Important Notice

A hinged necklace comprising of a crescent-shaped pierced work gold plaque, centring table-cut colourless sapphires in a flower-head design bordered by a row of pearls on the upper and lower edge, suspending a similarly set crescent with a fringe of pearls and emerald cabochons, mounted in gold.


Gross weight: 151.1 grams

Provenance:
Formerly in the collection of the Princely Family of Uttar Pradesh
Circa 1930s

HASLI

Hasli comes from hansuli, the Hindi word for the collarbone on which this neckpiece rests. Variations of the hasli can be found across north India and can be conical or cylindrical in shape. Lot 54 is unlike the typical hasli since it has intricate decoration and is covered with colourless sapphires, pearls, and emeralds.

Jewellery scholar and expert Oppi Untracht observed that such pieces were worn by wives of wealthy landowners and merchants as a way of distinguishing themselves from those of lesser financial means. The hasli, thus, was a symbol of their power and status in society.

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