Qatari royal loses UK lawsuit over ‘Idol’s Eye’ diamond

A cousin of Qatar’s ruler lost his fight at London’s High Court on Thursday against another branch of the Gulf nation’s royal family over a 17th-century  diamond worth millions. The dispute over the “Idol’s Eye” diamond pitted art collector Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani, cousin of Qatar’s ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, against the relatives of former culture minister Sheikh Saud bin Mohammed Al Thani.

Sheikh Saud, Qatar’s minister of culture between 1997 and 2005, was one of the world’s most prolific art collectors and bought the 70-carat Idol’s Eye diamond in the early 2000s. He lent the diamond to QIPCO, whose chief executive is Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah, shortly before he died in 2014.

The two sides had disagreed over how much the gem is worth, with Elanus’ lawyers saying in court filings that an expert had valued the diamond at around $27 million. Birt said in his ruling that the diamond is “said to have been discovered in a mine at Golconda in Southern India, though that history is not complete or certain”. He added that the gem is also said to have been owned at one point by Sultan Abdulhamid II, one of the last rulers of the Ottoman Empire.