Koh-i-Noor, first recorded in 1305, was believed to be one of the peacock's eyes in the Peacock Throne of the Taj Mahal's builder, Shah Jahan (1592-1666).

The Koh-i-Noor was acquired by the East India Company in the 19th century, who presented the gem to Queen Victoria. It now blazes out of the British state crown worn by Queen Elizabeth at the coronation of her husband, King George VI, in 1937, and is kept in the Tower of London.

The "partner" of the Koh-i-Noor could be said to be the Akbar Shah diamond, reputed to be the other eye in the Peacock Throne. The diamond, which was engraved in Arabic, disappeared during the first half of the 18th century. It reappeared in 1866, in Istanbul, where the inscription enabled it to be positively identified. The new owner had it re-cut, in the process removing the inscription.

Another Indian diamond that passed through British hands was the Regent. Found in 1704, it was bought by Thomas Pitt, who sold the gem in 1717 to Philippe d'Orléans, Regent of France.

Stolen during the French Revolution, the Regent was found a year later in Paris. Believing it lucky, Napoleon Bonaparte had it set in his sword. In the 1880s it was reset in a diadem for the Empress Eugénie. The Regent is in the Louvre, in Paris.

In contrast to the Regent, the Hope diamond has a reputation for being unlucky. As blue as many sapphires, it is believed to be part of the Blue Tavernier diamond, stolen during the French Revolution and never recovered. Bought by Henry Philip Hope early in the 20th century, the Hope acquired its bad luck aura when Pitt's son inherited it and then lost his fortune.

Other bad luck stories followed, no one wanted the Hope and in 1958 New York diamond merchant Harry Winston presented it to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.

Not only was the Cullinan the biggest diamond crystal ever found, weighing in at 3106 carats (621.2g), it was of exceptional quality. When it was spotted on the wall of South Africa's Premier Mine on January 26, 1905, the mine manager made the climb of his life to prise out the gem.

The Cullinan was divided into nine separate stones. The largest, known as the Star of Africa, is set in the royal scepter and is kept in the Tower of London.

The magnificent Star of Africa
set in the British royal scepter.