The
Kollur Mine in
GunturGuntur is a city and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, located to the north and west of the Bay of Bengal. It is approximately to the south of the capital, New Delhi. The city has an estimated population of 818,330 with an Urban Agglomeration of approximately...
district of old
GolkondaGolkonda Urdu, a ruined city of south-central India and capital of ancient Kingdom of Golkonda ., is situated west of Hyderabad.The most important builder of Golkonda was Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah Wali, the fourth Qutb king...
kingdom,
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
, was one of the most productive
diamond mineDiamond Mine is the second album by Blue Rodeo, released in 1989. It includes several instrumental interludes by Bob Wiseman between songs.-Track listing:All songs by Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy.#"Swells"#"God and Country" – 3:32#"How Long" – 3:59...
s in India and the first major diamond center. It operated between the sixteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries. In addition to the Kollur Mine, the
ParitalaParitala is a small village in the Krishna district of the state of Andhra Pradesh, South India. The world famous Kollur diamond mines are located in the village on the right bank of the river Krishna...
,
GollapallyGollapally is a village of about 6000 residents. Located in Karimnagar district of Andhra Pradesh state in India.It's about 65 km from district capital, and 15 km from Jagtial , a near by town....
, Mallavally, Ramallakota, and Banganapally were extremely prolific mines in India during this period. At the height of production, it was recorded that around 60,000 people mined the region, including men, women, and children of all ages.
The famous diamond known as the "French Blue" or the "
Tavernier BlueThe Tavernier Blue was the precursor diamond to the Blue Diamond of the Crown , and subsequently the Hope Diamond. This has been accepted by many historians and gemologists for years and was scientifically proven with 3D imaging and prototyping technology in 2005...
" was stolen by
Jean-Baptiste Tavernierthumb|200px|Jean-Baptiste Tavernier.Jean-Baptiste Tavernier was a French traveller and pioneer of trade with India, born in Paris, where his father Gabriel and uncle Melchior, Protestants from Antwerp, pursued the profession of geographers and engravers.The conversations he heard in his father's...
from the Kollur mine in the mid-17th century. The diamond was purchased from Tavernier by King Louis XIV of France but was stolen during the
French RevolutionThe French Revolution was a period of political and social upheaval and radical change in the history of France, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based...
; it is believed to have reappeared as the recut
Hope DiamondThe Hope Diamond is a large, , deep-blue diamond, housed in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. The Hope Diamond is blue to the naked eye because of trace amounts of boron within its crystal structure, but it exhibits red phosphorescence under ultraviolet light...
. The Indian mines were eventually depleted and the diamond center shifted to
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
where new diamond mines were discovered. Many of the most famous and notable diamonds were mined from these early Indian mines, including the
Koh-i-noorThe Kōh-i Nūr Persian/Urdu: کوہ نور, ) which means "Mountain of Light" from Persian, also spelled Kohinoor, Koh-e Noor or Koh-i-Nur is a 105 carat diamond that was once the largest known diamond in the world. The Kohinoor originated at Golconda in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India...
, the
Regent DiamondIn 1698, a slave found the 410 carat uncut diamond in a Golkonda mine, more specifically Paritala-Kollur Mine in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India and concealed it inside of a large wound in his leg. An English sea captain stole the diamond from the slave after killing him and sold it to an...
, and the Great Mogul (all from the Kollur); and the Daria-i-Noor, the Orloff, the Dresden Green, and the Idol's Eye.