Date: 19th Feb to 5th May 2019
Venue: National Museum, Delhi

Fashion designers and connoisseurs of jewellery are making a beeline for National Museum these days to view the “Jewels of India: The Nizam’s Jewellery Collection”.

To give a brief background, the Golconda Fort of Hyderabad is a well-known tourist destination. But the Golconda region is also famous for its diamond mines. The Nizams of Hyderabad were connoisseurs of jewellery and the gemstone and pearl trades of the city flourished under their patronage. The personal collection of the Nizams is perhaps the largest and most expensive assortment of gems and jewellery in India. The Government of India purchased these jewels from the last Nizam’s trust in the year 1995. The jewels remain in RBI’s custody in Mumbai and are occasionally displayed at various museums.

Jewels of Nizams are presently on display at the National Museum, New Delhi. It is a collection of 173 items. The items on display are ornaments studded with diamonds, pearls, rubies and emeralds. The ornaments in the forms of necklaces, chokers, belts, broaches and pins on turbans, armlets, bracelets bangles and anklets and rings and earrings, mesmerize not only in terms of the precious stones, but also the exquisite design and craftsmanship. We saw this stunning pendant with a large diamond in the centre surrounded by small diamonds with two diamond parrots with ruby beaks perched on the top. We also noted an affinity for the diamond – emerald combination in most pieces. Given the hot summer in that region, the calm green of the emerald, coupled with the white shine of diamond, is definitely succor for sore eyes.

The show stopper of this exhibition has to be the Jacob Diamond. This notorious diamond is apparently the seventh largest in the world. This brilliant rocking, shining from all sides, is kept in a separate case at the centre of the hall.

Early photographs of the Nizam’s families, clad in all the finery and ornaments are also on display.

The exhibition is on till 5^th May, 2019 10 am to 6 pm in a high security zone at the museum. One is not allowed to carry bags inside this hall. It is a separate ticket of Rs. 50 and one can click only on mobile cameras. The jewels here are not just instances of an opulent lifestyle; it shows the pinnacle of craftsmanship creativity and artistry achieved in India. To that end, “Jewels of India: The Nizam’s Jewellery Collection” is a must view for all. One can easily couple this with a general visit to the forever interesting National Museum.