On 9 November 1907, the Cullinan Diamond was presented to King Edward VII on his birthday. It is the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found: 3,106 carats, or 621 grams, discovered on 26 January 1905 at the Premier mine in Cullinan, South Africa, and named for the mine's owner, Thomas Cullinan. When it failed to sell in London for two years, the government of the Transvaal Colony bought it, and Prime Minister Louis Botha gave it to Edward. The king had it cut by Joseph Asscher & Co. into several large stones and many smaller ones. The largest gems were set in British royal regalia, and are still part of the Crown Jewels.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.