Starting in the trade in 1980, the royal
and luxurious nature of pearls drew Vijay
Shah towards the industry and motivated
him towards pursuing a career as a pearl
merchant, and eventually setting up his
shop in the heart of Bahrain, in the old
Manama gold souq. Prior to setting up
his business, Vijay enrolled in the GIA
Academy to get a firm understanding
of not only the value of precious gems –
especially pearls – but also to learn how
to grade the gems to find out which are of
the highest of quality. Upon his return he
set up the business and quickly became
associated with the title of the one of the
Kingdom’s most prestigious jewellers.
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APRIL - MAY 2017
Handpicking the pearls himself, Vijay
says each and every pearl is selected
and used as per the standards set by the
industry to ensure their pieces deliver upon
clients’ expectations. The precious stones
acquired come from across the globe and
much like the pearls, the stones are also of
only the finest quality. Brining diamonds
from Belgium, emeralds from Zambia, and
rubies from Burma, and the pearls from
Bahrain, each and every jewellery item
created at Al Hashimi Pearls is exquisite,
unique, and nothing short of dazzling.
As the tradition of pearling often
follows, the younger generation inherit the
trade from the one before, and that is no
different for Vijay Shah and his children,
as they too are involved in evolving and
expanding the business. His son, Hardik
Shah, manages the operations, as daughter,
Ishita Shah, is the creative behind the
stunning designs at Al Hashimi Pearls.
From traditional Bahraini pieces adorned
by brides on weddings to smaller and
simpler pendants or a single-pearl sown
into a white gold chain, each and every
piece of jewellery at Al Hashimi Pearls is
made using the finest of pearls. From the
perfectly round Jiwan (or G1) pearls to the
irregular baroque pearls in various colours,