Isaac Sardo Abendana

Isaac Sardo Abendana was a merchant who went to India where he established himself as a diamond and coral merchant.

Abendana moved from Holland to London, and was one of Jewish diamond merchants whose movement from Holland and Portugal to England made London the centre of trade, especially for uncut diamonds. Around 1702 Abendana decided to move to Madras, India in order to trade diamonds from Golconda in exchange for silver, rough and polished coral and pearls. Initially he settled in Pulicat on the Coromandel Coast, and after a while he moved to Fort St. George (Madras).

According to the records of the English East India Company he was a freeman. He became a close friend of William Pitt, governor of Fort St. George and it is believed that he has been responsible for the Governor’s fortune. A specialist in dealing with precious stones, Abendana became a scientific advisor to most trading companies in Madras.

He died in Madras where he was buried.