Which one of the following foreign travellers elaborately discussed about diamonds and diamond mines of India?
- A. Francois Bernier
- B. Jean-Baptiste Tavernier
- C. Jean de Thevenot
- D. Abbe Barthelemy Carre
Answer: B
Explanation
Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605-1689) was a French explorer and merchant. He was the first European to describe the diamond mines in India. In 1676, Tavernier published an account of his six journeys to India and Persia from 1631 to 1668 in Les Six Voyages de Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (translated into English in 1678 as The Six Voyages of John Baptista Tavernier). The Hope Diamond was said to be mined in the Kollur mines in Andhra Pradesh and acquired by French gem merchant, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, in 1666. It is unclear as to how the merchant got the diamond, but according to the Smithsonian, Tavernier purchased the 112 3/16 carat diamond who then sold it to French King Louis XIV of France. Hence option (b) is the correct answer.