Hyderabad, the heart of Deccan Plateau and the capital city of Telangana has earned the sobriquet of ‘Pearl City’ from a long time due to its association with the lucrative trade of pearls and various forms of pearl jewellery. The lustre of pearls makes this one of the most-sought after jewels.

Legacy of Pearls in Hyderabad

Pearl trading was greatly encouraged by the Nizams and the Qutb Shahi rulers who are believed to have a lot of affinity for the sparkling jewel. The kings and queens adorned pearls on their robes and even crushed the pearls and applied it topically to enhancing their physical beauty.

The wealthy life style led by the royals also resulted in the influx of craftsman from all over the world who were widely engaged in making quality pearl jewellery. Many families had migrated from Basra in Persia to Hyderabad centuries ago.

Hyderabad is considered as the largest trading centre for pearls in India. Localities like PattherGaati and Laad bazaar are some of the old commercial areas of twin cities where pearls are traded. There are some pearl stores here which are more than a century old. Most of the pearls in Hyderabad are considered to be of good quality since it involves in-house manufacture while the designs are popular due to the incorporation of the inputs as well as trends from customers.

Process of Making Pearl Jewellery

Quality pearls are procured from various sources and these pearls are drilled, followed by boiling for about four days for bleaching them and getting rid of the dark color.

The pearls are then placed in glass bottles that are filled with hydrogen peroxide, water and also ether. Following this, they are kept for five days in glass sun boxes that consist of mirror base.

Finally the pearls are washed and graded based on different shapes, colours and sizes. Usually pink pearls and black pearls are considered to be of good quality while white pearls are traditionally popular. The village of Chandanpet near Hyderabad is considered special since almost the entire population here is engaged in the delicate and stunning art of drilling pearls.

Pearl Varieties in Hyderabad

For those who intend to buy quality pearl jewellery, Hyderabad is the right destination to shop. The Nawabi city is a one-stop destination for some of the rare, luminescent, and soft and tear drop pearls of all sizes, hues and forms. There are necklaces, pearl pendants, multi-strand bracelets, pearl cluster rings, single pearl rings, earrings, brooches, stud earrings, cufflinks, as well as tie tacks and many more items made with Pearls.

There are pearl ornaments available in a profusion of excellent and stunning shapes and designs. Right from the tiny variety of rice pearls to the precious Basra,which is a rare variety, the city is known for unparalleledrange.Pearls from here are exported to overseas markets due to the popularity and the skill of the artisans involved in the making of exquisite pearl-based jewellery.