Gabon Pearl Diamond Fashion Gold Jewelry 26

Gabon Pearl Diamond Fashion Gold Jewelry. 

By Aamir Mannan.

If science reveals the dazzling colours hidden in the pearls’ apparent whiteness, only history can explain their unique value. A grainy video reveals early 20th century divers descending to the bottom of the sea with no breathing equipment but for the air in their lungs. In its everyday simplicity, an old nose clip nearby is a poignant reminder of the dangers and delusions of their lives. Sitting on the deck with their skin hardened by salt, the fishermen would relentlessly open the hundreds of shells they had collected, rarely finding a pearl worth selling.

Born of sea-foam, pearls would join the international trade which travelled from Saudi Arabiato India, via Bahrain and Qatar. These strings were gathered in Bombay, only to break loose again, towards Europe and China. The pearl was a truly international craze, a theme which the V&A’s expansive collection is best suited to pursue. This is further emphasised through the fact that the exhibition is a collaboration with the Qatar Museum Authority. Thus, visitors encounter both the history of pearls and their cultural geography – from the Gulf’s seabed to the contemporary London museum.