PEARL DIVING CULTURE

Famous pearls PEARL DIVING STORAGE AND SALES AL ZAIBAL This rope had an extension of 36 metres. The captain stored the pearls in a wooden chest onboard. Pearls The quest to find the wealth of the ocean Mar Sep were sorted with scales, graded sieves and magnifying glasses, weighed with counterweights made from agate, and valued according to Size, weight, lustre and colour. Oct Feb НАЈAR THE PEARL OF LAO TZE Nov The Pearl of Lao Tze (formerly known as Pearl of Allah) has an uneven shape and dull surface, but İs valued at $35 million due to its enormous size - 24cm in diameter and a weight of 6.40 kilograms. Weight of approximate 5kg is attached to this rope. Jan Dec PEARLING SEASONS No diving O Great diving O Late season: AI Rudaidah season: Cold diving Ghaus Al Kabir season: Ghaus Al Bard The UAE's round and smooth pearls have been associated with wealth, beauty and glamour across millennia and cultures The process of pearl diving BODY SUIT Boats used in UAE for pearling P Diving commenced about an hour after sunrise, and continued until sunset, except for prayers, and a short rest at midday. The singer coordinated rhythmical chants to ease their rigorous tasks. A cotton bodysuit was used to guard their bodies against jellyfish. Many divers would substitute the restrictive bodysuit in favour of a cloth wrapped around the waist. earls are referenced in the Quran, the New Testament, and various Hindu scrip- tures. The uniqueness and almost universal appeal of pearls are best explained by two facts: they are the only gems produced by living or- ganisms, and they need no cutting or polishing. In the Arabian Gulf, pearls are held in particularly high esteem because of their vital role. For LA PEREGRINA (The pilgrim) This pearl is one of the world's most celebrated and historical pearls. After its discovery in the Gulf of Panama in the 16th century, King Phillip II of Spain gave the pearl to Queen Mary I. It has also been owned in turn by Spanish and British royalty, and Napolean Bonaparte. In 1969, actor Richard Burton gave the 50.96 carat pear-shaped pearl to his wife, Elizabeth Taylor, who had Cartier reset it with diamonds and rubies. In 2011, Christie's auctioned this necklace for a hammer price of $11 million. Each diver worked in tandem with a hauler. Finally, the pearls were presented on red cloth that best displayed their lustre for trading. BAQARAH STRATEGY Based on preference and experience, a pearling boat would either anchor at one bank for the All trading was done in Indian rupees and all units of measurement and scales were in Hindi. SAMBUK SHU'AI many centuries before the discovery of oil, pearl diving was an important occupa- tion and the mainstay of local economies. entire season, or move from bank to bank. AL QALTA The diver used this rope attached to one of the oars while preparing himself to hold his breath before any descent. PROCEEDS The warm waters of the Gulf produced highly prized, colourful pearls with incred- ible lustre and luminosity, • Typically, the biggest share of the sale was given to the captain, and a larger share to divers over haulers. Once on the surface, the diver rested for 5 minutes and dived again until he had completed 10 dives called Ughuma. Each dive İs called Taba. AL AIDA E This rope was attached to the pearling basket, serving as a lifeline between the diver and the hauler. Some money was put aside to finance the preparations for the following year. and local merchants traded them with their counterparts from afar, often in barter for other goods like wood. While accumulated wealth through the industry, for many others, it was the only means of livelihood. Al- though there are no records when this valuable resource was first harvested, pearls have been found in local ex- cavations at archaeological sites dating back 7,000 years. For the people of the UAE and before that, the Trucial States – pearling was a major if seasonal form of employ- ment. Some men engaged in pearling would return home to tend to date gardens in in- land oases and herd camels DIYYIN m ITI The basket was used to collect the molluscs. • In a pearl cooperative, members shared all proceeds according to prior arrangements. some great • If an entrepreneur had funded the dive, he got the lion's share before the rest was divided among the crew. AL ZAIBAL A The diver tied this G rope around his waist for a quick descent to the seabed. Apart from annual repairs, every pearling boat had to be readied by rubbing surfaces with fats and oil to protect it from seawater. All boats under the authority of a local ruler departed together for the season. Typically, they also returned to port together, approximately 120 days later. Short trips were sometimes made to nearby ports for replenishing food and fresh water. JALBOOT AL AIDA E НОРЕ РЕARL When ready to surface, the diver simply tugged this secondary rope, and was pulled up by the hauler. The exquisite saltwater pearl, Hope Pearl, was found early in the 19th century, and weighs about 90 grams. The 450 carat pearl is uniquely coloured, grading from a dark bronze to white. Named after former owner Henry Hope, it is housed in the British Museum of The diver wore a nose clip of bone or wood called Ftam. PEARL FISHERS GHAWAWIS On average, a diver performed КНАВТ 50 dives per day. Leather finger protectors were used by the divers to avoid any harm to their hands by pointed rocks or coral. The normal complement of crew was 18 to 20 men - although large boats could accommodate up to 100 between seasons, but for most it was a full-time occupation. In the economically de- pressed emirates of the early 1900s, pearl diving was an important source of revenue. More than 1,200 boats car- ried over 20,000 men for each annual pearling season. This business collapsed in the 1920s with the invention of Once the diver reached the seabed, he freed himself from the AlZzibal and this rope was pulled up by the hauler. He was expected to collect 20 oysters on each dive. Natural History in London. cultured pearls, which com- bined with the global depres- sion of the 1930s to destroy the Gulf's pearling industry, causing great hardship which was only alleviated with the arrival of the oil companies in the 1950s. At the bottom, the diver had 3 minutes approx. to collect oysters and place them in the pearling basket. APPRENTICE САРTAIN NUKHADA CAPTAIN'S ASSISTANT MIJADIMI DIVER GHAIS HAULER SAIB SINGER NAHHAM СООK JALLAS WALAID Seabed depths varied between 7 to 30m. Captains led their boats to the pearl banks and supervised the sales on their vessels at temporary markets or established trade centres. Boys were inducted as assistants at the age of 9 and allowed to dive when they turned 12. Retirement was at around 50 years. All about pearls Warm-coloured pearls include reds, oranges and yellows As a defensive mechanism the mollusc encapsulates the intruder into layers of a secreted substance called nacre (NAY-kur). HOW PEARLS ARE FORMED NATURAL SHAPES MEASURING PEARLS PEARL COLOURS Cool-coloured pearls span the purples, blues and greens Pearls are formed when a parasite works its way into the soft body of an oyster, mussel or clam, causing them irritation. In jewellery, pearls are described in siİzes like 5 to 5.5 millimetres or 8 to 9 millimetres, and in a strand, each pearl falls between these measurements. 00000000 The natural colour of a pearl is the result of several factors – the breed and diet of the mollusc that Pearls are measured in millimetres through their diameter. Round Nearly round Drop or oval After a few years, the intruder is naturally converted into a lustrous and smooth pearl. Men have managed to reproduce this process by manually inserting an intrusive tissue into the molluscs, resulting in less precious cultured pearls. produces it, the temperature and conditions of the water, and the type of irritant that stimulates pearl Reddish Purplish purple Violet Purple Blue Greenish blue 9-10 8-9 4-5 red 7-8 m 6-7 Green blue red mm m mm mm Blue orange Bluish Although they may look white or black, pearls are neither colour, and are classified by hues and tinges that vary from purple to yellow. creation. green Green green yellow Pearls shown in real scale Button Ringed or circle Baroque Yellowish green Greenish yellow 76 AN AMAZING NATION An illustrated story of the 45 years of the UAE 77 Jul May | Маy Jun Aug Apr