A pearl-drop earring worn by Charles I at his execution in 1649, magnificent pearl tiaras worn by European nobility and a necklace of cultured pearls given to Marilyn Monroe by Joe DiMaggio in 1954 will be among the array of jewels and other objects that will be on display in an exhibition that will be held at London’s V&A (Victoria & Albert Museum) in partnership with the Qatar Museums Authority (QMA).
The exhibition, Pearls, will start on September 21 this year and continue until January 19, 2014. It will explore the history of pearls from the early Roman Empire to the present and will be the highlight event of the Qatar UK 2013 Year of Culture.
On display will be over 200 pieces of jewellery and works of art showcasing the variety of colour and shape of natural and cultured pearls. The exhibition will examine how pearls have been employed over centuries in both the East and the West as a symbol of status and wealth, how tastes vary in different cultures and the changing designs of jewellery with pearls.
The creations will be drawn from the V&A and QMA collections, alongside objects from British collections such as Tate Britain, the British Museum and the Royal Collection.
The exhibition will begin with an insight into the natural history of pearls and the pearl fishing trade from across the Arabian Gulf to Europe and Asia, since antiquity. A collection of rare pearls and pearl-bearing molluscs will demonstrate how Gulf pearls have for long been some of the most desirable and valuable in the world.
Pearls is co-curated by independent jewellery historian and curator Beatriz Chadour-Sampson and Hubert Bari, director of the Pearl and Jewellery Museum at the QMA.
The exhibition will be a highlight of the Qatar UK 2013 Year of Culture, which aims to forge new partnerships in education, sports, creative industries and science, while promoting an awareness and appreciation of each other’s culture, achievements and heritage.