From India's Golconda to Louvre Museum in Paris: Journey of the 'cursed' Regent Diamond left behind by thieves in last Sunday's heist

From a mine in southern India to the crown of France, the Regent Diamond's story spans empires, betrayals, and revolutions. Once hidden in a wound, smuggled in a shoe, and set in the sword of Napoleon, the gem remains a reminder of how power and desire have long been shaped by the glitter of a single stone.

- BY S VENKAT NARAYAN

The Louvre Museum in Paris

Last Sunday's (19 October 2025) Louvre heist in Paris has again brought the world's attention to one of the world's most famous gems: the Regent Diamond. The thieves curiously bypassed the "cursed" diamond, leaving the priceless gem untouched, sparing its centuries-old legacy from further risk.

Now safe in the Louvre, the story of the diamond begins in 17th-century India, in the fabled Kollur mines along the Krishna River in present-day Andhra Pradesh.

As told by legend and recorded history, the diamond was unearthed by a slave miner during the 1687 Golconda siege by Emperor Aurangzeb.

The slave concealed the stone in a pretended wound in his leg to avoid discovery. His so-called attempt at freedom was, however, betrayed: the English sea captain killed him and sold the gem to an Indian merchant named Jamchand.