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FIVE STRAND NATURAL
PEARL AND DIAMOND
NECKLACE
Five strands of gently graduating pearls,
with each strand consisting of pearls
alternating with diamond briolette
beads, to a diamond‒set clasp centring
on an oval‒shaped spinel. The pearls
are well‒matched and have a uniform
lustre.
Pearl: 283.94 carats
Diamond: 35.44 carats
Gross weight: 70.41 grams
Size: 9.50 mm to 4.0 mm
$ 128,575 ‒ 171,430
Rs 90,00,000 ‒ 1,20,00,000
With report number 022511 dated 18
September 2019 from the Shri Zaveri Mahajan
Zaverat & Moti Tolai Charitable Trust stating
that the Pearls with dimensions ranging from
9.50 mm to 3.83 mm are natural pearls.
P
earls – one of the nine gemstones or
navratna
revered in Indian
mythology – have been admired since antiquity, appearing in
most traditional jewellery. Ancient texts associate pearls with the
moon or the deity Chandra, for their soft radiance and satin sheen.
In the Mughal era, pearls were ubiquitous among the ruling class,
and Emperor Akbar was frequently depicted wearing multi-strand
pearl necklaces. Later portraits and accounts of the Maharajas of
post-Mughal India, which portrayed them in their royal regalia, show
an abundant display of pearls in necklaces, turban ornaments, and
other sartorial accessories.
Derived from the Latin “pilula,” meaning ball, these gemstones –
composed mainly of calcium carbonate and nacre – are created when
pearl-forming molluscs attach themselves to rocks on the seabed and
remain nourished through gills. They are protected by a shell or mantle
containing cells which secrete layers of conchiolin, aragonite and
calcite flakes that form an iridescent bed called Mother of Pearl. Pearls
are formed in concentric layers when a particle of dust or grit enters a
mollusc, around which a sac gradually develops, becoming entombed
in the nacre which forms a pearl’s outer coat – more of which results
in a larger gemstone.
Several factors determine the value of a pearl, including its shape,
clarity and lustre. “... Perfectly round, pear-shaped, drop-shaped, egg-
shaped or button-shaped” pearls that are evenly formed command a
higher value; they should, additionally, have a clear, unblemished and
unbroken skin, and possess a lustre and decided tint. (George Frederick
Kunz and Charles Hugh Stevenson,
The Book of the Pearl: Its History,
Art, Science and Industry
, New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 2001,
p. 321) In India and Sri Lanka, pearl merchants have developed an
elaborate system for grading and valuing these gemstones that has
been in use and evolved over centuries. The pearls are first grouped by
size by passing them through a series of ten sieves, after which they
are classified according to other factors – such as colour, lustre, nacre
thickness and surface quality – by a skilled valuer, and, finally, they
are weighed. A collection is put together by painstakingly searching
for and matching pearls according to their similarities.
Pearls used in traditional Indian jewellery are typically pierced and
strung as beads, which is an art that “requires both experience and
judgment, and is of great importance, since the value of pearls is
often considerably enhanced by a proper arrangement.” (Kunz and
Stevenson,
p. 386) The present lot comprises five strands of natural,
well-matched, evenly formed pearls that graduate in size and have
a similar lustre, colour and tone, a collection which takes years to
assemble.