Koh-i-Noor

The Koh-i-Noor, (Persian كوهِ نور Kūh-i Nūr) meaning "Mountain of Light" in Persian. Alternative spellings are: Koh-i-noor, Kuh-e Nur or Koh-i-Nur, is a 105.6 metric carats diamond, weighing 21.6 grammes in the most recent cut state, and once the largest known diamond. The Koh-i Nur is believed by some to have originated in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India together with its double, the Darya-ye Noor (the "Sea of Light"). The diamond has belonged to various Hindu, Rajput, Mughal, Iranian, Afghan, Sikh and British rulers who fought bitterly over it and seized it as a spoil of war time and time again.

It was confiscated from Duleep Singh in 1850 by the British East India Company and became part of the British Crown Jewels when Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India in 1877. The diamond was traditionally known as Syamantaka-mani and later Madnayak or the "King of Jewels", before being renamed "Kuh-e nur" in the 18th century by Nādir Shāh and Ahmad Shāh Durrānī of Khurasan after their conquest of India. The diamond is currently set into the Crown of Queen Elizabeth and is on display at the Tower of London.

Read more about Koh-i-Noor:  History, Present Claims To Ownership of The Koh-i-noor, Legends