This year has been big on jewellery moments. While all the IT-girls brought in their A-game with vintage and archival pieces, there were moments when we saw jewellery pieces that were stunningly museum-worthy. Indian philanthropist and businesswoman Nita Ambani's jewellery collection that we saw this year, had all of us in awe.
She brought out some jaw-dropping jewellery for the wedding of her son, Anant Ambani, with Radhika Merchant. But it was this jewellery piece, dating back to the Mughal Era, that really grabbed eyeballs. The wife of billionaire business tycoon Mukesh Ambani wore it for the 71st Miss World Finals.
She wore a bajuband (armband), which was once a sarpech or kalgi—an ornament for the turban—that belonged to the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Well, that makes it proper old, dating back to the 17th century! According to the Instagram handle @topophilia.india, this piece was last seen publicly as part of the Al Thani Collection before being sold at auction in 2019.
“While the headpiece in its current form seems to have been made in the last quarter of the 19th century (c.1875-1900), the highlights are the two inscribed spinels. Their age, if the inscriptions are of the time, reads: ‘12 / Shah Jahan ibn Jahangir Shah / 1049.
’ The date in the Islamic calendar corresponds to the 17th century (1639-40). These two separate spinels, possibly dynastic jewels, were added onto one piece in the 19th century to create this sarpech. Makes one wonder which Indian Pri.
