umm kulthoum

Diva's Pearls Go For Over $1 Million

Filed under: Jewelry

You may never have heard of Umm Kulthoum but she's famous in the Arab world. In her day she was at least as popular as Marie Callas. She died over three decades ago and one of her prized jewels was just auctioned off for $1.38 million in Dubai by Christie's. The nine-strand necklace is made up of 1,888 pearls and brought in more than 10 times its $120,000 estimate. The reason for the high price is the immense sentimental value, it was her favorite piece, given to her by the late president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The necklace had remained in Kulthoum's family and was auctioned by her descendants.

[Thanks, Lana]

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Tags: dubai, expire-images2009-5-2, necklace, pearls, umm kulthoum