Origin of Name :-
The single-row natural pearl and diamond necklace was
Lot No. 156 at the Christie's Contemporary Jewelry and Watches Sale, No.
7664, held at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel, Dubai, United Arab
Emirates, on April 29 2008. The necklace was one of the seven lots out
of 15 lots of pearl jewelry offered at the sale, that registered a price
higher than the upper pre-sale estimate, indicating the strong auction
market for natural pearl jewelry. a trend that started at the turn of
the new millennium, and is still continuing.
A single row natural pearl and diamond necklace
Please click here for an enlarged image (External
Link)
©
Christie's
Characteristics of
the natural pearl and diamond necklace
The necklace appears
to be a choker
The single-row necklace comprising of 41 natural
pearls appears to be a choker, whose length varies between 14-16 inches
(35.5-40.5 cm) under the modern system of classification of pearl
necklaces, based on their lengths.
The size and shape of
the pearls
The single-row of 41 natural pearls are graduated,
with the largest pearls occupying the front lower part of the necklace;
the size of the pearls decreasing gradually towards the rear of the
necklace, where the smallest pearls are situated. The size of the pearls
vary from 6.8 mm to 10.2 mm. The shape of the pearls at a glance appear
to be perfectly spherical, but closer examination shows that there are
near-spherical and some button pearls among them. This is to be
expected, as in natural pearls matching for perfect shape would be
extremely difficult unlike cultured pearls which are consistently
spherical. Among natural pearls perfectly spherical pearls are
exceptions rather than the general rule.
The color, overtones,
luster and orient of the pearls
The color of the pearls are white with a yellowish
overtone. White is the body color of the pearls and yellow the overtone
color. The pearls may be appropriately described as yellowish-white.
White body color is associated with the absence of colored pigments in
the nacre, usually combined with conchiolin. The conchiolin being
transparent allows the white color of aragonite to show through.
Overtone colors are an optical effect caused as light passes through
successive layers of aragonite. The luster and orient of the pearls are
characteristic of saltwater pearls. Luster is caused by the reflection
of light from the surface and just below the surface of the pearl. The
luster of saltwater pearls is greater than that of freshwater pearls.
The orient or iridescence of a pearl is caused by refraction of light as
it passes through successive layers of aragonite. All four
characteristics, color, overtones, luster and orient are dependant on
the thickness of the nacre, which is usually the highest for natural
pearls, being composed of 100% nacre.
The clasp of the
necklace
The clasp of the necklace is the only part in the
necklace that incorporates diamonds. There appear to be three diamonds
on the clasp, The largest diamond occupying the center of the clasp, has
a round girdle, and looks like a modern round brilliant, but is actually
an old-European cut diamond, because of its smaller table. The bell cap
like arrangements on either side of the old-European cut diamond,
appears to be mounted with a table-cut diamond. The metal used on the
clasp appears to be yellow gold.
The history of the
natural pearl and diamond necklace
The natural pearl
necklace is probably of 19th-century origin
Nothing is known about the historical provenance of
the necklace, or the identity of the owner who put it up for auction.
But, given the fact that the necklace is a natural pearl necklace, and
the clasp incorporates an old-European cut diamond, which was first
introduced in the 19th century, seem to indicate that it originated in
the 1800s. To find a natural pearl necklace that originated in the
20th-century, unless they are South Sea pearls, is extremely scarce, as
most of the traditional sources of natural pearls in the world were
exhausted by the early 20th-century, or were abandoned after the
introduction of cultured pearls into the markets, by the Japanese in the
1920s and 1930s.
The probable source
of the pearls is the Persian Gulf
The color and range of size of the pearls can give an
indication as to the saltwater oyster species from which the pearls in
the necklace originated. The yellowish-white color of the pearls
indicate that the species of oyster from which the pearls originated, is
none other than the most prolific pearl producer in the history of the
industry, Pinctada radiata (Pinctada imbricata), whose pearls are white
or yellow, with overtones of silver, cream or pink. The range of size of
the pearls, 6.8-10.2 mm also falls within the range of size of pearls
produced by Pinctada radiata, although this oyster species is also
renowned for the production of seed pearls. Thus, the possible sources
of the pearls are the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Mannar,
the hub of the international pearl industry since ancient times.
Venezuela is also an alternative source, but the pearl banks of
Venezuela were exhausted in the mid-17th century. Thus, the most
probable source is the Persian Gulf, where the natural pearl
industry survived until the 1920s, and pearls of yellowish hue were more
common. The natural pearl industry of the Gulf of Mannar was abandoned
in 1906, due to overexploitation. Pearls of the Gulf of Mannar were
commonly silvery-white, and yellowish-white hues were less common.
Laboratory Report
issued by the Gem Testing Laboratory of Great Britain
A laboratory report bearing No.0127993, dated
February 29, 2008, issued by the Gem Testing Laboratory of Great
Britain, authenticates the natural provenance of the pearls in the
necklace, an important document to gain the confidence of prospective
bidders, in a region where there is a strong auction market for natural
pearls and jewelry incorporating natural pearls.
The sale of the
natural pearl and diamond necklace
The single-row natural pearl and diamond necklace
that came for auctions at the Christie's Contemporary Jewelry and
Watches Sale in Dubai, was Lot No.156, and had pre-sale estimate of
$150,000 to $180,000 placed on it. However, after a keenly contested
bid, the necklace was eventually sold for $205,000, which was $25,000
more than the upper pre-sale estimate. Fifteen lots of pearl jewelry was
offered for sale at this auction, and seven lots sold for more than
their upper pre-sale estimate; the remaining 8 lots registering prices
within the estimated range. The record for the auction was created by
Lot No 178, a superb four-row natural pearl and diamond necklace, which
sold within the estimated range of $1.8 to 2.2 million, for $1,743,400.
The second highest price was recorded by the Umm Kulthum's nine-row
Satlada necklace, which sold for $1,385,000, twelve times higher than
the upper pre-sale estimate of $120,000. The enhanced price in this case
was no doubt for the historical provenance of the pearl necklace, owned
once by the Late ruler of the UAE, His Highness Sheik Zayed Bin Sultan
Al-Nahyan and later by the legendary Arab singer, Umm Kulthum, who wore
the necklace often for her public performances. The present record for a
natural pearl necklace is held by the 68-pearl, double-strand, natural,
pearl necklace, the Baroda Pearl Necklace, which was sold for
$7.096,000, at an auction in April 2007.
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Related :-
1)
Superb Four-Row Natural Pearl and Diamond Necklace
2)
Four-Row Natural Pearl Necklace
3)
Umm Kulthum's Nine-Strand Pearl Necklace
External Links :-
1)
A Natural Pearl And Diamond
Necklace - Christie's Contemporary Jewelry and Watches Sale, auction
catalogue. Sale No. 7664, Lot No. 156. www.christies.com
References :-
1) A Natural Pearl And Diamond
Necklace - Christie's Contemporary Jewelry and Watches Sale, auction
catalogue. Sale No. 7664, Lot No. 156.
www.christies.com
