The Royal Gem
Masters in the craft of creating exceptional pearl laden jewellery pieces, Al
Hashimi Pearls pays an ode to The Kingdom’s oldest and richest trade
BY ANAAM IKRAM
P
Vijay Shah (second from left) with his family at 2016 Bahrain
Jewellery Arabia Exhibition
earl trading in Bahrain can be dated
back to 2000BC being referred to as
“fish eyes” according to the Assyrian
texts based off the Kingdom’s ancient
name, “Dilmun”. The trade marked the
country’s identity as the hub for the highest
quality natural pearls. Attracting pearl
merchants, collectors, and jewellers from
Paris to India, Bahrain’s history is encrusted
with pearls as the trade is synonymous with
not only the country’s image to the world,
but also its culture – an imminent factor that
separates Bahrain from the rest of the GCC.
For most of those still part of the pearling
industry, they were born into the trade, the
older generation passing on the business to
the newer one and continuing to build upon
the foundations laid by their forefathers;
renowned jeweller Vijay Shah’s fascination
with pearls and the industry as a whole
brought him to the Kingdom from India in
1983, and inspired him to set up his business
as Al Hashimi Pearls, becoming one of the
country’s most recognised pearl jewellers.
APRIL - MAY 2017
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