NORTH INDIA, LATE 19TH CENTURY

This necklace is unusual because, rather than being enamelled on the reverse, it is inlaid with a full set of precious gemstones as on the front, giving the wearer the option of choosing which colour they would like to wear. Multi-strand necklaces such as this were also made by Cartier for Indian clients in the early 19th century. Other examples might have seven or even nine strands, as on a remarkable example which was given to Umm Kulthum by Shaykh Zayed ibn Sultan al-Nahyan, which sold Christie's New York, 29 April 2008, lot 147, and is now in the Louvre Abu Dhabi.