HYDERABAD: Several priceless jewellery studded with the diamonds extracted from the age-old Golconda mines are on sale at an auction house in Bangkok, with the most expensive one slated to fetch above $1.4 million (nearly Rs 10 crore).The 120-carat necklace made of rare, round Golconda diamonds in the 1900s, presumably by the Nizams, has an additional 5.60 carat of new-cut diamonds as well as 18 carat of gold, plated in white rhodium. The diamond is crystal clear and has a blue afterglow.
The auction house, Lotus Arts de Vivre, states, “The Golconda necklace was originally commissioned and made for a royal family in India in circa early 1900s. The Golconda stones were over 200 years old, passed on through many generations within the same family lineage. These diamonds are from the Kollur mines, currently located in Andhra Pradesh.”
Another vintage necklace made in the year 1920 with 50-52 carats of Golconda diamonds is also for sale. The asking price is a hefty north of $315,000 (Rs 2.30 crore). “For connoisseurs, the Golconda diamonds that retain their original cuts are the most coveted, like the ones in this necklace. Since the stones may have been mined hundreds of years ago, they may exhibit the slightly less-than-precise cutting styles that were common prior to this century,” the description read.
Apart from that, a neck/choker embedded with Basra pearls and Golconda diamonds is also being auctioned off at a marked price of $302,000 (Rs 2.21 crore). The auction house describes this as, “Chintak, a collar-hugging necklace, as it was known in the Asaf Jahi Dynasty (1724-1948), ruled by the Nizams of Hyderabad. This is a modern version of the Chintak with Golconda diamonds and natural Basra pearls.”
Also, a bracelet embedded with emeralds and Golconda diamonds has already been sold. Its listed price was $222,000 (Rs 1.62 crore). A pair of ear clips with diamonds from these mines is also on sale for $201,000, along with a sunflower-shaped stud for $83,000.