The proliferation of wealth currently
being amassed by hedge fund
managers has resulted in a display of
opulent living that harkens back to
the days of the wealthy industrialists at the turn
of the century. But even before the robber barons
or, more recently, the Internet millionaires
and hedge fund managers of today, the
Maharajas of India’s royal families had
untold wealth and riches. Most
notably, the Maharajas of Baroda
were known to have wealth
of mythical proportions that
included legendary jewels.
The desire of the Maharajas
to acquire flawless pearls for
their crown jewels seemed
limitless. In the 19th century,
one such collector was Khande
Rao Gaekwar, the Maharaja
of Baroda, whose collection of
state jewels was unsurpassed at that
time. This famed necklace, referred
to as the Baroda Pearls, came to be a
prized possession of the royal family.
It was considered to be one of the most
important pieces in their collection and its
luminous pearls, originally designed to include
seven strands, represented the wealth and power
of the Gaekwars.
Many decades later, in 1943, the Baroda
Maharaja Pratapsingh Rao (r.1939-1947) made
headlines when he left his wife to marry a 26-
year-old woman who was married to another
man. Sita Devi, the new Maharani, had converted to Islam and then back again to Hindu in order
to marry the Maharaja, and she became known
by the media as the “Indian Wallis Simpson.” She
went on to become one of the most flamboyant
Maharanis in history and was known for her lavish
taste, strong personality and passion for jewelry.
When she married the Maharaja she received
many jewels from the Baroda Royal Treasury
dating back to the Mughal times including the
Baroda Pearls. It is unclear as to when the necklace
was refashioned into the two-strand necklace that
we know today,
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Maharani Sita Devi wore the full seven-strand
necklace in 1947, so the necklace was
reconfigured some time after that date.
Sita Devi left India and moved to Europe
where she eventually divorced the Maharaja.
Many of the exquisite jewels that she had been
given by the Maharaja were sold; however, the Baroda Pearls were known to have remained
as part of the Baroda Royal Treasury. In 1971,
Indira Ghandi abolished the titles and privileges
of Indian princes and many of the Indian royals
moved to Europe. There is no way of knowing
which jewels from the Baroda Royal
Treasury were sold privately when the
era of the Maharajas finally came
to an end; however, the Baroda
Pearls mysteriously surfaced
early this year when it was
announced that an anonymous
seller decided to offer them in
Christie’s April 25th auction of
Magnificent Jewelry.
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The pearls that make up the
two strands are documented as
being selected from the fourth,
fifth, sixth and seventh rows of
the original seven-strand necklace.
All sixty-eight radiating pearls
measuring from approximately 9.47
to 16.04 mm were impeccably matched
in color, luster, size and shape and were
joined by an exquisite cushion-cut
diamond clasp mounted by Cartier.
A pearl necklace of such exceptional
quality and provenance will likely never again
be seen on the open market. The history of
this necklace involves many mysteries. For one,
who is the Asian collector who acquired the
necklace in the Christie’s sale? Keep a look
out, Washingtonians! |
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