#glass Indian

[brandbucketindia]

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

Emerald Spectacles from India, c. 1620-1660 CE: the lenses of these spectacles were cut from a single 300-carat emerald, and it was believed that they possessed mystical properties

These eyeglasses are also known by the name "Astaneh-e ferdaws," meaning "Gate of Paradise," based on the symbolic associations between the color green and the concept of spiritual salvation/Paradise. That symbolism (which is rooted in Islamic tradition) was especially popular in Mughal-era India, where the spectacles were made.

The lenses were crafted from two thin slices of the same emerald. Together, the lenses have a combined weight of about 27 carats, but given the precision, size, and shape of each lens, experts believe that the original emerald likely weighed in excess of 300 carats (more than sixty grams) before it was cleaved down in order to produce the lenses. The emerald was sourced from a mine in Muzo, Colombia, and it was then transported across the Atlantic by Spanish or Portuguese merchants.

Each lens is encircled by a series of rose-cut diamonds, which run along an ornate frame made of gold and silver. The diamond-studded frame was added in the 1890s, when the original prince-nez design was fitted with more modern frames.

The emerald eyeglasses have long been paired with a second set of spectacles, and they were almost certainly commissioned by the same patron. This second pair is known as "Halqeh-e nur," or the "Halo of Light."

The Halo of Light features lenses that were made from slices of diamond. The diamond lenses were cleaved from a single stone, just like the emerald lenses, with the diamond itself being sourced from a mine in Southern India. It's estimated that the original, uncut diamond would have weighed about 200-300 carats, which would make it one of the largest uncut diamonds ever found.

The lenses are so clear and so smoothly cut that it sometimes looks like they're not even there.

Both sets of spectacles date back to the mid-1600s, and it's generally believed that they were commissioned by a Mughal emperor or prince. The identity of that person is still a bit of a mystery, but it has been widely speculated that the patron was Shah Jahan -- the Mughal ruler who famously commissioned the Taj Mahal after the death of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jahan did rule as the Mughal emperor from about 1628 to 1658.

The emerald and diamond lenses may have been chosen for symbolic, sentimental, and/or cultural reasons, or they may have been chosen simply because they're pretty and extravagant; the original meaning and purpose behind the design is still unclear. Experts do believe that the eyeglasses were designed to be worn by someone, though.

At times, it was believed that the spectacles had spiritual properties, like the ability to promote healing, to ward off evil, to impart wisdom, and to bring the wearer closer to enlightenment. Those beliefs are largely based on the spiritual significance that emeralds and diamonds can have within certain Indic and Islamic traditions -- emeralds may be viewed as an emblem of Paradise, salvation, healing, cleansing, and eternal life, while diamonds are similarly associated with enlightenment, wisdom, celestial light, and mysticism.

The Gate of Paradise and the Halo of Light were both kept in the collections of a wealthy Indian family until 1980, when they were sold to private collectors, and they were then put up for auction once again in 2021. They were most recently valued at about $2 million to $3.4 million per pair.

Sources & More Info:

Sotheby's: Mughal Spectacles

Architectural Digest of India: At Sotheby's auction, Mughal-era eyeglasses made of diamond and emerald create a stir

Only Natural Diamonds: Auspicious Sight & the Halqeh-e Nur Spectacles

The Royal Society Publishing: Cleaving the Halqeh-Ye Nur Diamonds

Gemological Institution of America: Two Antique Mughal Spectacles with Gemstone Lenses

Manuscript: From Satan's Crown to the Holy Grail: emeralds in myth, magic, and history

CNN: The $3.5 million Spectacles Said to Ward off Evil

BBC: Rare Mughal Era Spectacles to be Auctioned by Sotheby's

[arc-hus]

Shed 2.0, Surat, India - Studio ii

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

This fish is ready and rearing to go trick or treating! The Indian glassy fish is so called for its completely transparent body. Every inch of its insides-- it's spine, bones, and internal organs, are all visible to the naked eye. It's thought that this clarity helps the fish to blend into its environment.

(Image: An Indian glassy fish (Parambassis ranga) by Tse Chung Yi)

[nabihahahahhahaha]

[demigod-of-the-agni]

Sephiroth but if he was desi... he is not beating the pretty boy allegations

"Desiroth" coined by my dearest bestie @nyatimesthree 🫶 thank you babes. anyway silly video I made and posted to instagram at 5am is under the cut

he estuans on my interius until i ira vehementi (sephiroth !!)

[so-much-for-subtlety]

Prediction: Trump going to fuck up economy, and republicans won’t have a viable successor. The EU will step up to fill in the void that U.S. incompetence creates. EU will force Russia to back down (Trump will try and take credit for it). Gavin Newsom will run and win election for 2028 with a more progressive VP (AOC?). Pete Buttigieg will have a more prominent role: maybe a new agency focused around a green new deal type initiative for domestic infrastructure. The U.S. will have a few decades of growth: expansion of the middle class, and increased standards of living (Gen Z will give birth to the next boomer generation) but then be faced with hyperinflation. China will continue to invest in Africa and exploit their growing population to further bolster their own economy and become THE global superpower by 2060.

[koenji]

Seven Mughal gilt glass bottles, probably Gujarat, Bharat / India, 18th century.

[falsenote]

Indian Summer (1972)

[nando161mando]

A vendor selling bullet resistant glass to schools at a Teacher Convention in America 10/17/2024.

[occvltswim]

A Cayuse woman in regalia. Photographed by Lee Moorhouse (1900/1910)

[brandbucketindia]

The Best Handpicked Cookware in India

[pergaminaa]

Modern au

As much as Dorian loves Manon, she isn’t the one he takes out to authentic ethnic restaurants that open around their city.

Aelin is the person he picks, along with Chaol, Yrene and also Rowan. They’re more open to trying different foods and they don’t mind the spice.

Manon though? She’s too white for that like any spice might kill her because he face gets red and she just doesn’t handle spicy food at all. Worst yet, if something is too hot she can’t drink any milk to sooth away the heat so she just suffers and it’s all… not good for her.

Funnily enough, Manon and the girls frequent this one steakhouse where it’s just all kinds of meat and steak and they spend hours there because the food is actually really good so Manon isn’t averted to food because she’s not. She just doesn’t handle spice very good this is why she got her 12 friends because they’re as bad as she is (except for Sorrel, Edda, Lin and Ghislaine)

[arthistoryanimalia]

For #SaveTheRhinoDay 🦏:

René Lalique (French, 1860-1945)

1. Rhinocéros paperweight, Model 1195, 1931 frosted glass, L 11.5 x H 8.5 cm

2. Original plaster model, 1931 H 8.3 x W 11.5 x D 2.5 cm

[girlthativealwaysbeen]

i think growing up is just life repeatedly sucker punching you and saying bitch you thought things were gonna better lmao no you're so naive and stupid for having hope in 20 years the world will be flaming bag of garbage and no matter how hard you work you'll get eliminated at some point

[xothemedia]

Never Have I Ever 2x9 | “…Stalked My Own Mother”