Origin of Name :-
The name refers to a natural pearl jewelry suite,
composed of a single-row pearl necklace, a pair of drop-shaped pearl
ear-pendants and a pearl ring designated as Lot No. 159, at the Christie's
Contemporary Jewelry and Watches Sale, No. 7664, held on April 29, 2008,
at Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel, Dubai. United Arab Emirates. The
jewelry suite was sold for $73,000, much above the pre-sale estimate of
$35,000 to $45,000. Seven out of the 15 lots sold at this auction,
registered prices above the upper pre-sale estimate, indicative of
the strong auction demand for natural pearls.
Pearl jewelry suite consisting of a necklace, pair of
pendent earrings and a ring
Please click here for an enlarged image (External
Link)
Characteristics of
the pearl jewelry suite
Characteristics of
the necklace
The necklace is a
choker under the modern system of classification of pearl necklaces
The necklace is a single-row pearl necklace, made up
of 68 graduated pearls, with a range in size of 4.5 mm to 7.9 mm. The
length of the necklace is 39.5 cm (15.5 inches), which under the modern
system of classification of pearl necklaces is a "choker," which
includes pearl strands of 14-16 inches.
The size and shape
of the pearls in the necklace
The single-strand of graduated pearls vary in size
from 4.5 mm to 7.9 mm. The largest pearls are situated in the front
lower part of the necklace. The pearls gradually decrease in size, and
the smallest pearls are found towards the rear of the necklace. The
shape of the pearls appear to be spherical, but closer examination shows
that strand includes spherical, near-spherical and button-shaped pearls.
This is in keeping with the natural provenance of the pearls, as finding
68 pearls, all of which are perfectly spherical, among natural pearls
would be an extremely difficult task.
The color and
overtone of the pearls in the necklace
The color of the pearls are white, the most
sought-after color in pearls. On zooming the pearls actually appear
silvery-white. Thus, while the body color of the pearls are white,
silver is an overtone color. The white body color is associated with the
lack of any pigments in the conchiolin part of the nacre, which being
transparent allows the white color of aragonite to show through. The
silver overtone color is an optical effect caused by light passing
through successive layers of aragonite.
The luster and
orient of the pearls in the necklace
The luster and orient of the pearls are also
exceptional, being pearls of saltwater origin. Luster is caused by
reflection of light from the surface and just below the surface of the
nacre, and is greater for saltwater pearls than freshwater pearls.
Orient is caused by refraction that scatters light into its component
colors, as it passes through successive layers of aragonite platelets.
Luster, orient and overtones are all dependant on the thickness of the
nacre; properties which are optimum for natural pearls, being composed
entirely of nacre. This explains why such optical properties had
remained unchanged in many natural pearls, some of which are over 400 to
500 years old, such as the La Peregrina, the Mancini Pearls and the
Barbara Hutton Pearls. It is a matter of debate whether modern-day
cultured pearls would be able to retain such optical properties for very
long periods of time as their natural counterparts.
The clasp of the
necklace
The clasp of the necklace is composed of a single
blue sapphire and baguette-cut diamonds. The blue sapphire is
cushion-shaped and occupies the center of the clasp. The two diamond
surrounds encircling the blue sapphire are oval shaped and set with
baguette cut diamonds.
Characteristics of
the pair of pearl ear-pendants
The pair of ear-pendants are made up of two
drop-shaped pearls, which are almost identical in size, shape, color and
other optical properties. One of the drop-shaped pearls has an almost
perfect drop-shape, while the other slightly bulges in the center, and
is slightly shorter than the first pearl. The dimensions of the
drop-shaped pearls are approximately 13.5 mm and 7.5 mm, respectively
the greatest length and width of the pearls. Each of the ear-pendants
are approximately 3.0 cm long. The color of the drop-shaped pearls are
silvery-white, matching with the color of the pearls in the necklace and
the ring. The luster and orient of the drop-shaped pearls also match
with that of the pearls in the necklace. This points to the common
origin of these pearls, from the same saltwater oyster species, and
perhaps from the same environment.
The drop-shaped pearls are suspended by a diamond
line surmount, attached to the pearl by a bell cap arrangement, also
mounted with diamonds. The line surmount is mounted with four diamonds,
that look like old-European cut diamonds, the forerunner of the modern
brilliant-cut diamonds. The metal used on the bell cap and surmount
appears to be silver or platinum. The topmost part of the line surmount,
which is circular and mounted with a diamond of similar shape, carries
the screw-pin that secures the ear-pendant to the lobes of the ear.
Characteristics of
the pearl ring
The largest pearl in the suite a button-shaped pearl
with a long and short diameter of 12.01 and 10.0 mm and weighing 10.21
carats (40.84 grains) is incorporated in the ring. Even though the pearl
is described as a button, it is in fact a near-spherical pearl, as the
variation in diameter between the long and short diameters is less than
20%. The variation in diameter is given by (1-short diameter/long
diameter) x 100% = (1 - 10/12.01) x 100 = (1 - 0.83) x 100 = 0.17 x 100
= 17%. A pearl with a variation in diameter between 0% to 2% is defined
as a perfectly spherical pearl. When the variation in diameter is
between 2% to 20%, the pearl is said to be near-spherical. When the
variation in diameter is greater than 20% the pearl is known as
button-shaped. The near-spherical pearl is also silvery-white in color,
matching the color of the pearls in the necklace and ear-pendants. It
also has the same luster and orient as the pearls in the necklace and
the ear-pendants. Each of the shoulders of the ring is set with a single
baguette cut diamond.
History of the pearl
jewelry suite
Nothing is known of the historical provenance of this
pearl jewelry suite. The identity of the owner who put up the suite for
sale was also withheld. The suite appears to be of 19th-century origin,
according to certain features in the jewelry, such as the diamond cuts
and design features in the ear-pendants and the clasp. The features of
the pearls such as its range in size from 4.5 mm to 7.9 mm and the
silvery-white color, shows that the pearls originated in the most
prolific pearl producing oyster species in the world, Pinctada radiata,
the main source of pearls for the world since very ancient times. Thus
the possible sources of these pearls can be the Persian Gulf, the Red
Sea or the Gulf of Mannar, the hub of the international pearl industry
since very ancient times. An alternative source of the pearls could be
Venezuela, the source of the Atlantic pearls, also produced by Pinctada
radiata ( previously Pinctada imbricata), during the 16th to 17th
centuries.
Lab Reports from the
Gem Testing Laboratory of Great Britain
All three pieces of jewelry in the suite, the
necklace, the ear-pendants and the ring are supported by Lab Reports
issued by the Gem Testing Laboratory of Great Britain, certifying that
the pearls incorporated in the pieces are all natural pearls.
Report No. 0127828 dated January 16, 2008,
authenticates the natural provenance of the pearls comprising the
necklace. Report No.0127723 dated November 27, 2007, covers the natural
authenticity of the pearls in the pair of ear-pendants. Report No.
0127729 dated November 28, 2007, certifies that the single button-shaped
pearl incorporated in the ring is also natural.
Sale of the pearl
jewelry suite at the auctions
The pearl jewelry suite was Lot No. 159 at the
Christie's Contemporary Jewelry and Watches Sale, No. 7664, held at the
Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
A presale estimate of $35,000 to $45,000 was placed on the suite.
However, after a keenly contested bid, the pearl jewelry suite,
eventually sold for $73,000, higher than the upper pre-sale estimate by
$28,000. This is in keeping with the current strong auction demand for
natural pearls and jewelry incorporated with such pearls, a trend that
began with the onset of the new millennium, in a market that was
dominated by cultured pearls for over half-a-century. Out of the 15 lots
of natural pearl jewelry that appeared at this auctions, seven lots
registered prices much higher than the pre-sale estimate, in keeping
with this trend. The highest prices recorded at the sale was Lot No.
178, A superb four-row natural pearl and diamond necklace, that realized
$1, 743,400 and Lot No. 147, the Umm Kulthum's nine-row satlada
necklace, that realized $1,385,000. See table below.
Table of the 15 lots
of pearl jewelry that appeared at the Christie's auction in Dubai on
April 29, 2008, giving the pre-sale estimates and final prices realized
| S/N |
Lot No. |
Lot Description |
Pre-Sale Estimate |
Price Realized |
| 1 |
147 |
An imposing antique Indian natural pearl nine-row
necklace that belonged to Umm Kulthum, the legendary Egyptian singer |
$80,000-$120,000 |
$1,385,000 |
| 2 |
148 |
A fine pair of natural pearl and diamond ear pendants |
$60,000-$80,000 |
$157,000 |
| 3 |
149 |
An attractive natural black pearl ring |
$50,000-$70,000 |
$43,000 |
| 4 |
154 |
An attractive antique natural pearl and diamond pendent
brooch |
$60,000-$80,000 |
$97,000 |
| 5 |
155 |
A natural pearl and diamond pendent necklace |
$25,000-$35,000 |
$43,000 |
| 6 |
156 |
A natural pearl and diamond necklace |
$150,000-$180,000 |
$205,000 |
| 7 |
158 |
A pair of natural pearl earrings |
$20,000-$30,000 |
$29,800 |
| 8 |
159 |
A pretty group of natural pearl and diamond jewelry |
$35,000-$45,000 |
$73,000 |
| 9 |
160 |
An attractive pair of antique natural pearl and diamond
ear pendants |
$180,000-$250,000 |
$217,000 |
| 10 |
162 |
A natural pearl, diamond and ruby pendent necklace |
$45,000-$50,000 |
$94,600 |
| 11 |
163 |
A four-row natural pearl necklace |
$50,000-$80,000 |
$61,000 |
| 12 |
166 |
A highly important orange natural pearl |
$600,000-$800,000 |
$713,000 |
| 13 |
172 |
An important pearl and diamond suite, by Gerard |
$400,000-$600,000 |
$481,000 |
| 14 |
174 |
An exceptional belle époque natural grey/brown pearl
pendant necklace |
$700,000-$1,000,000 |
$769,000 |
| 15 |
178 |
A superb four-row natural pearl and diamond necklace |
$1,800,000 -$2,200,000 |
$1,743,400 |
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Related :-
1)
Superb Four-Row Natural Pearl and Diamond Necklace
2)
Four-Row Natural Pearl Necklace
External Links :-
1)
A Pretty Group of Natural Pearl and Diamond
Jewelry - Christie's Contemporary Jewelry and Watches Sale Catalogue.
Sale No. 7664, Lot No. 159. www.christies.com
