Nelson's lost jewel : the extraordinary story of the lost diamond chelengk

Downer, Martyn2017

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Summary

Following Nelson's triumph at the Battle of the Nile, he was presented with an extraordinary diamond jewel by the Sultan of Turkey. The chelengk was the Ottomans' highest reward for gallantry and Nelson the first non-Muslim recipient. He adopted it in his coat of arms and theatrically wore the chelengk on his hat in imitation of its traditional display on a turban. Breathlessly discussed in the gossip press and depicted in portraits and caricatures, it provoked both ridicule and awe in 18th-century England. This book tells the remarkable story of one of the most famous jewels in British history for the first time, and traces its journey from Constantinople to London.