Centuries of Opulence: Jewels of India
October 13, 2017 – October 12, 2018
Photo: Robert Weldon/GIA, Courtesy of a Private Collection
This Mughal era gold horn pendant features a 125 carat Colombian emerald engraved in Arabic with salutations of peace. Made for a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore, it is set with diamonds, Burmese rubies, emerald beads and pearls.
Exhibit Description
This exhibit features 50 exquisite gemstone jewelry pieces and objects from India on loan from a private collection. Never seen in public, these pieces - including several from the magnificent Mughal Empire (1526–1857) - showcase more than 300 years of adornment from the 17th to the 20th centuries. The exhibit explores the distant sources of the diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and other gems decorating these pieces, their religious and cultural symbolism, the wars fought for them and the historical tradition of gemology in India.
