having been surrounded by jewels and various forms of art from a young age. They were also knowledgeable in the arts not only of India but China, Persia, and distant Europe and commissioned various types of jewelry. They favored jade and crystal carvings and gold vessels inlaid with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and pearls. Diamonds were especially prominent in their collection as India was the only producing country until the eighteenth century. Many famous diamonds, including the world’s largest cut blue diamond, the Idol’s Eye will be showcased in this exhibition. In time, as the dominance of the Mughals waned and the influence of the English rose, the maharajas throughout India competed against each other  to commission the finest works from the best jewelers in Europe.

     In 1928, the Maharaja of Patiala traveled to Paris with some 7571 diamonds, 1432 emeralds, and other gemstones to have jewelry made. Jacques Cartier (1885–1942) visited India to deepen his ties with many Indian rulers from whom he purchased precious stones. During the art deco period, jewelers created many new designs that reflected a crossover of Indian and European cultures. These styles continued to grow more refined to this day.
   Jewels of the Mughal Emperor and Maharajas presents 181 celebrated pieces from the collection of His Highness Qatari Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani. We hope you will enjoy this dazzling collection, which will be shown in Japan for the first time.

 according to social position and status in ceremonies.
      This major exhibition traces the history of jewelry from India, which has been a rich source of precious stones, from the sixteenth century to the present. The Mughal Empire, which was founded in the sixteenth century, built the great Taj Mahal. The fourth Mughal emperor Jahangir (r. 1605–1627) and the fifth Shah Jahan (r. 1628–1658) were both extremely wealthy and cultured,