Um Kulthum's rare gem to be auctioned

An antique pearl necklace that the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan gave to legendary Arab singer Um Kulthum will be auctioned next week at Christie's Jewels and Watches: The Dubai Sale.

The auction will take place at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers on April 29 at 6.30pm.

This historic necklace, along with other valuable jewels and watches to be auctioned, will be on public display at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers from 2pm on April 27 until 4.30pm on April 29.

Items offered for sale include contemporary jewellery by such famous designers as Margherita Burgener, Wallace Chan, Michele Della Valle, Margherita Ferri, Vicente Gracia, and Michael Youssoufian.

It also includes an emerald and diamond choker with matching earrings designed by Elizabeth Taylor for her House of Taylor jewellery boutique.

Stunning gemstones such as a 17.02 carat sugar-loaf Colombian emerald ring and a 10.80 carat cushion shaped Burmese ruby ring are also included, as well as exquisite limited edition watches by leading watchmakers like Franck Muller and Girard-Perregaux.

‘Rare and beautiful'

The auction's selection of pearls and pearl jewellery is among the most significant on the market.

“For centuries, many of the finest pearls in the world came from the waters of the Arabian Gulf,'' said David Warren, Christie's director of jewellery in the Middle East.

“We are thrilled to bring some of those rare gems back to this region. I looked for some of the most rare and beautiful examples of natural saltwater pearls in the world for this sale.''

Other dazzling pieces on the block include a pinkish orange natural pearl of 241.44 grains (60.36 carats) — the largest known pearl of this colour, second largest round pearl on record and fourteenth largest natural pearl on record.

The collection also includes an exceptional greenish grey drop pearl of 235 grains (58.75 carats), which is the largest grey drop pearl and the sixteenth largest pearl on record.

Also on sale is a four row pearl necklace with a button pearl of 54.38 carats that is the fourth largest button pearl on record, and 217 gem quality pearls perfectly matched and graded in size.

According to Warren there is no official record of important pearls, but Christie's has compiled a unique database of almost 200 of the world's largest and most historic pearls as a reference for evaluation and cataloguing.

“Christie's holds the records for the four most expensive pearls ever sold at auction, as well as records for suites and sets of pearls.

"In 1988 we sold the La Regente Pearl (302 grains) from the French Crown Jewels dating to 1811 for $2,516,000 (Dh9.2 million) making it the most expensive pearl ever sold at auction.

"The Baroda Pearls, a suite of pearl and diamond jewellery that we sold for $7,096,000 (Dh26 million) in 2007, is the world's most expensive natural pearl necklace. We hope this sale will set some new records,'' said Warren.

Dazzling

This antique nine-row pearl necklace with multi-coloured enamel and white stone details, in the style of a traditional Indian Satlada necklace, was created in 1880 and consists of approximately 1,888 pearls.

It was given to singer Um Kalthum by the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and is being offered for sale at Christie's by descendants.

The estimated price of this historic piece is between $80,000 and and $120,000 (between Dh293,600 and Dh440,400).

Blister pearls?

There are two types of natural pearls — blister pearls and gem pearls. A blister pearl is attached to the shell of the mollusc and must be cut free, which results in a blemish, while the rarer and more valuable gem pearl is found free-floating inside the shell.