"The Koh-i-Noor diamond was mined in India in around 1100 and probably originated from Golconda in the southern region of Andhra Pradesh. The shape and size of a small hen's egg, the diamond attained a sinister mystique.
The 186-carat gem, whose name means Mountain of Light in Persian and was described by one Mughal emperor as being 'worth half the daily expense of the whole world', carried with it a curse and a 750-year bloodstained history of murder, megalomania and treachery.
It is probably not entirely coincidental that the Koh-i-Noor is reserved for use in crowns used by a female member of the British Royal Family. A Hindu text from the time of Koh-i-Noor's first authenticated appearance in 1306 states that the stone carries a curse lethal to male owners. It read: 'Only God or a woman can wear it with impunity'."
Link: Independent Online Edition > This Britain.
Via: Professor Hex.
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