Nizam Natural Pearl Jewelry that Fascinated the World

Umm Khultum with the necklace Image Christies

The pearl is the ultimate gem in defining feminity. Its characteristics of soft mellow glowing exterior exude what the divine feminine is all about. Until lately, when the diamond advertising blitz has bombarded all else from the ladies wish list, pearls have remained a top grosser in terms of favored gem. In fact it is very difficult for any gemstone to even begin to fit in place of the pearl - the texture, colour, appeal and look are incredibly different from other gemstones. And of course, unless one is particularly weak where taste and aesthetics are concerned, it is very hard to go wrong with pearls.

Here is a look at the "satlada" the quintessential seven-strand necklace that formed a part of the Hyderabad Nizam jewelry. The seven strands had natural Basra or Persian Gulf pearls and could well have diamonds, rubies and emeralds strung in between. In the days of yore, Basra pearls as well as those from the Gulf of Mannar were highly popular. While the satlada (7 rows) and the panchlada (5 rows) have been traditionally the favourites in pearl necklaces, the defining names have not stopped the connoisseurs from adding more rows of pearls!

Umm Khultum Satlada

Take a look at the satlada (with 9 rows) necklace of the famous Egyptian singer Umm Khultum that went under the hammer at Christies in 2008. It was presented to her by Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late President of the UAE.   It was created circa 1880, and consists of approximately 1,888 pearls. And fetched a handsome price of $1,385,000 while the auction was estimated to bring in $80,000- $1,20,000!

Natural Australian Pearl silver pendant

Selected Rings, Pendants and Talismans made available to Gemstoneuniverse.com patrons in April 2013

Gemstoneuniverse.com Table Natural Pearl Gemstone facts

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