Colour of Paradise: Colombian Emeralds in the Age of the Gunpowder Empires

Among the magnificent gems and jewels left behind by the great Islamic empires, emeralds stand out for their size and prominence. For the Mughals, Ottomans, and Safavids green was--as it remains for all Muslims--the color of Paradise, reserved for the Prophet Muhammad and his descendants. Tapping a wide range of sources, Kris Lane traces the complex web of global trading networks that funneled emeralds from backland South America to populous Asian capitals between the sixteenth and the eighteenth centuries. Lane reveals the bloody conquest wars and forced labor regimes that accompanied their production. It is a story of trade, but also of transformations--how members of profoundly different societies at opposite ends of the globe assigned value to a few thousand pounds of imperfectly shiny green rocks For the Mughals, Ottomans, and Safavids green was, as it remains for all Muslims, the color of Paradise, reserved for the Prophet Muhammad and his descendants. Tapping a wide range of sources, Kris Lane traces the complex web of global trading networks that funneled emeralds from backland South America to populous Asian capitals between the sixteenth and the eighteenth centuries. Lane reveals the bloody conquest wars and forced labor regimes that accompanied their production. It is a story of trade, but also of transformations, how members of profoundly different societies at opposite ends of the globe assigned value to a few thousand pounds of imperfectly shiny green rocks Contents 7 Illustrations 8 Preface 10 Acknowledgements 13 Introduction 19 CHAPTER 1: Sacred Origins 41 CHAPTER 2: Conquistadors 62 CHAPTER 3: Emerald City 83 CHAPTER 4: Empires and Inquisitors 111 CHAPTER 5: Globetrotters 143 CHAPTER 6: Emeralds of the Shahs 161 CHAPTER 7: Tax Dodgers and Smugglers 179 CHAPTER 8: Twilight of Imperial Emeralds 207 Conclusion 222 Postscript: From British Adventurers to Today’s Esmeralderos 228 Note on Weights and Measures 242 Appendices: Production, Appraisal and Brazil’s Fabled Emerald Range 244 Notes 266 Bibliography 283 Index 293