BizBahrain Magazine Nov-Dec 2017

Interview | Al Hashimi Pearls
Vijay Shah
Al Hashimi Pearls
PRESERVING
BAHRAIN’S
PEARL LEGACY
The Arabian Gulf and Bahrain have long been associated with one of nature's
most beautiful and precious phenomena: the pearl. It is said that no other
place on earth has brought forth as many precious pearls as the waters of
the Gulf, and in no other country has it played as important and rewarding a
role in the lives of the people and their culture. The oyster banks north of the islands
of Bahrain are considered the breeding ground where the most refined pearls in the
world were formed in abundance, making it the centre of the pearling economy. At
the peak of the pearling years during the 19th and early 20th century, Bahrain’s fame
and reputation as a pearling hub was well-known globally. It is not surprising that a
century later the historical value of Bahraini pearls still hold pride of place.
Talking to Sultan Sharabaty and Reena Abraham, Vijay Shah of Al Hashimi Pearls,
one of Bahrain’s best-known pearl jewelers, recounts the glory days and what it is
that makes him a custodian of that heritage.
80 November-December 2017