In Amsterdam’s Rijksmuse-um—filled with the Dutch masters, where The Night Watch (painting) is the star—lies The Banjarmasin Diamond. But it does not draw quite the same frenzy. This 36-carat diamond from Indonesia has a story similar to that of the Koh-iNoor. Including the descendants of the sultan wanting it back.
But this is where the story differs. Unlike the Koh-i-Noor, which is very much a part of the crown jewels and the star at the Tower of London, the Rijksmuseum makes it clear that The Banjarmasin Diamond is loot.
In 1859, in very much Lord Dalhousie style, the Dutch “violently seized” the Banjarmasin—as the Rijksmuseum description reads—ended the sultanate and seized the sultan’s possession. The story went that the sultan’s first wife had so many diamonds that they overflowed. Among them was the Banjarmasin. The Dutch took it back to the Netherlands to either sell or give it to King Wilhelm III. Like the Kohi-Noor, it failed to impress—it had to be cut. It lies at a shining 36 carats.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 26, 2022-Ausgabe von THE WEEK India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 26, 2022-Ausgabe von THE WEEK India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
