The Origin of Quality

Transcription

1 The Origin of Quality

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3 The Origin of Quality Van Gelder Indian Jewellery in collaboration with the Netherlands Gemmological Laboratory

4 2 Contents 3 Introduction by Noëlle Viguurs - van Gelder 5 Introduction by Dr. Hanco Zwaan FGA 7 Pendant, Pankhi 8 Hair ornament, Chhoti 12 Necklace 14 Necklace, Guttapusal 16 Turban ornament 20 Pendant 22 Ring 26 Baju Bands 28 Turban ornament, Turrah 32 Ear ornaments, Toti 34 Head ornament, Radoki 36 Wedding ornament, Nimboli Panch Mania 40 Baju Bands 42 Ear pendants, Karn Phul Jumkha 46 Turban Jewel, Sarpatti 48 Card case 52 Colophon 55

5 Introduction 5 It is with great pleasure that we present this fourth catalogue, The Origin of Quality by Van Gelder Indian Jewellery. This edition is devoted to the origin of our extensive collection of traditional Indian Jewellery as we strive to reconnect concepts of beauty and quality. Additionally, we hope to successfully convey a little bit of the magic around traditional Indian Jewellery that has enchanted us for so many years. During our travels, as we collected extraordinary pieces of traditional Indian jewelry, we have learnt to listen to the heart. Parallel to our passion for true beauty, is thorough art historical reference and research. Combined, these two factors give us a trained eye for quality. Bernadette van Gelder, our mother and founder of Van Gelder Indian Jewellery, always taught us to not only look at these treasures but to also touch them. Touch it, wear it and more importantly, feel and learn to recognize quality! We cannot quite remember how many pieces have passed through our hands but 20 years of working in the wonderful world of traditional Indian Jewelry has given us the confidence to rely on our experience. We consider it our duty to continue developing our knowledge and expertise in this area. For this reason, four years ago, we decided to extend our research methods to that of independent, scientific assessment. Dr. J. C. Zwaan of The Netherlands Gemological Laboratory Leiden, has helped us in this regard and we are so pleased that we may consider such an experienced and qualified industry professional as a partner. One of the research methods that is applied, is microphotography. And this advanced technology has exposed a whole new world to us. Just as is often the case in life, there is so much more than meets the eye. Microphotography allows us to take a look into the deepest origin of each gem. Inside, in that spacelike landscape, originated millions of years ago under immense heat and pressure, we are able to look into the core of every sparkle and luster. They are forces of nature, materialized into a colorful and impressive spectacle. The essence of each gem is revealed, as we look into the Origin of Quality! Today, every item sold by Van Gelder Indian Jewellery is accompanied by a full art historical ánd independent gemological scientific report, in doing so we are able to add to the knowledge and appreciation that both the current and future owner hold of each piece. Through our collaboration with The Netherlands Gemological Laboratory Leiden we had the opportunity to see and admire these visions of history, and so we feel it is only fitting to share these powerful images with you. Despite our best efforts, this catalogue only scrapes the surface when it comes to revealing the fascinating nature of our jewelry collection. We hope you will find our collection as inspiring as we do and that you will enjoy looking through these windows of gem origin and history. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. J.C. Zwaan and his team at The Netherlands Gemological Laboratory Leiden, for their cooperation, for sharing their knowledge and expertise, and for their enthusiastic perseverance in repeatedly clarifying complex matters to us. Thanks also go out to our team for all their hard work, dedication and for never losing their sense of humor. Last but not least, we would like to express gratitude to our mother, Bernadette van Gelder, for the many life lessons she has taught us. One of which was to never compromise on quality. From this, we benefit to this very day. On behalf of Van Gelder Indian Jewellery, Noëlle Viguurs - van Gelder

6 6 Introduction 7 It has been a great pleasure for me to be involved in the making of this book. I know the Van Gelder family for many years; they are not only passionate about original jewellery created in India, they are also dedicated to deliver the best quality and foremost, they want to do the right thing. Therefore, it came to me as a privilege to help them with interpreting what can be seen in gemstones and what can be learned from it. The jewels that are presented are unique and beautiful in their own right and are there to thoroughly appreciate and enjoy. Looking at the gemstones, the inclusions that are present in it are particularly interesting. The microphotographs that are presented in this book reveal the inner beauty of the gemstones that are present in the individual pieces of jewellery. Inclusions were photographed under different lighting conditions, in some cases with help of various filters, to enhance their appearance and stress their importance. I hope this book will contribute to an even higher appreciation of the pieces presented here. Dr. Hanco Zwaan FGA Gemstones are rare minerals that are beautiful and durable and were formed under rare circumstances during the Earth s history. Inclusions are small features within gemstones, which may reveal secrets of the unique processes in the Earth that created these gems and the long history they have had before they were found. They usually consist of minerals or fluids that were captured during the formation of the gem. Although inclusions can be extremely small and not easily spotted with either the naked eye or with the help of a loupe, they are often extremely important in confirming the authenticity of gemstones.

7 8 9 Pendant, Pankhi North India, Andhra Pradesh, early 20 th century Gold Pankhi, fan-shaped pendant set with blue sapphire vishnupada or pagalia in the center, surrounded by nine triangular, parab cut diamonds. The pendant has two suspension loops on top and a smaller loop below and shows at the front and at the reverse a gold stylish carved garland. Two feet for worship are called pagalia. The feet on this pendant must have been inspired by the vishnupada symbol and commissioned by Krishna devotees. Krishna is the eight incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Feet worship is known in Jainism too, but it is never worn as an ornament. Gaya, a city in Bihar, has a famous Hindu temple, built in 1787 and dedicated to Lord Vishnu, called Vishnu Mandir, marked by circa 40cm long footprints, vishnupada, imprinted in solid rock and surrounded by a silver plated basin. Parab cut is a flat tabletop and bottom and irregularly facets on the side. Diamond with olivine Inclusion This olivine inclusion in one of the diamonds reflects the environment in which diamond could originally form: deep down in the Earth, at least 120 km under the Earth s surface, in the lithospheric mantle, where an extreme pressure exceeds 60,000 atmospheres, high enough to convert carbon into a diamond structure. At any other depth, at lower pressure, graphite would form out of carbon, instead of diamond. Real width of image: 0.7 mm

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9 12 13 Hair ornament, Chhoti North India, 19 th century Gold Choti or Chunti, consisting of one large and three smaller dome-shaped ornaments, kundan set with flat-cut diamonds and cabochon rubies, decorated with strings of pearls with tiny gold bead finials. Choti is a hair ornament which is suspended from the end of a woman s braid.

10 14 15 Necklace India, Jaipur or Nathdvara, 19 th century A necklace consisting of nine gold enamelled fan-shaped pendants, Pankhi, strung on a fine cord spaced by four gold and enamelled spacers. This necklace was worn by the pilgrims of Shrinathji. Depicted on the middle centre large pendant, outside pendants and the rectangular pendants is Shrinathji on one side of each pendant surrounded by a circular scalloped box in translucent red enamel. Surrounding these are bird and floral designs in red, blue, green and white enamel. On the other side of these pendants is the vishnupada (feet of Lord Vishnu). The feet are adorned with auspicious symbols known from ancient times in the subcontinent. The blue enamel on the side of the vishnupada represents the primordial waters. The remaining three pendants have floral designs. The pendants have alternately suspended rubies and garnets.

11 16 17 Necklace, Guttapusal India, Andhra Pradesh, probably Hyderabad, late 18 th century Elaborate gold guttapusal necklace, made up of a series of eighty-three open, tubular elements, each set with a cabochon ruby or emerald and a natural pearl on top, alternated on either side with seven petal-shaped decoration and each set with a single diamond, ruby or emerald. On either side of the center pendant is an ovalshaped element attached to the double tubular pendant, each set with a single diamond bordered with cabochon rubies and crowned with three natural pearls. Suspended form it, a petal-shaped pendant set with a cabochon ruby and irregular pearls. Three floret decorations are attached to the pendants on either side of the ovalshaped elements. The largest pendant at the center has four cabochon rubies and four diamonds set around a center diamond and also crowned with three pearls. Suspended form it, a single diamond and irregular pearls. All pendants have irregular pearls hang in clusters on gold wire. All double tubular elements are strung on a woven gold wire necklace with a triangular gold screw-post clasp. Emerald with tourmaline crystal inclusion Emerald and tourmaline often occur together in the same type of magmatic rock, called pegmatite. Both contain light and small elements that could not be incorporated in other common minerals, but were put into these gems at the latest stage of magmatism. In this light coloured emerald, a tourmaline crystal is included, and serves to confirm the authenticity of this gemstone. Real width of image: 3.7 mm

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13 20 Turban ornament North India, West Bengal, turn of the 19 th/ 20 th century Elaborate gold and silver turban ornament, composed of an open worked gold cast, slightly curved in a pear-shaped form. A large pear-shaped rose-cut diamond kundan set in a raised collet, is bordered by a thin line of tiny cabochon pyrope garnets. The central diamond is surrounded by seven smaller leaf-shaped rose-cut diamonds and one horizontal oval-shaped diamond below, all kundan set in the same raised collets. On either side of the jewel and below the oval-shaped diamond are all together four tiny cabochon pyrope garnets. The gold jewel is bordered with a silver raised lower section, set with thirteen pear-shaped rose-cut diamonds. The silver front part is covered by a gold plate at the reverse. Gold suspension loops on either side for cords or chains to run through to be tight to the turban. The reverse is undecorated.

14 22 23 Pendant India, Punjab, Lahore, late 19 th century The front of the pendant is kundan set with large beryl on foil. The beryl is carved and embellished with a floral theme outlined in gold. A suspended double pendant with a crescent, representing h lal, new moon and a smaller representing m rhab, niche in the center of the mosque, is attached to the large pendant. On either side three smaller pendants, of which two have the form of a khamsa, good luck hand of Fatimah, daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad by his first wife Khadija bint Khuwaylid, the other four again the m rhab. Attached to all seven lower pendants are gold wired pearls with tiny green glass beads. The pendant is hung from two strands of seed pearls with on either side six small khamsa -shaped pendants with gold wired seed pearls and tiny green glass beads. The reverse of the pendant shows an embossed floral design in gold. Rock crystal with water and carbon dioxide inclusion Transparent, colourless crystals of quartz, named Rock Crystal, are usually formed in fractures or open spaces in rocks, a few kilometers below the Earth s surface. When hot water entered those spaces and cooled down, crystals could slowly grow, including fluids as inclusions. This inclusion essentially contains water and carbon dioxide (gas bubble), and was included millions of years ago. Real width of image: 1.4 mm

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16 26 27 Ring North India, Rajasthan, Bikaner, 19 th century Gold ring, kundan set with seven polka, rose cut diamonds to form a rosette bordered with pearls, the band is decorated with multi colored enamel in a floral motif. Most probably, this ring was part of a hathphul, hand ornament, which is an elaborate jewel for the hand, hath, comprising of four finger rings and an arsi thumb ring, each linked by a chain to a center piece, phul, decorating the back of the hand and is attached to a wristlet.

17 28 29 Baju Bands North India, Rajasthan, Bikaner, circa 1900 Pair of gold armlets, Baju Band, kundan set with irregular size flat cut diamonds. The reverse is enameled in the champlevé technique with red and blue flowers, green leaves forming arabesques with red, green, gold and blue enameled birds on a white opaque enamel ground, known as safed chalwan. The bird theme, the peacock in the center with a green enameled wide spread tail, the five petals flower and the color use of the enamel show the Bikaneri School. Bazu of Baju bands are armlets of silver or gold studded with precious stones. The shape follows the natural curvature of the upper arm. During the heydays of Mughal time, just one large spinel, ruby, emerald bead or large pearl, was tied on both upper arms. Cords and attached pearl tassels are contemporary. Diamond with sulphide inclusion Sulphides are used to date the formation of diamonds. Analysis of minute quantities of Rhenium and Osmium, elements that are present in sulphide inclusions, revealed that most diamonds were formed deep down in the Earth s mantle between 3 and 1 billion years ago. It was only due to explosive volcanism that occurred much later (roughly between 300 and 65 million years ago) that diamonds were quickly brought to the surface and eventually discovered by man. Real width of image: 1.4 mm

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19 32 33 Turban ornament, Turrah India, Rajasthan, Jaipur, 19 th century Gold turrah, turban ornament in the form of a bird, identified as a parrot toti or gili, with a long tapering tail comprising at the inside of red enameled poppy flowers and green enameled leaves on an opaque white enamel ground, known as safed chalwan. The outer side of the tail shows green sabz zamin enamel and a border band of light blue enamel. Both wings and the upper part of the tail are kundan set with diamonds. On either side of the bird s head are two detachable stylised flowers with red lal zamin enamel at the reverse, each kundan set with five irregular parab cut (flat table and faceted on the side) diamonds. The red enameled head holds diamond set eyes, a ruff set with diamonds and a yellow enameled beak. From its beak hangs a red enameled and diamond set gold dome-shape jhumka, with a row of pearls and tiny green enameled gold beads. Attached to the jhumka are nine strands of pearls, each strand with a tiny ruby bead on top and one above the tassel. The original gold and silver wire tassels, zari work, is suspended. The turrah is among the different styles of jeweled ornaments, worn on top of the turban a little towards the right with the tail forced into the turban folds and the pearl tassels hanging freely in the air.

20 34 Ear ornaments, Toti India, Gujarat, Kutch, 18 th century A precious pair of gold ear ornaments, Toti or Karnphul (flower), with a gently convex shaped front plate kundan set with an intricate design of a floral arrangement of irregular size of polka or rose cut diamonds, foiled channel or talpain set rubies and cabochon foiled emeralds. The outer edges are decorated with a rim of pearls and gold beads. The toti has a large plug at the back for the lobe, a screw with an attached back plate keeps the ornament in place. These type of ear ornaments were originally worn by men only, in the present day, Toti are worn by women as well and are also seen in silver set with glass, rock crystal and other minerals on colored foil.

21 36 37 Head ornament, Rakodi India, Tamil Nadu, early 19 th century An open worked gilded silver crescent shaped head ornament, Rakodi, comprising of different floral arrangements of kundan set cabochon rubies also known in Southern India as kuruvincam stones, irregular size rose cut diamonds and green foiled beryl. A semicircular decoration of gold beads on the edge of the radoki ending on both sides with a pearl and a center pearl. The gilded silver is worked in a method known in South India as izhuppubelai, where the metal is etched and the stones set in the base. This jewel, symbolizes the moon, is worn by women at the back of the head as a part of a head ornament, talaisaman. Ruby with rutile needles Nests of rutile needles are a hallmark of a genuine ruby, and formed at the same time ruby grew as a crystal. The needles are exactly aligned along well-defined internal crystallographic directions of the ruby, creating a regular network, reflecting light in various colours. Real width of image: 0.7 mm

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23 40 Wedding ornament, Nimboli Panch Mania India, Andhra Pradesh, Hydrabad / Karnataka (Mysore), 19 th century A traditional gold wedding ornament, nimboli panch mania (meaning five gems), consisting of a rectangular pendant, with five rosettes, kundan set with foiled rock crystal, rimmed with small pearls, and suspended a fringe of gold collets, kundan set with foiled rock crystal, emerald beads, pearls and green enamelled beads. Hung from a heavy gold chain embellished with gold rosettes With the invasion of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1687, the affluent and powerful Deccan area came under the rule of his governors, being the Nizams. In the 17 th century, the majority of Andhra comes under British rule and the Nizams of Hyderabad obtain British support. In 1801 the English dominate Southern India, installing The Madras Presidency. In the 19 th century Indians demand separation. By the end of the 19 th century, the wealth of the Maharajas of Mysore was only second to that of the Nizam of Hyderabad. With Hyderabad as capital of Andhra Pradesh, ruled by its illustrious Nizams, and the nearby Golconda mines, a typical characteristic for jewellery from Andhra Pradesh is its abundant use of fringes or clusters of pearls. A nimboli panch mania is presented to a bride as an auspicious gift.

24 42 43 Baju Bands India, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, 19 th century Pair of square gold baju bands, kundan set with precious stones according to the navaratna arrangement, clockwise: white sapphire, emerald, diamond, pearl, coral, hessonite, blue sapphire, cat s eye and in the center a cabochon ruby. A gold wire cord on either side is attached to a flower shaped hinge, kundan set with diamonds and emeralds. Sabz zamin, vegetable green, enamel decorates the reverse with some touches of light blue enamel. Hindu cosmology conceives of the universe as containing seven planets and two personifications of the moon cycle, all designated as celestial deities. The importance of these deities to the field of Indian Jewellery involves the particular gemstones associated with each of them. Their traditional arrangement combined in a jewel is called Navaratna or Nauratan. Nava means nine and ratna means stone. Jewellery set with the nine auspicious gems of the nava ratna were worn as amulet, nauratan, and intended to protect the wearer from negative planetary influences. Baju bands are worn on the upper arm. Sapphire with negative crystals Spectacular features that may be encountered in sapphires, especially in those from Sri Lanka: so-called negative crystals on the left, which have the geometry of a rough sapphire crystal but are empty inside, and intricate networks of interconnected tubes filled with fluid. These networks are the result of the healing of a previously present fissure, during the crystal growth of sapphire. Real width of image: 3.7 mm

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26 46 47 Ear pendants, Karn Phul Jumkha North India, early 20 th century A pair of gold ear pendants, karn phul jumkha, the top in the form of an open worked peacock, set with diamonds and a rim of pearls. They are hung from mathapatti, the decorative chain with which they were fastened to the hair. The peacock holds an emerald bead from its beak. Suspended from this a dome shape pendant, set with diamonds, and hung with pearls and blue glass beads and one emerald bead. The reverse of the tops is decorated with multi-colour enamel, Safed Chalwan.

27 48 49 Turban Jewel, Sarpatti India, Rajasthan, Jaipur, 19 th century The turban ornament comprises three openwork hinged panes, kundan set with irregular size foiled table cut and flat cut diamonds and cabochon rubies. The center part forms a rosette, set with a single parab, cut diamond bordered with a circle of cabochon rubies. The center rosette is surrounded by small curving leafy sprays, bordered by a vertical band on either side, kundan set with cabochon rubies. The triangular side parts have three drop shaped parab cut foiled diamonds surrounded by a single band of cabochon rubies and sprays with kundan set foiled diamonds. Ruby and tourmaline beads are suspended form the jewel. The reverse of the turban ornament shows beautiful champlevé enamel, the two side panels are decorated with red flowers, green leaves, powder blue accents on an opaque white ground, known as safed chalwan. The central panel shows clearly the gold ground with traces of opaque white, red, green and powder blue enamel, as well as the carved floral design. Sarpatti ornaments were often of oval shape and worn in combination with a sarpech, feather shape top part of the turban jewel. This type of a turban decoration was very popular in Mughal India from about Parab cut diamond has a flat table top and bottom and irregularly facets on the side. Tourmaline with apatite inclusion This inclusion of the mineral apatite in one of the tourmalines, is practically invisible in normal light. However, it stands out magnificently when the tourmaline is placed in between polarizing filters, providing hidden proof of authenticity of this tourmaline. Real width of image: 1.4 mm

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29 52 53 Card case India, Jaipur, 19 th century A gold and enameled card case of rectangular form, the hinged top opening and clicking shut by means of a spring device activated by a knob pressed in on one side, decorated overall with dense floral and bird designs in polychrome enamels against the gold ground. On the front of the case is a roundel within which a peacock stand with magnificent open tail and spread wings amidst red flowers and green leaves on a gold ground. The roundel is framed by a border of scrolling blue tendrils against a gold ground. Four peacocks stand in a paradisiacal garden of variegated flowers and leaves that forms the surround, one in each corner with wings and tail as yet unfurled. On the reverse is a dodecahedron containing a pair of adorned green birds flanking a large seven leaved flower and below them, a pair of confronted blue birds pecking at a trefoil flower. The two pairs of birds are surrounded by blossoms and leaves. In the surrounding area outside the dodecahedron are further dense clusters of flowers and leaves punctuated by buds and fruits, amidst which a total of twelve birds wander and flutter amidst the grounds.

30 54 Colophon 55 Van Gelder Indian Jewellery Nachtegaalslaantje LE s-hertogenbosch The Netherlands Tel: 0031 (0) info@vangelderjewellery.com Editor, text and research Van Gelder Indian Jewellery in collaboration with the Netherlands Gemmological Laboratory, Dr. Hanco Zwaan FGA Photography Nine Creative Agency Concept and design Oranje boven, s-hertogenbosch Print Drukkerij Tielen, Boxtel 2016 Van Gelder Indian Jewellery, The Netherlands

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