Origin of Name :-
The name refers to a 10-strand seed pearl necklace
interspersed with turquoise designed in the style of 19th-century
multi-strand pearl necklaces of Indian origin, found in the collection
of jewelry belonging to the Nizam's of Hyderabad, exhibited in the
Museum at Hyderabad, in Andhra Pradesh. The necklace gets its name from
its one time owner Umm Kulthum, the legendary female Arab singer of the
20th-century, whose rendition of a repository of religious, patriotic
and love songs, mesmerized the Arab world for over half-a-century until
her death in 1975, at the age of 71 years.
Characteristics of
the necklace
The necklace is made up of 10 strands of seed pearls,
whose design is characteristic of old Indian style necklaces worn by the
Maharajah's of India, without a clasp, but provision being made for the
two ends to be secured by tough silk threads, that was used to tie the
necklace around the neck. The advantage of using necklaces of such
design was that all gemstones in the necklace were displayed on the
chest in front, without any being hidden behind the neck, as in the case
of clasp necklaces.
Seed pearls by definition are pearls with a diameter
of less than 2 mm, but this definition had varied over the years, at one
time including all pearls less than 5 mm in diameter. The most prolific
producer of seed pearls among pearl oysters, is the species Pinctada
radiata, the common species of oyster that was found in the traditional
pearl fishing grounds of the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Gulf of
Mannar. Seed pearls occur singly or in aggregates of several pearls,
sometimes up to a hundred or more seed pearls in a single oyster. The
pearls occur in several colors, such as white, cream or yellow, and
golden.
Ummu Kulthum's Multi-strand Pearl and Turquoise
Necklace
The seed pearls in the Umm Kulthum 10-row pearl
necklace, have been beaded and strung into strands. In each strand the
larger pearls are placed in the front, closer to the central
peacock-shaped pendant, and the smaller pearls towards the two ends of
the necklace. The color of the pearls appear to be white or cream in the
photograph. The central Art-Nouveau style peacock-shaped pendant is made
of gold, and studded with pearls and turquoise. All 10 strands are
joined to the peacock-shaped pendant in the front, on either side, and
behind at the two ends, to two bell-cap shaped devices made of gold,
also studded with pearls and turquoise. Provision has been made at the
top of the bell-caps at each end, for the attachment of a tough cord.
Two cross bands made of gold, and also studded with seed pearls and
turquoise, are placed on each arm of the necklace, dividing it into
three unequal parts. The cross bands appear to have a dual function, of
ornamentation and helping to keep the individual strands separate from
one another. The entire necklace may be described as an old Indian-style
multi-strand festoon pearl and turquoise necklace made up of seed pearls
and cabochon-cut turquoise of comparable sizes.
History of the
necklace
The source of the
seed pearls in the necklace
The source of the seed pearls in the necklace is
without any doubt the traditional pearl fishing grounds of the Persian
Gulf, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Mannar, the hub of the pearl fishing
industry since very ancient times. The species of pearl oyster commonly
found in these waters was Pinctada radiata, that was well known to
produce seed pearls in addition to medium sized pearls. Most of these
seed pearls in the 18th and 19th centuries reached the pearl markets of
Bombay, where they were beaded and strung together to produce strands of
pearls. The Pearl Carpet of Baroda, the most extravagant carpet
ever made in the history of mankind, in 1865, by Maharajah Khande Rao
Gaekwar of Baroda, was composed of over 2 million seed pearls, all
sourced from the pearl banks of the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the
Gulf of Mannar, and purchased by the agents of the Gaekwar in Bombay.
The country of
origin of the necklace - India
Thus, Bombay was the pearl capital of the world
during this period, due mainly to the patronage of the rich Maharajahs
of India, who paid attractive prices for the pearl jewelry produced
there. A jewelry industry based on pearls and other gemstones also
thrived in Bombay, during this period, turning out jewelry with
exquisite designs and characteristics, easily identifiable even today as
of Indian origin. The Umm Kulthum Seed Pearl Necklace, the subject of
this webpage, was also without any doubt a product of the thriving
jewelry manufacturing industry of this period in Bombay, India. The most
important characteristic that identifies the Umm Kulthum seed pearl
necklace as of Indian origin, is the absence of the clasp, and provision
being made for threads at the two ends of the necklace, that was used to
secure the necklace around the neck. Necklaces of such design were
produced during the 18th and 19th centuries, and are found among the
fabulous jewelry collection of the Nizams of Hyderabad, exhibited in the
Hyderabad museum. Some of these necklaces were made of medium sized
pearls, but one of the well known seed pearl necklaces of this period of
similar design, that belonged to the Nizams' collection, but is now
owned by the New York socialite and philanthropist Meera Gandhi, is the
tri-colored seven-strand Ceylon pearl necklace.
The possible
period of origin of the necklace
The use of seed pearl jewelry became very popular in
the west in the mid-19th century around 1830s to 1860s, a period known
as the "Romantic Period" during the reign of Queen Victoria, signifying
the happy moments in her life from her ascension to the throne in 1837
until the death of her beloved husband Prince Albert in 1861. All the
seed pearls required by the jewelry industry in the west during this
period, came from the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Mannar.
Around this period the Bombay jewelry manufacturing industry might also
have produced seed pearl jewelry in keeping with the fashion trends of
the period. Thus, the seed pearl jewelry in the Nizam's collection as
well as the Umm Kulthum Seed Pearl Necklace, were perhaps produced
during this period, particularly between 1840 to 1850, when seed pearl
jewelry reached the height of its popularity.
The possible ways
the seed pearl necklace would have come into the possession of Umm
Kulthum
It is not known how Umm Kulthum came to acquire the
multi-strand seed pearl and turquoise necklace, that was designed and
produced in India in the mid-19th century. One possible way that the
necklace would have come into her possession was that it might have
previously belonged to a member of a royal family in the Arab world, who
was also an ardent and devoted admirer of the legendary singing
sensation of the Arab world, and would have been gifted by him to Umm
Kulthum as a token of appreciation after one of her many performances
held in various capital cities of the Arab world, during her long
singing career. Umm Khulthum had received several such valuable gifts
from her rich admirers and members of the royalty during her successful
foreign tours. One such gift was the historic nine-strand elaborate
festoon pearl necklace, also of Indian design, an heirloom of the al-Nahyan
ruling family of Abu Dhabi, presented to her by Sheik Zayed bin Sultan
al-Nahyan, the architect and first president of the United Arab
Emirates.
A second possible way the necklace would have come
into her possession was that it was purchased by her from one of
the prominent jewelry houses, during one of her many trips abroad to the
capital cities in Europe and America, such as London, Paris, New
York etc. either on vacation or to seek medical treatment.
Umm Kulthum, the
"Shining Star of the East," the "Incomparable Voice."
Umm Kulthum, born into a poor family in a rural
village of the Delta Province, in Egypt, eventually rose to become the
most celebrated singer in the Arab world in the 20th century, referred
to as "Kawkab-el-Sharq" (Shining Star of the East), who dominated
the entertainment industry of the Arab world for over half a century.
Her fans and admirers cut across all strata of society from the rural
and urban poor to the rich aristocratic families, and included people of both
sexes and all age groups. Her repertoire of more than 300 songs catered
both to the younger and older generations, and included romantic songs
with the theme of love, longing and loss, patriotic songs, religious
songs, and songs based on Arabic poetry and verse, and were mostly sung
in colloquial Arabic. She had the ability to keep audiences spellbound
throughout her performances. She was highly revered in the Arab world,
to the extent that she received treatment on par with visiting
heads-of-state in most Arab countries. Referred to as "The Lady" by
Charles de Gaulle, and "The Incomparable Voice" by Maria Callas, among
her notable western admirers were Bob Dylan, Jah Wobble, Jean-Paul
Sartre, Marie Laforet, Salvador Dali, Nico, Bono and Led Zeppelin. Her
popularity also extended to the territory of Israel, where she was
admired both by Arabs and Jews alike. Her popularity was clearly
manifested at the time of her death, when over 4 million mourners
thronged the streets of Cairo for her funeral in February 1975, one of
the largest funeral gatherings in history. Even after her death her
popularity has not diminished, and she has attained almost a
near-mythical status in the Arab world. Even today, Her records continue
to sell about a million copies a year
Umm Kulthum, one
of the greatest singers that ever lived.
Research carried out by scientists on Umm Kulthum's
voice had shown that she had the remarkable ability to produce
approximately 14,000 vibrations per second with her vocal cords. The
strength of her voice was too great for normal commercial microphones
used for singing, and she was forced to stand 1 to 3 meters away
from a microphone while singing. Umm Kulthum falls under the rare breed of
Arab women singers, that include four others, Asmahan, Fairouz, Sabah
and Zekra, who had attained the ability to sing every single Arabic
scale, in the history of the Arab world. She had a contralto vocal
range, that enabled her to sing as low as the second octave, and as high
as between the seventh and eight octaves at her vocal peak. Many in the
Middle East and the Arab world still believe that Umm Kulthum was one of
the greatest singers to have ever lived.
Umm Kulthum
Umm Kulthum's jewels
first put up for sale at a Christie's auction in Dubai, in April, 2008.
The first time a piece of jewelry that belonged to
the singing legend of Arabia, Umm Kulthum, was put up for sale was on
April 29, 2008, at a Christie's auction held in Dubai, at the Jumeirah
Emirates Towers Hotel. The family of the singer decided to dispose of
one of her most favorite pieces, the nine-strand elaborate festoon pearl
necklace of Indian design, that was given as a gift to the singer by the
late Sheik Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, and was adorned by the singer
during some of her performances. Umm Kulthum is said to have taken great
care of the necklace, due to its sentimental value, given to her by a
benevolent ruler in the Arab world, whom she greatly respected. The
necklace was exhibited in New York, London and Dubai prior to its sale.
The auction house had placed a pre-sale estimate of only $80,000 to $
120,000 for the necklace. However, when the auction got underway there
was intense bidding for the necklace, and after competitive bidding
between two contenders, the necklace was eventually purchased by one of
the unidentified contenders from the Middle East, for the staggering sum
of 5.1 million dirhams, equivalent to $1.39 million. This went far
beyond the expectations of the auction house - 10 times more than the
upper pre-sale estimate. A spokesman for the auction house explaining
the discrepancy said that the company only sets the price for the actual
market value of an item, and then allow the buyers to determine the
value of the provenance. In the case of the Umm Kulthum necklace, the
value of the provenance was ten times more than the actual value of the
necklace, because of the universal popularity of its legendary owner.
A second set of Umm
Kulthum's jewels put up for auction by Christies in Dubai, on April 28,
2009. The Umm Kulthum's multi-strand seed pearl and turquoise necklace
was part of this sale.
Following the success of the sale of the "Umm Kulthum
Pearl Necklace" on April 29, 2008, by Christie's at Dubai, a second set
of jewels from the estate of Umm Kulthum was put up for sale by her
heirs, again at a Christie's auction in Dubai on April 28, 2009. A small
collection of personal jewels that belonged to the legendary singer was
offered as part of an auction known as "Jewels and Watches" that was
held on April 28, 2009, at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel in Dubai.
The "Jewels and Watches" sale was followed the next day at the same
venue, by the Christie's sale of "International Modern and Contemporary
Art." The two sales were sponsored by Credit Suisse, one of the
world's leading banks, providing private banking, investment banking and
asset management services worldwide.
The sale included four items from Umm Kulthum's
jewelry collection :-
1) An emerald, diamond and pearl set consisting of a
bracelet, brooch and a pair of ear pendants. Pre-sale estimate $40,000
to $60,000.
2) The multi-strand seed pearl and turquoise necklace
of Indian design, with a stylized peacock centerpiece, the subject of
this webpage. Pre-sale estimate $15,000 to $25,000.
3) A cultured pearl and paste festoon brooch - a gift
from the late Shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi to Umm Kulthum, on the
occasion of his wedding to Princess Fawziya, the sister of King Farouk
of Egypt. Pre-sale estimate $3,000 to $5,000.
4) A lady's diamond and cultured pearl wristwatch.
Pre-sale estimate $4,000 to $6,000.
David Warren, Christie's Director of Jewelry for the
Middle East said before the auction, "We are delighted to have been
entrusted with this rare group of jewels from Umm Kulthum and, as always
in our Dubai sales, we have sought to offer some exquisite pieces of
jewelry and fine watches."
Umm Kulthum's
jewelry sold for 400,000 dirham ($109,000) at Christie's
auction in Dubai
According to David Warren, several pieces from Umm Kulthum's jewelry collection was sold for a total of
400,000 dirham equivalent to $109,000 at the April 28, 2009, auction,
held at Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel in Dubai. The multi-strand
seed pearl and turquoise necklace of Indian origin, with its Art
Nouveau style peacock-shaped pendant made of gold and studded with
pearls and turquoise, was sold for more than $80,000 to an anonymous
Middle Eastern collector. This was more than three times the upper
pre-sale estimate of $25,000 placed on the necklace by the auction
house. It seemed that bidders at the auction were disregarding the
financial crisis for the chance to own a piece of history. Commenting on
the sale of the necklace, David Warren, head of jewelry for Christie's
auction house in Dubai, said, "It's extremely difficult to assess the
value of provenance on a piece like that; provenance has a different
value for different people. We generally value for the value of the
object, and then we allow the buyers to determine the value of the
provenance. In the case of Umm Kulthum it carries a heavy additional
premium."
You are welcome to discuss this
post/related topics with Dr Shihaan and other experts from around the
world in our
FORUMS (forums.internetstones.com)
Related :-
1)
Umm Khulthum nine-strand festoon pearl necklace
2)
The Pearl Carpet of Baroda
3)
The Ceylon Pearl Necklace
External Links :-
1)
Jewels from the estate of Umm Khultum to be sold
at Christie's in Dubai - Press release, March 31, 2009 -
www.christies.com
References :-
1) Umm Kulthum's jewels to glitter at Dubai auction -
www.uaeinteract.com
2) Umm kulthum's jewels to be displayed for sale at
Christie's in Dubai - www.alshorfa.com
3) Late singer's jewelry a hit at auction -
www.upi.com
4) Umm Kulthum - From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
