Nelson's Lost Jewel: The Extraordinary Story of the Lost Diamond Chelengk

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 chele [...]
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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. Breathlessly discussed in the gossip press and depicted in portraits and caricatures, it provoked both ridicule and awe in 18th-century England. This is the remarkable story of one of the most famous jewels in British history, and its journey from Constantinople to London. The chelengk's eventful descent in Nelson's family ended with its sale by auction in 1895. Secured for the nation by public appeal, it passed to the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich from where it was stolen in 1951, never to be seen again. The author turns detective in the hope of finally tracking it down.