A magnificent and highly important imperial Mughal emerald, North India, dated 1018 A.H. / A.D. 1609-10

The only known inscribed and dated imperial Mughal emerald from the reign of the Emperor Jahangir.

A number of spinels are known with the inscription Jahangir Shah-i Akbar Shah but to find an emerald with such an inscription is unique.  Only the most exquisite of gems would have the honour of bearing the emperor's name.

In Mughal India emeralds were associated with the fertility of nature and were believed to aid good vision.  The Mughals also believed emeralds like other precious gems had stong astrological associations.  The time at which a stone would be engraved and when it should then be worn was governed by the relative position of the planets.

During the Mughal period emeralds were mined in Columbia and reached India via Spanish merchants as trade goods. The first emerald mine was at Chivor, discovered in 1555 and another later at Muzo in 1560.  Enormous quantities of emeralds were aquired by the Mughals and a strong trade developed with the Mughals purchasing the largest and finest quality of emeralds.

Up until the death of Aurangzeb (1707) it was common practice for the Mughal emperors to perform the ceremony of khil'at, where deserving courtiers and subjects would be presented with gifts as a reward for good service to the state.  Such gifts would include honorary robes, be-jewelled daggers, sashes (kamarband), and turban ornaments (sarpech).  The regular bestowing of gifts to courtiers required a constant supply of jewels to be on hand.  Abu'l-Fazl  (Ain-i Akbari , vol III, p.14) tells us of Akbar's twelve treasuries (khanzana) three of which were for precious stones, gold and jewellery.  Along with these treasuries there would have been workshops within the palace complex, with craftsmen carrying out the many royal commissions.

Abu'l-Fazl (Ain-i Akbari, vol III, pg. 16) mentions that the gems in the treasury were stored according to weight with emeralds coming first, followed by rubies, diamonds, pearls and sapphires. Retention of weight was an important factor in the fashioning of these gems so excessive cutting and carving was generally avoided. Rubies, emeralds and sapphires were often left en cabochon, the form in which they were naturally found.  Inscribing gems with the emperor's name was seen as a mark of appreciation for the quality of the stone. 

Two carved emeralds from the Mughal period, both inscribed with text from the Qur'an, one of 142.20 carats, the other of 76.00 carats, both formerly from the collection of His Royal Highness Sir Sultan Mohamed III, The Aga Khan, were sold at Christie's, 12 May 1988, lots 703 and 704.  The Al-Sabah collection in Kuwait includes an inscribed emerald which is a cut and polished stone of 59.60 carats.  It is inscribed with the name of Nadir Shah and dated A.H. 1153 / A.D., 1740-1741 the year after Nadir Shah of Persia sacked Delhi and plundered the Mughal treasury (Keene 2001, p.141, no. 12.23). Two further emeralds in the same collection are each inscribed with text from the Qur'an: one is rectangular-cut, weighing 85.60 carats, the other hexagonal-cut, weighing 73.20 carats (Keene 2001, p. 141, nos. 12.24 and 12.25).

Spinels with a similar inscription have sold through these rooms 3rd May, 2001, lot 140, and at Christies 8th October 1997, lot 108, and 6th October 1999, lots 252, 253 and 254.

THE KHANATE OF KHALAT

Throughout the 18th century the Khans of Khalat were the dominant local power in Baluchistan, their dominion covered the coastal belt of the Arabian Sea from Karachi to the Iranian border.  In 1828 the first westerner to visit Quetta described the Khan's fort as a mud-walled fort surrounded by three hundred mud houses.  The greatest of the Khans was Mir Nasir Khan (1749-1847) who was able to gain independence from the Afghan rulers and reigned from Kandahar.  Under Mir Nasir's rule the Khanate became virtually an independent Baluchistan.

Baluchistan was briefly under the rule of the Mughals until 1556 when it was taken by the Persians to then be retaken by Akbar in 1595.  The British first came to the region in 1839 on their way to Kabul during the First Afghan War.  In 1876 the British forced the Khan of Khalat to lease Quetta to them placing Robert Sandeman as political agent to Baluchistan. Although now under British colonial control the Khan's rule still remained strong.  The Khan was accorded a 19-gun salute in recognition of his importance in the region.  With security assured by the presence of the British the Khan led a lavish and sometimes rather eccentric lifestyle.  One Khan was known to have a passion for collecting shoes and would have all the left shoes locked away in a dungeon to ensure the safety of his collection.

At Partition in 1947 the Khan of Khalat declared Baluchistan independent.  This resistance, however,  was swiftly crushed by the new Pakistani army and the state was absorbed into Pakistan. Today the impressive historic palace still stands with its "Government of the Baluchs" insignia.