We are diving right back into a friend’s jewellery collection and today we are getting to lay eyes on some stunning rubies:
Indian Vintage Jewellery, Rubies, Diamonds and Silver
The earrings were a wedding gift from her aunt and are so beautifully adorned with rubies and diamonds. They are modern pieces but they design goes very far back in time. The style is north Indian, and men often wear this teardrop-shaped jewellery on their hats as an emblem.
Indian Vintage Jewellery, Rubies, Diamonds and Silver, Earring and Necklace with tassles
It is common for rich Indian families to sell off parts of their jewellery collections when their finances get a bit shaky and there are specific shops around that buy these pieces. My friend bought the necklace above from one of these shops – which also sold lots of beautiful antiques – when she was visiting Jaipur. Once you buy your jewellery they will polish it and bring it to you, so hers was delivered to her when she was at The Oberoi Rajvilas, in Rajastahn (oh do check out the link – you will want to visit India in a heartbeat !). The story is just so romantic; she was wearing a sari and having a sophisticated martini with her husband, when the shopkeeper came up to her and brought out a box of rubies. There were ten or so people in the bar and everyone went silent and stopped to stare. Pretty sure she must have felt like an Indian princess!
Apparently these rubies are not as expensive as Burmese rubies, which is why you can buy such a vast amount of them. Her darling husband has promised her one new string of rubies every time they visit India – awww!
The necklace has a very typical Indian adjustable string and consists of approximately 400 carats of rubies
You can find the rest of the Your Secret Jewellery Collection-posts here.
Decades of Elegance 