An auction of royal Indian jewellery at Christie's here has totalled almost $109 million, with a jade-hilted dagger of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, a ceremonial sword of the Nizams of Hyderabad and a bejewelled medieval huqqa setting world records.

These objects, among a total of 400, went under the hammer at the "Maharajas and Mughal Magnificence" auction here on Wednesday. It established "the highest total for any auction of Indian art and Mughal objects, and the second highest auction total for a private jewellery collection", Christie's said a statement.

The objects on sale were from the Al Thani Collection of the Qatari royal family. The Shah Jahan dagger has sold for a whopping $3,375,000 (Rs. 23.4 crore), setting the record for the highest value of a Shah Jahan jade object, while the Nizams' sword sold for $1,935,000 (Rs. 13.4 crore), making it the highest-selling Indian sword. The gem-studded huqqa set sold for $759,000 (Rs. 5.27 crore).

These record-high prices, however, are nowhere near the top performer of the 12-hour auction. A Belle Epoque devant-de-corsage brooch from 1912 by Parisian jeweller Cartier sold for $10,603,500 (Rs. 73.7 crore) to a private collector. However, in the description given by the auction house, it has little India connection. In total, 29 objects went under the hammer over $1 million, Christie's said.

Two Indian diamonds also performed impressively well. The Mirror of Paradise diamond (52.58 carats), that originates from the Golconda mine, the earliest diamond mine known to humans, went under the hammer for $6,517,500 (nearly Rs. 45 crore). Major sales also include the 17-carat Golconda "Arcot II" diamond, once owned by the Nawab of Arcot, that sold for a stunning $3,375,00 (Rs. 23.5 crore). The diamond was also owned by Queen Charlotte, a consort of British King George III.

The sale also included an antique diamond riviere necklace once owned by the Nizams of Hyderabad, which sold for $2,415,000 (nearly Rs. 17 crore). The 33-diamond necklace surpassed its estimate.