The storied wealth amassed under the 200-year reign of Hyderabad's Nizams naturally called forth a precious-jewellery industry. From the year 1724, when the Mughal governor Asaf Jah titled himself Nizam al-Mulk and established his rule over central India's Deccan plateau, until 1948, when the Nizam VII Osman Ali Khan's authority was forcibly superseded by the Indian Army, untold quantities of gems and pearls passed through the Hyderabad's jewel shops on Patthargatti Road. Under the Nizams there was always peace and always a strong demand for gems. The mines close to the Golconda fort gave the world the Hope and Kohinoor diamonds, now in the Smithsonian Institution and the British coronation crown respectively. Diamonds aplenty there once were, but it is pearls that have, over time, left the boldest mark on Hyderabadi culture and trade, and today it is the city's pearl dealers who are champions of the jewellery market.
Once retrieved from the fastness of the sea, pearls in historic days reached India in two ways: from the Gulf of Mannar in Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka) via the south Indian city of Madurai, and from the Arabian Gulf via the port of Goa. Then, the finest quality pearls were said to be Ceylonese; they were uniformly white, and they were rare. Today, Ceylonese pearls are unknown in Hyderabad, but the slightly yellowish ones from the Arabian Gulf, known as Basra pearls, are readily available both in newly restrung necklaces and in precious old settings. In Patthargatti's shops—some open to the hot city breeze, others crisply air-conditioned—the pearls most commonly sold today are the freshwater variety from China. Emeralds and rubies aside, however, Hyderabad does seem an odd city to be at the top of the pearl trade. The ocean is some 325 kilometers distant, and, commercially speaking, the city is a relative backwater compared to booming Mumbai and Bangalore. But any expert will tell you that Hyderabad's commercial position is due to "the high quality and low cost of labor." A visit to his processing centre confirms that behind almost every door in Patthargatti there are pearl sorters, drillers and stringers, each with hundreds of years of family experience.
So, after our brief trip to Charminar, Muzzafar took Tim and me to a jewelry store. I have always wanted to own a nice pearl necklace. And Tim needed to buy some to placate his wife because he's been gone 6 weeks! Muzzafar knew just the place, a store called Swati. I swear, I only intended to buy one single-stranded pearl necklace and I didn't want to spend more than $100. I have never really cared much for jewelry so I figured it would be easy.
I seriously underestimated the power of jewelry over a woman.
After over an hour of hard bargaining with the owner, I walked out of Swati a thoroughly satisfied customer. For less than his original asking price of the single-pearl necklace with the hanging diamond (pictured below), I got that necklace plus a double-strand of pearls plus a pair of earrings. Oh my gosh!!!! I am so happy!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment