Today, I will take you on another trip, a trip in time. Grab my hand, and let’s go.
We are now in the heart of the Ottoman Empire, in what used to be Constantinopole actual Istanbul. We will admire the city a bit, and then we will follow a poor guy who is struck with luck, but unfortunately for him, he won’t see it. This poor guy will find a stone that he will think is nothing but a piece of glass, so he will put it in his pocket and later go and try to sell it.
As we follow him, we shall see that he will go to a jewelry store to ask if the stone he found is worth something. The shop owner looks at the rock and tells him that it is just a piece of glass. The shop owner doesn’t seem interested in the stone, but he is willing to offer our guy 3 spoons. He gets his spoon and leaves.
This time we won’t continue to follow our poor guy. Instead, we will follow this little piece of glass, stone. The jewelry shop owner will sell the little piece of glass to another jeweler for 10 silver coins. As we can see, the last one is a bit more into business. He seems to think that this stone we follow has more value, so he will go to another jeweler and consult with it about the stone. They figure out the stone is not a piece of glass but a precious diamond. But as in any story where money is involved, the two guys start to argue about the diamond. A third jeweler comes along and gives the two men a large sum of money for the diamond. The word about the diamond spreads quite quickly, so the Grand Vizir finds out, the Sultan is also informed. m The little stone reach’s from the streets of the city to the Palace. Here, the diamond will find its shelter in Topkapi Palace, which is admired. Tomorrow I will tell you another story a bit related to this diamond.
Here is the link to the museum: http://topkapisarayi.gov.tr/en/content/imperial-treasury
I hope you enjoyed our trip in time!