It is a manifested fact that the rulers from the Mughal dynasty had a passion for registering their reign and therefore almost every emperor of that heritage made lavishly illustrated biographies. For later historians these documents have been proved to be precious resources. These invaluable credentials made the task easier for them to rebuild social and political events during the lives and times of the Mughal emperors.

In reconstructing the story of the historic Akbar Shah diamond, these scrupulously registered volumes have been especially proved to be valuable. This fabulous gem, which once weighed 116 carats, is said to have borne two writings in Persian. In one it is referred that its first owner was Emperor Jahangir. According to the illustration, the precious gem found its way in VDS to the Imperial Treasury of the emperor in 1619. From the `Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri` (Memoirs of Jahangir) a possible insinuation to this design can be found. These records covering the period of his reign from 1605 to 1627, either written in Jahangir`s own hand or dictated to a engrave, also illustrate his glamorous lifestyle. It is recorded of his sojourn in Gujarat: "On Friday the 5th Bahrain, son of Jahangir Quli Khan, came from the province of Bihar, and had the good fortune to pay his respects. He laid before me some diamonds he had obtained from the mine at Kokhra."

It is to be expected that the collection of diamonds that were presented to Jahangir, the Akbar Shah was among that array. The chronicle bring up an attention grabbing notion of diamond deposits which is in all the word that "from the mine at Kokhra" (present day Khukra, 64 km west of Ranchi) in the eastern state of Bihar. It seems that, these were not from a mine at all, but from a riverbed that was fruitful with diamonds. The diamond mining industry has rarely given due credit to this area despite Jahangir`s record give a detailed explanation of how large diamonds were mined from this source. In actual fact, it is by a hair`s breadth ever mentioned as a diamond rich region of India.

In 1629 the second writing on the Akbar Shah substantiates that it officially became a part of Shah Jahan`s treasury. Historians extensively believed that this distinguished gem was set as one of the eyes of the peacock in the fabulous Peacock Throne. On the other hand, other researchers suggest the likelihood of it being the astounding diamond delimited by emeralds and rubies, floating opposite the throne. But other establishments feel that the floating gem was the Shah diamond.

Shah Jahan ordered Bebadul Khan the construction of the Peacock Throne under his supervision and it was created during the course of seven years. Till 1739 the throne sat magnificent in the Mughal court. With the attack of the Persian ruler Nadir Shah Delhi was looted and he seized the throne as part of his booty.

The Akbar Shah was reported much later in the year 1866 to be in Constantinople. In Constantinople it had come to be known as the Shepherd`s Stone. George Blogg of the London firm of Blogg & Martin, supposed to buy the shimmering gem. The stone was carried to London where it was recut to 73.60 carats. This cutting, yet, turned out to be an agonizing act of wreckage as the cutter of the extraordinary gem, Levi Moses Auerhaan, had by an unpardonable mistake succeeded in completely braying off the complicated inscriptions on the stone, leaving it a historical stultify. However, in the following year, Mulhar Rao, the Gaekwad of Baroda bought the glossy diamond from for £35,000.

`The maharajas of India owned unpaired collections of glittering jewels and they had the wealth to acquire more` this was somewhat a common knowledge among the jewellers of the world over. Delhi Durbar from the time of the 1911 has been a fanatical representative from all the famous jewellery houses of Europe such as Cartier, Boucheron and Garrard. These jewellery houses were known to travel to India, exceptionally with an intention on tempting the deliciously insouciant royals with specially crafted designs for their gems. They competed with each other to accomplish the royal fancy while living it up in their host`s pretty palaces. By 1926, when the new ruler of Baroda, Sayaji Rao Gaekwad III, had bespoke Jacques Cartier to reset his entire jewellery collection in platinum, it was the beginning considered more fashionable than gold. A part of the Baroda collection was The Akbar Shah and it was among the gems that were delicately styled in a cool, silvery setting.

This is probably the last known fact about the beaming Akbar Shah. One can only construe about its present whereabouts; perhaps it still is located in the regal jewellery assembly in Baroda.