The Timur Ruby ; the Magnificent Spinel in the British Crown Jewels

The British Crown Jewels feature another exceptional red spinel more than twice as large (352.54 carats) as the Black Prince's Ruby. The Timur Ruby was named after Timur (1336-1405 CE), also known as Tamerlane, the founder of the Timurid Empire of Central Asia and the Middle East. Although it's popularly believed that Timur owned this gemstone, did the legendary conqueror ever actually possess it?

History Carved in a Gem

A literal translation of an inscription on the gemstone reads: "This (is) the ruby from the twenty-five thousand genuine jewels of the King of Kings the Sultan Sahib Qiran which is in the year 1153 (1740 AD) from (the collection of) jewels of Hindustan reached this place (Isfahan)."

The title Sahib Qiran, "Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction," has been used to refer to Timur. However, other rulers have also claimed that title. The history and travels of the Timur Ruby are literally etched onto its surface. The names of six historical figures, five of whom owned the gem, were carved into it:

• Jahangir (1569-1627), 4th Mughal Emperor of India.
• Shah Jahan (1592-1666), 5th Mughal Emperor of India.
• Farrukhsiyar (1685-1719), 10th Mughal Emperor of India.
• Nader Shah (1688-1747), Shah of Iran.
• Ahmad Shah Durrani (1722-1772), King and founder of modern Afghanistan.
• Akbar the Great (1542-1605), 3rd Mughal Emperor of India. (He didn't own this gem, but his son, Jahangir, had his name added to the spinel).

Timurid rulers began the tradition of carving names and titles on gems of outstanding quality, such as diamonds, emeralds, and spinels. The Mughals, descended from the Timurids, continued this practice.

From India to England

In the 1840s, the spinel (a balas ruby)  found itself in the hands of the five-year-old Duleep Singh, the Maharaja of the Sikh Empire. A few years later, in 1849, the child ruler surrendered his kingdom to the British after the Second Anglo-Sikh War. The British East India Company took the spinel and other jewels, including a large colorless diamond called the Koh-i-Noor, and gave them to Queen Victoria in 1851. (The diamond and the circumstances of its transfer to the British has become a subject of controversy).

Garrard, the official British Crown Jeweller of the time, constructed a necklace that allowed either the spinel or the Koh-i-Noor to be featured. (The Koh-i-Noor is now part of the Crown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother).

How Queen Mary's Spinel Became the "Timur Ruby"

According to historian Susan Stronge, the often-repeated connection between this large spinel and Timur is an erroneous 20th-century invention. To summarize Stronge's research on the origins of the "Timur Ruby" appellation:

• In 1910, Sir James Dunlop Smith was asked on behalf of Queen Mary to find information about the jewels that belonged to Duleep Singh that were brought to Queen Victoria.
• During his research, Dunlop Smith consulted a book on spinels written in 1894 by Valentine Ball. It mentioned a spinel sent by Shah Abbas of Iran to Jahangir, inscribed with the title of Sahib Qiran (a title used by Timur) and his successors, Shah Rukh and Ulugh Beg.
• Although the spinel in Queen Mary's possession lacked the names of Shah Rukh and Ulugh Beg, Dunlop Smith concluded that Jahangir or one of his successors had those names removed. On the other hand, the Sahib Qiran inscription sufficed as proof for him that this was Queen Mary's gem.
• Considering the Mughals wished to continue the Timurid legacy, it is unlikely Jahangir or his successors would have had the names of the Timurid rulers removed
• Jahangir himself detailed this gem in his memoirs, noting that the name of Shah Abbas was also engraved on it. Queen Mary's gem doesn't have this inscription. Furthermore, Jahangir never said the stone belonged to Timur, only that it had belonged to his successors.
• Despite these discrepancies, in 1912, Dunlop Smith told Queen Mary that her stone was the "Timur Ruby." The Times of London reported this story on April 2, 1912.
• The Sahib Qiran of Queen Mary's spinel was likely Nader Shah, who also used that title and ruled in 1740 AD, as the inscription reads.

The Timur Ruby, or Queen Mary's Spinel, remains one of the most magnificent and historically significant gemstones in the British Crown Jewels. Its journey from the Timurid and Mughal empires to the British monarchy is a testament to the enduring allure and value of exceptional natural gems.