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| Indore diamonds. The World of Famous Diamonds |
Above image: Indore Pears of Golconda origin once owned by The Maharajah of Indore, India Tukoji Rao Holker& later by Nancy Ann Miller.
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| Ann Miller with Indian ruler. IIIintachindore.blogspot.com |
God created the Maharajahs to provide a spectacle to humanity - so wrote Rudyard Kipling the famous novelist and story-teller. The Indian Maharajahs, with their Royal colorful paraphernalia, their vast array of expensive jewelry collections and their fleet of most expensive cars in the world, as a matter of fact, provided more than a spectacle - near summit of fortune and opulence.
The Indore Pears, believed to have been originated from Golconda-Kollur diamond of Andhra, were two, beautiful and spectacular pear shaped diamonds of 46.95 carats and 46.70 carats each. They were set in the most captivating art deco settings and were among the fabled collections of the great Holkar dynasty of Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. Once the Holkars had a vast collection of finest jewelery embedded with precious gems and diamonds of international quality.
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| Indore Pears of www.embeediatech.ca |
Above image: Indore Pears are of Golconda origin, near Hyderabad, Telengana. It was once owned by the Maharaja of Indore, Tukoji Rao Holker............
The Maharajah of Indore, Tukoji Rao Hilker III led a colorful and luxurious life despite his royal commitments. However, his sustained pleasant life, all of a sudden, entered a monsoon storm on account of his over indulgence in luxury and romance that landed him in deep trouble. Maharajah Tukojirao Holkar's direct involvement in kidnapping and murder in Bombay having been established he was advised to appear at the subsequent official inquiry or abdicate in favor of his son. In the following year he chose the latter course. Considering his regal position, prestige and public image, Maharajah's involvement in the crime was never made public.
In 1920s The Maharajah was on a tour in Europe. While in Switzerland, the handsome Maharajah accidentally met Nancy Ann Miller, a rich young American beauty from Seattle, Washington state and fell in love with her and married her as his third wife amid much publicity and fanfare in 1928 as per Hindu rites.The Maharajah, mesmerized by her beauty and personality, presented her lots of expensive gifts. Among them,were the Indore diamond pears given as wedding gift- a mark of his deep love and affection - to Ann Miller who became Maharani Sharmishtha Bai.
The marriage did not last as the saying goes ''familiarity breeds contempt.'' This marriage not based on mutual understanding and true love, but based on mere infatuation, as expected, ended in divorce. Ms. Ann Miller did not want to keep the Indore diamond pears with her and in 1946 Harry Winston, New York jeweler bought the two pear-shaped diamonds weighing 46.95 and 46.70 carats, which the ex-Maharani had worn on many occasions during her stay in India and on foreign tours with the Maharajah.
Mr. Winston, after slightly reducing the weight of the diamonds, sold to them to a client in Philadelphia, USA in 1953. After changing a few hands Christie's first auctioned them in November 1980 in Geneva and then in November of 1897. The present owner of the famous Indore twin diamonds - Indore pears is one Robert Mouawad.
Sources: Famous Diamonds by Ian Balfour and Diamonds - Famous, Notable and Unique by GIA.
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