ANURAG PRASAD
Times of India, 21 Aug 2001
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

The wait is finally over. Jewellery collection of the Nizams of Hyderabad is scheduled to be put on display
in the last week of August. National Museum in Delhi will be the proud host to the fabulous jewels.

The 173 pieces collection, which includes 37 pieces said to be of priceless value and antiquity, was bought by the Indian government in 1995 for Rs 218 crore from the Nizam's Jewellery Trust. A decade ago the collection was estimated at Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 1,200 crore by some international auctioneers.

At present, their worth could be anywhere between Rs 1,870 crore to Rs 2,337 crore, but the government bought it at lesser price due to Supreme Court's intervention. It is said that the trust wanted to sell the jewellery to the highest bidder after the death of Azam Jah Bahadur, the eldest son of the last Nizam,
Mir Osman Ali Khan, in 1971.

The jewellery has been rated by the Christies and the Sothebys of London as among the finest collections in the world.

After a lot of controversy and debate over the venue for public display, the government finally agreed on the National Museum. The other contender was the Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad that lost the case on security of the collection.

The latter was reportedly amidst lot of controversy few years ago when several artifacts went missing and the Central Industrial Security Force had to tighten security arrangements.

In Delhi officials have been very quite on the preparations to the display. However, there have been reports of the entire museum building being accorded 'A-category' security, similar to that has been given to sensitive areas of North Block and South Block in the Capital.

A special gallery has been prepared for the Nizams jewellery at the National Museum, which already displays some heritage jewels. The museum has reportedly acquired hi-tech security devices for the display.

The jewellery was flown to Delhi in June this year and is currently kept in a special Reserve Bank of India vault. The exhibition of the jewels is likely to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Minister for tourism and culture Ananth Kumar will brief the media on the display on Thursday.

Officials say that the exhibition is aimed at promoting the tourism and give a glimpse of the rich cultural heritage that India cherishes.

The 184.75 carat uncut Jacob's Diamond, the third largest in the world, which was bought from a Jewish diamond merchant by the erstwhile Nizam, makes a part of the numerous precious stones in the collection.

It includes 22 partially cut unmounted emeralds, weighing 414.25 carats, of exceptionally fine colour and purity and the diamond-set belt made in France by Oscar Massin Pieres. The seven-strand necklace made up of 150 large and 230 small pearls with a two-diamond centrepiece weighs 705 gm.

To add to the glitter, there is a pair of diamond and gold bracelets weighing 150 gm and studded with 270 Villandi diamonds. The various Columbian emerald jewellery, which once formed part of the Russian treasury, are also in the collection.

Necklaces of emeralds, pearls, turban ornaments with emeralds weighing 510 carats and a 90-carat diamond, gold belts with diamond-studded buckles, diamond-studded sword-sheaths, gold rings, nose-rings, brooches, buttons, cuff-links, watches, gold bangles and anklets are among other
pieces of the dazzling collection.

And, if there is no change in the official schedule, Nizams jewels are all set to bedazzle the world this month.