The “Spanish Inquisition Necklace” or Maharaja of Indore Emerald Necklace.
Characteristics of the Spanish Inquisition Necklace The lower-half of the necklace which is double-stranded consists of two concentric semi-circles, made up of smaller diamonds interspersed with pairs of large barrel-shaped diamonds and emeralds, placed symmetrically on the strands. There are eight pairs of larger diamonds and four pairs larger emeralds on these strands. A chandelier-shaped pendant made up of five large emeralds is placed centrally on the double strand, with the largest emerald in the necklace centrally placed on the lower strand. The largest emerald in the necklace is an old Indian-cut, 45-carat, barrel-shaped emerald placed centrally in the necklace. According to the Smithsonian, “The rich velveteen color and exceptional clarity place the large emerald among the world’s very finest quality emeralds. The shape closely approximates the form of the original elongated hexagonal crystal, suggesting that the crystal faces were simply rounded off to yield the largest possible gem.” Ownership Timeline Designed for a Maharajah - the first known owner of the necklace was Tukoji Rao III of Indore. 1926 - Yashvantrao II, the son of Tukoji Rao III, ascended the throne of Indore after the abdication of his father, and inherited the crown jewels 1947 - Yashvantrao II sold diamond and emerald necklace to Harry Winston 1947 – Katherine Hepburn wears the necklace when she attended the 19th Annual Oscars at the Shrine Civic Auditorium 1955 - Harry Winston sold the “Spanish Inquisition Necklace” to Mrs. Cora Hubbard Williams of Pittsburgh 1972 - Cora Hubbard Williams bequeathed the necklace to the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution Currently - the “Spanish Inquisition Necklace” is displayed in the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals of the NMNH of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC
Size: 2736px × 3648px
Photo credit: © Vidura Luis Barrios / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: 16, 1600s., 17th, america, andcolumbian, asia., believed, century, collection., conquistadors, cut, date, delicate, diamond, diamonds, diamonds., double, drilling, earliest, emerald, emeralds, emeralds., entailed, europe, examples, extremely, famous, gems, gemstones, holes, india, jewelry, large, largest, luxury, making, market, necklace, procedure, provenance, quantities, row, shipped, small, smithsonian’, south, spanish, spectacular, stringing, stunning
