Pearl show at Dubai Jewellery Week

Dubai International Jewellery Week 2008 is all set to celebrate the humble pearl that gave the city its first taste of prosperity. Scheduled between November 11 and 15, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, the event will showcase a new range of chocolate-coloured Tahiti pearl ornaments, including bracelets, necklaces and pendants, embedded with diamonds, gems and jade. Europearls – a leading pearl company and the Chinese-based Fine Pearl Jewellery Co. Ltd. will display their products at the exhibition. Last year, Dubai saw gold and diamond jewellery sales rise by 15 and 47 per cent respectively. In fact, with transactions worth 14 per cent of the world’s total jewellery sales, Dubai is often known as the ‘The City of Gold’. But interestingly, the desert city was never built on gold. Pearling was the main source of income for people of the Arabian Gulf in 19th and early 20th centuries. However, the industry received a major blow with the Japanese invention of the cultured pearl. Pearling ceased after the Second World War, when independent India imposed heavy tax on pearls imported from the Gulf. Today however, the pearl has witnessed a resurgence, shedding its old-fashioned image and has become bolder than ever. Pearl jewellery does not merely represent the traditional white pearl necklace. In fact, its popularity stems from its versatility in colours, shapes and textures. The Dubai International Jewellery Week is all set to delight pearl lovers and win over sceptics who think pearls are only worn by grandmothers.