Antique Golconda diamond and sapphire ring

[omnishambles2]

Check out the Sarpechs!

 

[omnishambles2]

Admiral Charles Watson, who as Vice Admiral under Lord Clive oversaw the battle and negotiations preceding Battle of Plassey in 1757 where Mir Jafar, the commander-in-chief turned traitor, betrayed his king, Nawab Siraj ud Daulah and in return the British made Mir Jafar the new Nawab. This brought Bengal, the principal source of Indigo under British control. So that Sarpech with the blue sapphire was a very special gift indeed!

Watson was briefly Governor of Newfoundland in 1748.

 

[gemandjewelrylover]

Hi, omnishambles2,

Wow, how fascinating! That is a lovely sarpech! And a nice history synopsis and photos of Mir Jafar for examples. Thank you!

I had to look up a couple terms: nawab
nʌˈwɑːb/
noun INDIAN historical
1. a native governor during the time of the Mogul empire.
"Nawab Haider Beg"

And had to check on Indigo, I know it's a color, but never thought about it much beyond that. So it's a plant:
1. a tropical plant of the pea family, which was formerly widely cultivated as a source of dark blue dye.
2. the dark blue dye obtained from the indigo plant.

It's so great that these days so much information as at the end of our fingertips. The internet is so great, and so is Pricescope.

I love Bollywood movies, and one of my favorites is Jhodaa Akbar, because I love the historical clothes, the jewelry, and Hrithik Roshan! (Hubba hubba!) You gotta love any time period when guys could wear huge jewelry and look great in it! Here are a couple pictures of some eye candy (two types! ). It's a great historical movie, and 2 hours plus of swoon-worthy jewelry. (I know they are probably all actually movie props, but it doesn't matter......I swoon anyway, just at the thought of all that jewelry. And Hrithik.)

I enjoyed your info, thank you for researching it for us!

 

[chrono]

A treasure trove of information on period jewellery and eye candy. Wow, ILG, I am envious of your pendant. The workmanship and design are fabulous. The colour scheme works so well together too.

 

[ilovegemstones]

Thank you Chrono! It is a really cool pendant to hold under a blacklight - the pattern of the fluorescing rubies is fun in the dark. I get to wear it out max once or twice a year and I have learned to accept that. I like the top half the most because of the plant motif

 

[iota15]

This is fascinating. I never knew this type of jewelry existed. Does anyone else have pieces to show us?

 

[omnishambles2]

Hi ILG- I am new here and just realizing I should check back on posts! I did not expect replies.

Two things:

Your antique pendant: it is a lovely specimen. That sort of jewelry is now called Temple jewellery (British spelling) and is made in high carat versions and in replica versions that performers use int the a South Indian dance forms of Kuchipudi and Bharata Natyam. I will post some pics.

It is so interesting that there is a star ruby in there. I personally did not know of the existence of these beauties until pricescope enlightened me. Curious indian jewellers don't value them as any thing different.

Also your pic shows the pendant - am curious how you wear it. Is it strung on a chain/chains or strand of beads/pearls of any kind?

Jodhaa Akbar-!!!. I confess I spent quite a bit of time and money in seeing it at the movies multiple times. It was good old fashioned Bollywood epic movie making. Check out Mughal-e-Azam and Umrao Jaan

 

[omnishambles2]

Suite of traditional "Temple Jewellery"


Clockwise from top left: Hair ornaments with 'moon' and 'sun' hair brooches; pendant on pearl strings; ear ornaments; bangles; nose ornaments; necklace/choker; waist ornament in the form of a belt; ornaments for upper arms worn above elbow; disc shaped ornament worn at the back of the head.

This is also the traditional set of jewelry for a South Indian bride though some changes in fashion have occurred. It is now common that North Indian brides may leave hair loose but it is still expected that a South Indian bride will have her hair In a braid adorned with flowers and if wealthy then a braid ornament - literally called a gold braid- as well.

 

[omnishambles2]

Yamini Krishnamurthy, a well known dancer in the Bharata Natyam tradition in full regalia including braid ornament.

 

[ilovegemstones]

My background is actually South Indian and I wore the pendant for the wedding and was carried in a basket and all! My sister is a Bharatanatyam dancer (I learned for four years too)and has lots of fake temple jewelry. The pendant was on a really heavy gold chain but I had it melted and am having someone string pearls, tsavorites and red spinel beads to make a necklace for this. If you have any suggestions on this let me know or if you know of a good place to have this work done. I don't want to send the pendant anywhere which makes it hard.
I like how my mom had this pendant strung - the middle pendant is antique and the rest is not. The pearl/ruby dangles were actually earrings I wore as a baby and were on the gold hook wires my ears were pierced with in India (8 months old - ouch!)

 

[omnishambles2]

ILG- that is just a wonderful idea to have your first earrings converted! I'll have to go look for mine!

Am guessing you no longer travel to India? If you do there would the best places to do this. My sister once bought a Polki set in Edison and had the pendant strung on a strand of garnets at a Chinese jewelers in VA. I will find out so you could approach someone similar.

How wonderful that you had a very traditional wedding- my mum was carried in by her uncles in a basket too. I was 27 and thought was not appropriate.

 

[omnishambles2]

ILG- the jewelry used in the movie is all real ie replicas made of real gold, diamonds and gems stones. The jewelry company Tanishq did this for free in return for publicity. They claim that 200 craftsmen worked for nearly 2 years with almost 400 kilos of gold and gemstones. In the wedding scenes Aishwarya Rai, in the role of Jodhaa the Rajput princess was wearing jewelry weighing almost 8 pounds. This also involved a lot of research as while portraits do Akbar and various other male secondary royals and nobles are easy to come by, women of that time were rarely depicted ( and not seen in public) so they had to approximate what the jewelry might have looked like. Tanishq made 13 jewelry ensembles for Jodhaa and 8 for Akbar. Jodhaa'so wedding ensemble included the 12 piece suite expected of a Rajput bride.

This mughal miniature group portrait was painted during the reign of a Shah Jahan (1592-1666) who succeeded his father Jahangir (1529-1626)who succeeded His father Akbar (1542-1605) They are shown along with their prime ministers. So we can get an idea of how the emperor dresses and how his minister did.

Interesting that Indian taste in jewelry had not fundamentally changed since the Mughal times.

 

[txgreeneyes]

[quote="gemandjewelrylover|1392802178|3618438"
I love Bollywood movies, and one of my favorites is Jhodaa Akbar, because I love the historical clothes, the jewelry, and Hrithik Roshan! (Hubba hubba!) You gotta love any time period when guys could wear huge jewelry and look great in it! Here are a couple pictures of some eye candy (two types! ). It's a great historical movie, and 2 hours plus of swoon-worthy jewelry. (I know they are probably all actually movie props, but it doesn't matter......I swoon anyway, just at the thought of all that jewelry. And Hrithik.)
[/quote]

omigosh! He is gorgeous!! And the jewelry too! I may have to watch some Bollywood movies for um.. jewelry research. *wink*

Are any of his on Netflix?

PS. Not sure if I did the quoting thingy right.

 

[omnishambles2]

Please let me know if it is ok to post this image of jewelry by a specific vendor.

The jewelry company that made the Mughal style pieces featured in the movie Jodhaa Akbar later introduced a line of mughal style jewelry. They are all made in real gold and gems and images are easily found of the web. Here is an example:

 

[ilovegemstones]

Gorgeous! We bought my reception set from Tanishq but it is much tinier! I found it really odd that they did not do any work in higher than 18k, at least in the store we went to.

I don't think getting this done in India any time soon will be an option. It will be a few years before I visit. I was talking with Yvonne Raley about restringing but will give it more thought. High karat gold beads would really tie it in.

BTW I was 26 when I got married but the basket thing was fun. My husband is of Canadian/Irish descent and we mostly remember one giant party!

I have never seen that movie but now that I know the gems are real it is on my list! Thanks!

 

[omnishambles2]

If you enjoyed Jodhaa Akbar then you should of course check out Mughal e Azam- from 1960! The future emperor Jehangir rebels against his parents emperor Akbar and Jodha over his love for a courtesan. It is the Gone with the Wind of Indian cinema!

Next up is Umrao Jaan, versions based on an early 20C Urdu language novel about a famous real life courtesan from 19C Lucknow, a princely state in north India. The 1981 version features Rekha as Umrao and 2006 version Aishwarya Rai. Both movies feature fabulous period jewelry especially distinct hair ornaments favored by upper class Muslim women. It is widely rumored that most of the jewelry worn by Rekha was real and her own!!!

 

[gemandjewelrylover]

Hi, Omnishambles2,

ILG- the jewelry used in the movie is all real ie replicas made of real gold, diamonds and gems stones. The jewelry company Tanishq did this for free in return for publicity. They claim that 200 craftsmen worked for nearly 2 years with almost 400 kilos of gold and gemstones.
Wow, that's really interesting and cool to hear that the jewelry in Jodhaa Akbar is all made of real gold and gemstones. When watching the movie, of course everything in it - The clothes, jewelry, and props/sets– look very real and true to life, and that makes the jewelry even more amazing. It's been a while since I watched it, but I'm going to have to watch it again pretty soon.

The examples of the Mughal jewelry that are being currently made are also wonderful. You're a wealth of information on this type of stuff! Thank you for sharing it!

If you enjoyed Jodhaa Akbar then you should of course check out Mughal e Azam- from 1960! The future emperor Jehangir rebels against his parents emperor Akbar and Jodha over his love for a courtesan. It is the Gone with the Wind of Indian cinema!

Next up is Umrao Jaan, versions based on an early 20C Urdu language novel about a famous real life courtesan from 19C Lucknow, a princely state in north India. The 1981 version features Rekha as Umrao and 2006 version Aishwarya Rai.

I've never seen or heard about the two movies you listed there – I will have to look for them. I do like I she want a ride (haha, that's what my dictation translated Ashiwarya Rai to), so I might get the 2006 version.

ILG, your jewelry pieces are gorgeous, and it sounds like your wedding would've been an amazing experience!

omigosh! He is gorgeous!! And the jewelry too! I may have to watch some Bollywood movies for um.. jewelry research. *wink*
Are any of his on Netflix?

Txgreeneyes, i'm not aware that Netflix has many or any Bollywood movies, but I live in Japan, so I don't get next Netflix here. If you can't find it there, you can order it on DVD on Amazon.com, and Bollywood movies usually aren't too expensive. Actually I made a mistake in my previous post, I believe this movie is nearly a three hour movie. But it's such a good movie that would be a good addition to anyone's collection. The only thing is the DVD is on 2 disks so you have to get up in the middle of the movie and change DVDs. That's a bit of a bummer. But it is truly an amazing movie, and there's Eye candy for everyone in it, so I would recommend it. Hrithik Roshan is a big Bollywood star, so you can find a lot of movies with him in it in them, but I would say that Joe dock bar (ha ha, there goes my dictation again, LOL - Jodhaa Akbar) and Dhoom2 are my two favorites. (Dhoom2 is an action movie – international thief versus police – but it's not a historical piece so there's no jewelry to take your breath away. Only Hrithik and awesome dancing, LOL

 

[omnishambles2]

You can get an instant fix of Jodhaa Akbar right away from where else you tube!

Both of them are competent actors and I think did some of their best work in this movie. Most Bollywood actors are not really actors in that they hardly are ever trained. Mostly they come from within the movie industry, sons and daughters of producers, directors and actors. Hritik Roshan's father was an actor and his paternal grandfather was a film music composer and his maternal grandfather was a respected producer. Aishwarya Rai could only break into Bollywood because she was Miss World 1994 and even then she had to first work in South Indian movies first and get a few hits before Bollywood would even offer her a role. Would you believe one of the reasons was that she was considered too dark skinned? She now is considerably lighter skinned than in her days as a model and beauty queen. Whole other story and a sad reflection


http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3dG2FK3_NfQ
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=c1gRxQLjjFo

 

[omnishambles2]

G&JL- thank you I am at that point in life where am reevaluating my stuff and regretting all the impulse buys and trying to figure out what select few pieces I can get that are worth it.
Here are the earrings from two sets of Polki (uncut diamonds) jewelry I own that I most enjoy wearing. They are in the style of the mughal stuff and have been popular India for a while as customers get more bang for their buck and jewelers love them as the settings are very forgiving and also I think allow you to pass off lower quality gems more easily.

The third is a contemporary currently available piece - resin cuff with mughal style ornament for under $100 that I am considering getting.

Incidentally I would welcome any PS'ers commenting on the quality of the CSs in my jewelry.

I will post better pics soon also to include matching pendants.

I will put together a post on Temple jewelry- it seems it is called that because the best examples of that sort of jewelry are now found only in temples on the idols. These jewels are mostly given as gifts to the temple by believers often in return for some wish fulfilled or as a show of status.

 

[gemandjewelrylover]

Hi, omnishambles2,

I love your earrings. They are beautiful, and they must be fun to wear.

You gave a YouTube link to one of my favorite songs in the movie - Khwaja Mere Khwaja. The music and dancing in the whole movie are great, along with everything else.

I just found this clip, set to one of the songs- it gives a nice overview of scenes in the movie, and you can see lots of the stunning jewelry in it too.

http://youtu.be/BtgzWLd6ljg

Just a warning for anyone interested in the movie that there are a couple of battle scenes in the movie that are quite amazing but quite gory. Yes, Txgreeneyes, you can find a lot of clips from the movie on YouTube, to whet your appetite! Hope you find a copy of the movie to watch some way!

 

[chrono]

I am loving this different twist on jewellery in CS. The value of those pieces owned and shown by PSers in this thread are in the age, workmanship and very unique design. Broken down into their individual elements, they aren't worth as much but as a single piece, they hold far more value. Please continue to post your ethnic beauties.

 

[omnishambles2]

G&JL- thank you! I do love them as they are pieces I bought on my own and entirely to my taste.

Jodhaa Akbar- i think the part of the movie that work best is the large middle section where it is unashamedly what it really is- boy meets girl, fall in love, difficulties, resolution, happily ever ever, the end!!!! Tho in this case being 16C and India, boy and girl meet at their wedding then fall in love

 

[omnishambles2]

Chrono- thank you!! It is funny I find myself posting on CS threads and on traditional jewelry when the entire reason I found, lurk around and sock away information is that I want more than anything is a nice pair of diamond studs & add jackets to them

 

[omnishambles2]

Re: Antique Golconda diamond and sapphire ring a

Temple Jewelry - so called because the best surviving examples are held by Hindu temples and pieces once donated are never modified to fit any change in fashion. These pieces are the real thing-'made by the best jewelers with the best materials available. Due to their age the rubies are all Burma rubies, the diamonds Golkonda and emeralds from Columbia.

Here is a pic of a set of ceremonial idols that are taken out and paraded on floats on festivals and holy days. It is very like catholic floats on feast days. These idols are elaborately and extravagantly dressed in the best silk sarees and jewels. You can see a very nice collection of emerald and gold jewelry. Over centuries the most visited temples would have acquired so much jewelry that priests can deck out the idols in all Emerald or all ruby suites.

 

[chrono]

Given the importance and monetary value of these items, how are they stored and guarded for safe-keeping?

 

[omnishambles2]

Chrono- you raise a fascinating question that brings up a very peculiar intersection of religion, history, democracy and the modern Indian state.

Below link- while not the complete, article gives you an idea of the fascinating issues that come up.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/04/30/120430fa_fact_halpern

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/29/us-india-gold-temples-idUSBRE98S0H320130929

Different states in India have their own ways of handling the temple management. In many north Indian states the temples are managed by hereditary officials and priests. In my home state there is a department of the state government called the Endowments department which sends off a rotating set of officers to run various individual temples. Temples have executive boards composed of the chief priest, local luminaries including local politicians and the Endowments officer is the Executive Officer who keeps an eye on things and serves the role in ceremonial occasions and rituals that was previously performed by the local hereditary ruler. This is why by tradition an EO is always a married Hindu male. Appointments to such positions in major temples are highly sought after- something like a catholic luminary hoping to be sent as Ambassador to the Vatican.

The Reuters link is referring to the fact that not all jewelry donated to the temple is grand. Smaller items are melted by some temples like the one in Tirupathi ( the idols above are from this temple) and sold as souvenir coins or deposited in banks. Temples also receive a lot of cash donations small and large which is why the EO and a board are needed to audit and keep the books. Popular temples like Tirupathi are like a large corporation, and when well run do a lot to maintain their own facilities and distribute funds to help smaller less visited temples. Tirupathi also sends these temples surplus jewelry for their idols!

As for security, temples like Tirupathi are heavily guarded, more these days due to potential terrorist attacks rather than theft. On festival days and New Year, Tirupathi has a few million visitors, all waiting in line patiently in a large " queue complex" with rest rooms etc. a panic of any sort in such a location is unimaginable! Guards, cameras & alarms apart, temples reply on the basic sense of taboo of stealing from a temple. Smaller temples do suffer thefts, both of jewelry and the idols which are highly coveted by western collectors. When a main idol equivalent to the alter piece is stolen that temple is by tradition considered deconsecrated and it is very sad that these collectors do not care that they are contributing to the destruction of centuries old tradition.

 

[omnishambles2]

Chrono, here is a link that more directly answers your question!

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101111/jsp/frontpage/story_13163852.jsp

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2010-09-04/news/27619107_1_insurance-experts-ttd-jewellery

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101111/jsp/frontpage/story_13163852.jsp

As you noted, a lot of this jewelry is very valuable due to historic significance.

I think I will conclude this side trip to Hindu temples and jewelry with this post. After a point it is like discussing the value of the Sistine Chapel! I think of more interest would be regional styles of jewelry in various parts of India. I hope that will encourage some PSers to post their stuff.

One last image showing a different idol, this one sporting a Sarpech- the thing that got me posting! The principal deity of a temple is treated as a king (or queen if the temple is dedicated to a goddess) so naturally there would be a Sarpech or two in their collection

 

[gemandjewelrylover]

G&JL- thank you! I do love them as they are pieces I bought on my own and entirely to my taste.

Jodhaa Akbar- i think the part of the movie that work best is the large middle section where it is unashamedly what it really is- boy meets girl, fall in love, difficulties, resolution, happily ever ever, the end!!!! Tho in this case being 16C and India, boy and girl meet at their wedding then fall in love

.

OS2, thank you for all of your fascinating posts and photos! It makes me want to go back to India and go jewelry shopping! Lol
I love history and jewelry, so historical jewelry is heaven.

Thanks for your posts, too Chrono! And anyone else who chimed in.

 

[omnishambles2]

G&JL - Jodhaa Akbar: what a wedding! Emperor marries princess.

 

[omnishambles2]

And while we are at it here are the real life wedding pics of the actors. As one can see from these pics ( and the 2 versions of Umrao Jaan separated by 3 decades) there is way more bling now. Oh and the princeling of Bollywood is sporting a Sarpech!

Now India no longer has hereditary titles, any one who fancies a Sarpech can get one within their budget. After all in Indian weddings the Groom is a prince for the day!