TIMUR RUBY 079
O
f the Royal Crown Jewels
of Britain, there is one
exceptional gem that is not
what it seems, an impostor that
passed through the hands of the rich and
powerful for hundreds of years. Until 1851,
it was the largest known ruby in the world,
but at the time of its documented discovery
in 1612, and for hundreds of
years afterwards, no one
was aware that the Timur
Ruby was not a ruby at all,
but a spinel.
It was only in the latter
half of the 19th century
that gemologists began to
differentiate between the
two. The mistake, however,
was understandable.
Rubies and spinels
look almost identical,
and share a similar
chemical composition and
hardness. What separates
them is the way in which
they refract light – rubies
are doubly refractive,
while spinels are singlyrefractive. When light enters a ruby, it is
split in two and each beam travels at a
different speed. In contrast, when light
enters a spinel only one beam of light is
generated – an unusual characteristic that
is also shared by diamonds and garnets.
Despite its changed classification,
the Timur Ruby remains a highlight of the
British Crown Jewels. It is named after
the Mongol ruler who
conquered Delhi in 1398,
and who is believed to
have taken the gem during
the invasion. Returned
to India in 1612, the gem
was passed down through
generations of Mughal
emperors, each of whom
inscribed their name on
its surface. During
Britain’s annexation of
India in the late 1840s,
the Timur Ruby and other
spinels were shipped to
England and presented
to Queen Victoria, who
openly admired “the
wonderful rubies”.Timur Ruby
△ Timur Ruby, in the necklace made for Queen VictoriaTimur, one of the last great conquerors
of the Eurasian steppe, pictured
holding his crownKey dates
1398–20th century
13001600170018001850186019001840Portrait of Indian Mughal
Emperor Jahangir[It] is the largest in the world,
therefore even more remarkable
than the Koh-i-noor
Queen Victoria
18511612 The Indian Mughal
Emperor Jahangir is given
the Timur Ruby by Shah
Abbas I of Persia1747 The ruby is looted
by Nadir Shah’s commander
Ahmad Shah, later king
of Afghanistan1851 The Timur Ruby is
presented to Queen Victoria,
and is reclassified as a
spinel in the same yearJune 1853
The necklace is reworked to
make the gem detachable
for use as a broochApril 1853 Garrard sets
the gem into a necklace
for Queen Victoria1849 During the annexation
of Punjab territory, Britain
takes the ruby from the
Lahore Treasury1739 The ruby is stolen
by Persian ruler Nadir Shah
during an attack on Delhi20th century onwards
The gem is displayed
to the public with the
rest of the Crown Jewels1810 The ruby is
returned to India when
Ahmad Shah’s grandson,
Shah Suja, is forced into
exile in the Punjab1398 The Mongol sultan
Sahib Timur invades Delhi,
India, and takes the ruby078-079_STO_Timur_Ruby_Final.indd 79 18/05/2016 18:12