BBC News reports that the special diamond and emerald glasses will be auctioned in London in late October. Diamond-lensed eyeglasses from the time of the former Mughal Empire in northern India can sell for up to 1.5-2.5 million pounds (between 637 million forints and 1 billion HUF), according to preliminary estimates by Sotheby’s. The jewelry will also be on display in Hong Kong and London before the auction.
It is not known who made the scenery frame, but experts say it is presumably from the Mughal dynasty, who ruled the Indian subcontinent in the 16th and 17th centuries and left behind a rich artistic and architectural culture.
According to a statement from Sotheby’s, diamonds and emeralds were polished to make the glasses. The quality and purity of the gemstones is extraordinary, and stones of this size seem to belong to the ruler’s treasury.
Supposedly, the diamond lenses were polished with diamonds from the Golconda mines in southern India. Teardrop shaped emerald is made from natural Colombian emerald. The lenses were introduced sometime around 1890 in a frame of eyeglasses made in the time of the Mughals, according to experts at the auction house.
