A Look at the National Jewelry Museum in Tehran / The Stunning Beauty of Diamonds and Rare Gemstones with No Equal + Video

History of the National Jewelry Museum

The history of this museum begins with the collection of decorative and valuable items. Before the Safavid period, monarchs did not pay attention to collecting and preserving precious and ornamental artifacts. Everything started during the Safavid era.

Many of the jewels now kept in the Tehran Jewelry Museum were either purchased or seized by kings in the past.

With the invasion of Mahmoud Afghan into Iran, some of these jewels were taken out of the country; however, Nader Shah Afshar brought them back to Iran. It is even said that because some of Iran's jewels were sent to India by Mahmoud Afghan, Nader Shah Afshar attacked India to recover them and brought back some of these valuable jewels (Koh-i-Noor, Darya-i-Noor, etc.).

He donated some of these jewels to the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza and gave others to military commanders. However, some of Iran's jewels were later looted by invaders, and some are now kept in England.

During the Qajar and Pahlavi periods, the tradition of preserving valuable jewels continued. Fath Ali Shah Qajar was one of the monarchs who had a deep interest in jewels and gemstones. For this reason, he ordered the construction of the Naderi Throne, the Peacock Throne, and the Kiani Crown.

Naser al-Din Shah also added 48 large yellow diamonds to the collection and ordered the creation of the Jeweled Globe.

Before the Pahlavi period, precious objects were kept in the royal palaces, but in 1937, the National Bank of Iran building was established, which is now known as the National Jewelry Museum.

In the distant past, these precious items were used as collateral for the national currency and as security for government debt documents; however, over time, they lost this function and were publicly displayed in the museum in 1943.

Architectural Design of the Museum

The National Jewelry Museum building was constructed by German architects, blending Iranian and European architectural styles. This two-story brick building has a total of three floors if we include the basement, which is where the valuable items are kept.

The overall appearance of the building resembles Achaemenid patterns in some areas, particularly with the tall columns, statues of lions, and the stone frame of the Achaemenid soldier at the entrance of the building.

It is worth mentioning that the lion statues in front of the Central Bank building were added later to convey the sense of guardianship over the valuable items. They also somewhat reflect Iranian and Baroque architectural styles. Other parts of the building are designed according to European architecture.

The construction of this building took six years, and the original structure was in the shape of an English letter "T." Later, two arms were added to its northern and southern ends. The main entrance of the building is higher than the rest of the structure and is made of stone. Stone plinths of different colors, each 2 meters high, are also visible in front of the building, made of marble.

The entrance area features four stone columns with horned bull sculptures atop them, inspired by the capitals of Persepolis and the Palace of Susa.

However, the European architectural style is clearly visible inside the building. The main hall, with its high ceiling and vertical skylights in the walls, is constructed in a manner very similar to European Baroque buildings.

Treasures in the National Jewelry Museum

This center houses a collection of valuable items related to emperors and kings of the past. It is said that all of these jewels are kept in 36 treasure chests within the museum, and they are so diverse that they can captivate you for hours.

Among the valuable items, we can mention staffs, medals, thrones, pins and brooches, pearls, pen cases, snuff boxes, objects decorated with rubies and garnets, food covers, hookahs, mirrors, mina vases, candlesticks, vases, turquoise, various decorative jewelry, crowns and half-crowns, various "jagheh" (headgear ornaments), swords, daggers, shields, clocks, guns, and more. Some of the most famous and popular jewels housed in this museum in Tehran include:

Pahlavi Crown

One of the most stunning jewels in the National Jewelry Museum of Tehran is the crown worn by the two Pahlavi kings. This crown is made from gold and silver, adorned with sapphire stones, diamonds with brilliant cuts, pearls, and large emeralds.

The cap of the crown is made of red velvet, and within its dome, several large emerald seeds are visible.

What makes this crown even more significant is its resemblance to the crowns of the Sassanian kings. The four stepped crenellations and the golden sun with diamond rays beneath them evoke the power and grandeur of ancient Iran.

The crown contains 3,380 diamonds weighing 1,144 carats, 2 sapphires weighing 19 carats, and 5 emeralds weighing 199 carats. Since Reza Shah had no interest in the Qajarian (Kiani) crown, he ordered a special and worthy crown to be made for himself.

Royal Sword
This sword was held during coronation ceremonies and special events. It is made of diamonds, rubies, and emeralds.

Gem-Encrusted Globe
A statue of the Earth made in 1291 AH by Naser al-Din Shah. It was crafted by Ibrahim Masihi, one of the most skilled and famous jewelers of that time, along with several other craftsmen. To create this valuable piece, 34 kilograms of pure gold and 3,656 grams of gemstones were used. The globe contains 51,366 pieces of jewels.

The stones on this globe are so bright and shiny that finding the countries among them becomes a difficult task. The jeweler of this piece used emeralds to represent the seas and rubies for the landmasses.

India is marked with light rubies, Central and Southern Africa with sapphires, and Southeast Asia, Iran, and England with diamonds. Cut diamonds were used to draw the equator line.

The Sun Throne, or Peacock Throne, is another piece of jewelry that was also created by the order of Fath Ali Shah Qajar. This throne resembles a royal seat, with curved legs similar to the paws of a lion. It was crafted by a skilled jeweler named Nizam al-Dawlah Mohammad Hossein Khan Sadr Esfahani, the ruler of Isfahan.

In the early years, it was called the Sun Throne until Fath Ali Shah married the daughter of Tavoos Taj al-Dawlah, and after that, the throne was named the Peacock Throne. Later, when the throne was passed on to Naser al-Din Shah, repairs and changes were made to it, including the order to inscribe verses in Nasta'liq script with lapis lazuli enamel on the throne.

Although this beautiful and expensive throne was kept in the Hall of Golestan Palace until 1360 (1981), it was moved to the National Jewelry Museum of Tehran in that year.