Other than Ranjit Singh himself, Beli Ram was the only man in the kingdom permitted to handle the Koh-i-Noor. Twisting the long pearl-embellished tassels of the diamond’s elaborate mount around his fingers, Beli Ram treated the Koh-i-Noor as if it were a living, dangerous bird of prey. When the maharaja visited the far reaches of his kingdom, Beli Ram took care of the most sensitive arrangements. He would hide the Koh-i-Noor in a plain, unobtrusive casket, and two exact glass replicas in two identical caskets.
