British crown in 1849, this noble diamond was surrendered to Great Britain. It is valued at 120,664, some say 140,000.

Its present weight is 106 1/16 carats.

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