585
585

FORMERLY IN THE PRIVATE COLLECTION OF HIS LATE IMPERIAL MAJESTY SULTAN AHMAD SHAH QAJAR (B.1898-1930)

Fancy yellow diamond and diamond jewel, late 19th century
Estimate
Dagger
Normal VAT rules apply and the standard rate of VAT will be charged on both hammer price and premium. In France the reduced rate is applied where the item is defined as a book for VAT purposes. In Australia GST is charged at the standard rate on both hammer price and premium.
1,310,000 — 1,680,000
CHF
LOT SOLD. 2,853,000 CHF
JUMP TO LOT
585

FORMERLY IN THE PRIVATE COLLECTION OF HIS LATE IMPERIAL MAJESTY SULTAN AHMAD SHAH QAJAR (B.1898-1930)

Fancy yellow diamond and diamond jewel, late 19th century
Estimate
Dagger
Normal VAT rules apply and the standard rate of VAT will be charged on both hammer price and premium. In France the reduced rate is applied where the item is defined as a book for VAT purposes. In Australia GST is charged at the standard rate on both hammer price and premium.
1,310,000 — 1,680,000
CHF
LOT SOLD. 2,853,000 CHF
JUMP TO LOT

Details & Cataloguing

Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels

|
Geneva

Fancy yellow diamond and diamond jewel, late 19th century
The cushion shaped fancy yellow diamond weighing 74.53 carats, set within a border of similarly shaped diamonds.
Read Condition Report Read Condition Report

Accompanied by GIA report no. 1152158688, stating that the diamond is Fancy Yellow, Natural Colour, SI1 Clarity.

Provenance

Sold by Sotheby’s on the 13 of May 1983, the diamond was auctioned on behalf of the grandchildren of His Late Imperial Majesty Sultan Ahmed Shah Qajar. Part of his private collection, the diamond was handed down to his heirs through his will.

Catalogue Note

Historical diamonds, steeped in a rich and varied history, are a rarity in today’s market. This diamond formed part of the private collection of his Late Imperial Majesty Sultan Ahmed Shah Qajar, the seventh and last King of the Qajar dynasty of Persia (r. 1909-1925). Willed to his grandchildren and sold by them at Sotheby’s in May of 1983, the jewel is a rare vestige of the Persian dynasty’s great passion for gemstones.

There are many photographs of Ahmed Shah wearing the fancy yellow diamond affixed to an aigrette. Such jewels were immensely popular amongst the men of the Imperial family and would most certainly have been handed down to Ahmed Shah by his predecessors. His great grandfather, Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar (b.1831-1896), the first modern Persian monarch to visit Europe and something of a Renaissance man, was a great lover of diamonds and gemstones. Fascinated by Western culture, Nasser al-Din Shah showed a great interest in painting, photography, writing and poetry. He also demonstrated a great love for jewels and gemstones which manifested itself in the commission of several important works now in the National Treasury of the Jewels of Iran. A ‘Globe of Jewels’, a globe constructed from thirty-four kilograms of gold and 3’656 grams of gemstones is but one of these wonders. The oceans and seas laid out in emeralds, the lands and geographical lines in diamonds and rubies, the globe is said to have been constructed in order to not lose track of the thousands of loose stones in the treasury. So impressive is this collection of jewels that today, the national treasury uses the crown jewels as a reserve for their currency.

Fig. 1

His late Imperial Majesty Sultan Ahmed Shah Qajar  (b. 1898-1930), wearing the jewel affixed to his aigrette
Fig. 2

Portrait of Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar (b. 1831-1896)
Fig. 3

Portrait of young Ahmad Shah Qajar, photograph from the Sahebqaraniyeh
Fig. 4

Young Ahmad Shah, the last Qajar king, at Majlis, parliament. He ascended the throne at the age of 11.
Fig. 5

Parliament rooms, under the Qajar dynasty

JUMP TO LOT

Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels

|
Geneva