A new exhibition, “Centuries of Opulence: Jewels of India”, showcases 50 historical jewelry pieces and objects spanning jewelry designed between the 17th century and the 20th century. The exhibition debuts on October 13 at the Gemological Institute of America’s (GIA) world headquarters in Carlsbad, California, and will run until the end of March 2018. The pieces exhibited are on loan from a private collection.
Terri Ottaway, curator of the GIA museum, is quoted in Gem Konnect as saying: “We are thrilled to be able to exhibit this spectacular historical jewellery. The wealth of gems in each piece gives us a tantalizing look at the lavishness of the royal courts of India from centuries past”.
The exhibition explores “the routes diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and other gems decorating these pieces took from their sources across the globe. It delves into their religious and cultural symbolism, the wars fought for them and the historical tradition of gemmology in India”.
