HYDERABAD: Just as a two-month exhibition of Nizams’ jewellery ended in New Delhi, globally-renowned

house Christie’s is set to put under hammer some 400 pieces of rare jewels. This includes a few items from the ‘fabulous’ treasure house of the Nizam. So famous was his collection, that the last ruler of Hyderabad was also known as ‘The Fabulous Mughal’. The auction is set to take place on June 19 in New York.

While a collection of 173 pieces of jewellery of the Nizams, now owned by the government of India, are put on display once in a while in the country, there are said to be hundreds of other jewels in possession of either family members or have been sold to collectors, connoisseurs and businessmen across the world. “What is left in Hyderabad is not even a fraction of the legendary collection of the last Nizam,” a family member rued.

A diamond and enamelled gold bowl estimated worth Rs 3.48 crore, ceremonial sword estimated worth Rs 10.44 crore, scabbard and sword estimated worth Rs 8.34 crore

It is not known how many of the 400 pieces that would be put under the hammer are from formerly princely

. However, officials at Christie’s, mention a few. This collection is owned by the cousin of the ruler of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani. His interest in jewels began in 2009, and today he is said to own some 6,000 pieces from across the world.

At the New York show, for instance, there will be a 19th century bib-like diamond and emerald necklace. Experts believe this itself will leave buyers and onlookers spellbound.

Then there will be a rivière necklace, which features almost 200 carats of diamonds from the Golconda mines, the earliest group of mines known to man. Located in Krishna district of

, at one time they were the only cluster where diamonds were found.

There is also The Mirror of Paradise. This is a 52.58 carat, rectangular-cut diamond that was last sold at auction in 2013 for $10.9million. But for one daughter, all the children of the last Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan have passed away. The third generation of Nawab of Deccan is scattered and in disarray. However, there are a few members of the erstwhile royal family, who are in the know of things. Even among them, they are those who are tight-lipped on how the jewels might have found their way to the international auction house.

Many point to one incident soon after the death of Nizam in February 1967. They say some of the members of the royal family, in cahoots with powerful politicians of the day, smuggled out the jewels. There is at least one member of the family who says he met Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani in Delhi during the Nizams jewellery exhibition recently. However, Najaf Ali Khan, grandson of the Nizam, says he has not met or dealt with the collector any time earlier.