Golconda Blue

Golconda Blue : Recently, the Golconda Blue, a rare 23.24-carat Fancy Vivid Blue Diamond once owned by Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar of Indore, was withdrawn from a Christie’s auction.

• About Golconda Blue: Known for their unmatched clarity, size, and color, mined from the Deccan region (modern-day Telangana).

o For centuries, India was the sole global source of diamonds, with Golconda at the center of trade.

o Legendary diamonds from Golconda include the Koh-i-Noor and  Darya-i-Nur.

o As early as 327 BCE, Alexander the Great’s army brought Indian diamonds to Europe.

o Marco Polo (1292) famously stated: “No country but India produces diamonds.”

o Jean-Baptiste Tavernier recorded 60,000 workers laboring in Kollur mines in the 17th century.