Iranian Yellow Diamonds

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Origin of name

The collection of 23 yellow diamonds with a minimum of 38 carats and a maximum of 152 carats are an important part of the Iranian National Royal Jewels, and are together known as the Iranian Yellow diamonds.

Characteristics of the diamonds

According to the web page on Iranian National Royal Jewels of The Iran Chamber Society, website, 23 diamonds known as the Iranian Yellow diamonds are listed in descending order of carat weights, giving their shape/cut and color grades based on the old system. A careful scrutiny of this list shows that diamond No. 9 has been inadvertently omitted. Thus only 22 Iranian Yellow diamonds have been listed.

A revised table of the same list of 22 diamonds is given below, incorporating the modern G. I. A. color grade and description. According to the revised list 3 diamonds are colorless, falling within the D to F range; 11 diamonds are faint yellow, falling within the K to M range; 5 diamonds are very light yellow, falling between N and R and 1 diamond is light yellow with a color grade of S to Z. There are two diamonds in the list which are not at all yellow. They are diamond nos. 11 and 19. Diamond no. 11 is a 72.84-carat champagne colored diamond, a term used for brown diamonds. Diamond no. 19 is a 54.35-carat peach colored diamond, which may be a pinkish-orange diamond, if the term peach has been used appropriately.

D to F color grade diamonds are obviously Type II a diamonds as they colorless, being chemically pure and structurally perfect.

K to M, N to R, and S to Z color grade diamonds which are respectively faint yellow, very light yellow, and light yellow diamonds are obviously Type I aAB diamonds, in which the yellow color is caused by nitrogen atoms distributed as groups of 2-atoms (A-aggregates), 4-atoms (B-aggregates) and 3-atoms (N3-centers). The A an B aggregates do not affect the color of the diamond but N3-centers do, giving a pale to medium yellow color, depending on the concentration of N3-centers.

None of the diamonds in the list, are the rare Type I b diamonds, which are intense yellow diamonds, caused by nitrogen atoms scattered as single atoms in the crystal structure.

Revised table of 22 Iranian Yellow diamonds incorporating the GIA color grading.

S/N	Carat Weight	Shape/Cut	Old world color grade	GIA color grade	G. I. A. description
1	152.16	rectangular old brilliant	silver cape	K-M	faint yellow
2	135.45	high cushion brilliant	cape	N-R	very light yellow
3	123.93	high cushion brilliant	silver cape	K-M	faint yellow
4	121.90	multi-faceted octahedron	cape	N-R	very light yellow
5	114.28	high cushion brilliant	silver cape	K-M	faint yellow
6	86.61	rounded triangular brilliant	cape	N-R	very light yellow
7	86.28	irregular Mogul cut	silver cape	K-M	faint yellow
8	78.96	high cushion brilliant	cape	N-R	very light yellow
9	75.00	pendeloque brilliant	silver cape	K-M	faint yellow
10	75.00	pendeloque brilliant	silver cape	K-M	faint yellow
11	72.84	irregular pear shape	champagne	-	-
12	66.57	cushion brilliant	silver cape	K-M	faint yellow
13	65.65	rectangular brilliant	cape	N-R	very light yellow
14	60.00	cushion brilliant	dark cape	S-Z	light yellow
15	57.85	round brilliant	silver cape	K-M	faint yellow
16	57.15	cushion brilliant	silver cape	K-M	faint yellow
17	56.19	cushion brilliant	silver cape	K-M	faint yellow
18	54.58	irregular oval Mogul cut	finest white	D-F	colorless
19	54.35	high cushion brilliant	peach	-	-
20	53.50	high cushion brilliant	silver cape	K-M	faint yellow
21	51.90	elliptical Mogul cut	finest white	D-F	colorless
22	38.18	multi-faceted trapezoid cut	finest white	D-F	colorless

History

The Iranian Yellow diamonds consist of 23 diamonds of different sizes and shapes, varying in weight from 38 carats to 152 carats. The diamonds have different shades of pale yellow colors.

These yellow diamonds are all South African in origin, and considering the year the diamonds were purchased (1889), may have originated in the highly productive De Beers or Kimberley mines, that started production in the mid-1860s. The Iranian Yellow diamonds are part of the Iranian National Royal Jewels.

The cut and polished diamonds were purchased by Emperor Nasseridin Shah in 1889, on his third trip to Europe. Nasseridin Shah was the Shah of Iran from the Qajar dynasty, and ruled between 1848 and 1896. He was the ablest and the most successful of the Qajar Sovereigns. The modernization of Iran began during his reign, and he was responsible for introducing western science, technology and educational methods into Iran. He also introduced telegraph and postal services, built many roads, and opened the first school offering education along western lines. He also launched Iran's first newspaper. He visited Europe three times, in 1873, 1878, and 1889, and was impressed with the technology he saw there. It was during his last trip in 1889, that he purchased the yellow diamonds, that became part of the Iranian Crown Jewels.

His granting of concessionary rights to foreigners to build railways, irrigation works, etc. in return for large payments, that went into his pockets, made him very unpopular, and eventually in 1896, Nasseridin was assassinated by a fanatic.

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