group of traditional performers enact a welcome ceremony offered to pearl divers on their return

 

The year was 1917. Pearl diving was the main feature of life in Dubai and the other Gulf states.

Some sources suggest that in the Bombay market, a gram of fine Gulf pearls may have had the same value as 320 grams of gold or 7.7 kg of silver that year.

Fast forward to the 1940s. Around 80,000 men earned their living from the pearling trade, on which a huge part of the GDP came.

At one point, the so-called “Trucial States” had 1,200 pearling dhows -- around 335 were from Dubai.

By the 1960s, cultured pearls (first introduced in 1921) have wiped out Dubai’s pearl industry as the oil industry kicked in.

Now, a new project - Pearls of Arabia - has been announced to revive Dubai’s status as a pearling capital with a new pearl-themed destination at The World Islands.

In an official launch ceremony in “England”, one of the 300 man-made islands 10 minutes by ferry off Jumeirah Beach Hotel, the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) unveiled an ambitious plan for “Pearls of Arabia” as an offshore entertainment, retail and educational centre.

The project is the first stage of Dubai’s plan to cement the emirate’s status as a centre for the global pearl trade, said Ahmed Sultan bin Sulayem, executive chairman of DMCC, who inaugurated the project.

“Less than a century ago, pearling was the very lifeblood of Arabia, accounting for some 80,000 jobs in the UAE alone and representing 95 per cent of the country’s total revenues,” said bin Sulayem at the project’s launch.

Pearls of Arabia will be located at the 6,000 square-metre Antarctica at The World Islands, where an “Experience Centre” and pearl-themed cultural and heritage centre, a performing arts theatre, an exhibition gallery and a themed restaurant will be built alongside boutiques.

In cooperation with Paspaley Pearling Co Pty Ltd., one of the world’s most prominent south sea pearl companies, the destination will also invite leading names in the pearl industry.

Visitors will be ferried to The World, transporting them across the man-made archipelago when facility opens in 2010.

“It’s very fitting that people of Dubai again are thinking about pearls,” said Nicholas Paspaley, executive chairman of Paspaley Pearling Co Pty Ltd.

“Historically, Dubai served as the world’s hub in the trade of fine-quality natural pearls. Now, almost 100 years later, we are delighted to collaborate with DMCC to revitalise the region’s traditional association with pearls,” Paspaley added.

Gaiti Rabbani, executive director, Coloured Stones and Pearls, DMCC, said: “Pearls represent a unique partnership between man and nature, and the pearl story is a beautiful one just waiting to be told.

“For thousands of years, armed only with their knowledge of the sea and stars, men have braved the perils of the oceans in search of such perfection. Here in Dubai, until not very long ago, pear divers plunged into the depths of the ocean, surfacing with fistfuls of oysters and high hopes of buried treasure as part of daily routine.”

DMCC seeks to develop the global and regional pearl market focusing on trading, grading, trade events and auctions alongside trade and consumer education.

The Pearls of Arabia project represents just one component of Dubai’s comprehensive Pearl Strategy.

The Dubai Pearl Exchange creates opportunities for the international pearl trade by providing an exclusive trading platform and a facilitated free-trade environment for regional and international pearl traders.

DMCC seeks the introduction of a uniform certification for pearls, based on globally recognised quality parameters.

This certification would be developed in conjunction with the world’s leading gem certification bodies to raise confidence in the pearl trade both international and in Dubai.

Certificates issued from the emirate would have the official imprimatur of the Government of Dubai, and in time, the Dubai name may once again be recognized as the hallmark of pearl quality.


Dubai jewellery market

• There are more than 850 jewellery outlets in Dubai – at the malls, Gold Souq, High Streets sold by independent and chain outlets
• Dubai’s jewellery market has a total estimated size of $3 billion (annual turnover in gold approximately 106 tonnes and $800 in diamonds)
• 90 per cent of tourists buy some sort of jewelly when they visit Dubai
• Dubai has the highest per capita jewellery sales in the world averaging approximately $2,500.