You too could own a pair of royal glasses!

Two pairs of 17th-century glasses that are believed to originally belonged to royals in the Mughal Empire are set to fetch millions at an auction next month. The jewel-encrusted spectacles feature lenses made from diamond and emerald rather than glass.

The glasses were originally designed to help the wearer reach enlightenment and ward off evil, are expected to go on public display for the first time ever as they tour New York, Hong Kong, and London ahead of their October sale.

As per the chairman of Sotheby’s Middle East and India, Edward Gibbs, the spectacles are an exceptionally rare example of Mughal jewelry craftsmanship. “As far as we know, there are no others like them,” he said.

The lenses in one pair, known as the “Halo of Light” spectacles, are believed to have been split from a single 200-carat diamond found in Golconda. 

Meanwhile, “The green lenses of the second pair, dubbed the “Gate of Paradise,” is believed to have been cut from a Colombian emerald weighing over 300 carats.

The size of the original stones gives a clue at the identity of the spectacles’ first owners, with Gibbs theorizing that the glasses “could only have belonged” to an emperor in his inner circle or a high-ranking courtier. “Any gemstone of this size, magnitude, or value would have been brought straight to the Mughal court, he added.”

As per Gibbs, diamonds were linked with “celestial light” and “enlightenment” in Indic societies, as the bright stones were theorized to be “vehicles for astral forces” that could channel the auspicious intentions of the universe.

Viewing the world through the emerald-tinted glasses would have had special significance with Gibbs inferring that the experience may have “led you through the gateway into paradise” by offering “a glimpse of the verdant sea of the green paradise that awaits.”

Gibbs added that “The attraction of jewelry, of bright stones and of shiny things persists through all ages, doesn’t it?. The current pop and celebrity embracing of these fashions is a testament to the enduring style and sophistication of Indian jewelry.”

The spectacles will be placed on display at Sotheby’s New York showroom. 

Source: Agencies