Diamond exhibition displays rare and antique pieces
Diamond exhibition displays rare and antique pieces
By Rita A. Widiadana
JAKARTA (JP): "When subjected under intense female heat, a
male will usually produce a diamond."
This theory was one entry in a contest on theory making
published in Reader's Digest.
Despite its mocking tone, it reflects the special place
diamonds hold in the hearts of many women. It is said that the
stone is a woman's "best friend".
Since ancient times, these glittering gemstones have been
thought of as a symbol of power and eternity.
In Indian and China, diamonds are considered to have strong
magical powers that protect the owners from any evil spirits. The
Greeks believe that diamonds embody eternal power. It is also
regarded as a sign of an endless love.
For Indonesians, diamonds are closely associated with power
and social status. In the past, only royal members and their
immediate families were allowed to wear diamond jewelry. Today,
nobody but the rich can afford them.
Traders first brought diamonds to Indonesia about 300 years
ago. Until the emergence of the Islamic kingdoms in Indonesia
between the 16th and 17th centuries, diamonds were rarely
discovered on the islands. Prior to this period, royal jewelry
was made from gemstones like rubies and sapphires.
In the 15th century, a French trader, Jean Baptiste Taver,
happened upon a diamond mine in Martapura during his exploration
of the hinterland of Kalimantan. The diamond was being processed
by a very simple technique by the island's native people.
Heritage
To increase Indonesians' appreciation of their heritage, the
National Museum, in cooperation with the Diamond Information
Center and the Indonesian Handicraft Design Development Council,
have organized a special exhibition called Khasanah Berlian
Indonesia, the Indonesian diamond treasure. It will run until
Feb. 12.
The exhibition was opened with a lavish party on Jan. 27.
Several noted models paraded various glittering bracelets,
necklaces and rings in front of hundreds of people.
The exhibition itself displays more than fifty rare pieces of
diamond and gold jewelry collected by the museum as well as a
number of items from individual collections.
The jewelry once belonged to royal families from Sumatra,
Java, Bali, Madura, Kalimantan and West and East Nusa Tenggara.
It was formerly worn at important events and each piece has its
own story.
A pair of diamond rings, belonging to the Puri Cakranegara of
the kingdom of Lombok, were once displayed at the Leiden Museum
in the Netherlands. The jewelry and some other pieces were taken
to the Netherlands after Dutch colonial troops successfully
defeated the kingdom. The Leiden Museum management repatriated
the jewelry to Indonesia as a special gift for the National
Museum's 200th anniversary in 1986.
The exhibition also features a beautiful sirih (betel) box as
part of the treasure devolving from a prominent noble family in
the Minangkabau, an ethnic clan in West Sumatra. This gold
container, adorned with diamonds, was used to store pinang nut or
lime, tobacco, sirih leaves and a variety of spices. The sirih
box was given to the National Museum in l930.
According to the book, Court Arts of Indonesia, the
preparation and serving of sirih was an important hospitality
ceremony throughout the islands and accompanied other important
rituals and celebrations.
This precious gold betel box was mainly used by the
Minangkabau court family during wedding ceremonies. A sirih box
was often made from a local design and, as such, this box may
offer a fairly comprehensive vocabulary of regional styles and
designs.
It is unknown whether the floral decoration on the box is
connected with any particular symbols. But it may demonstrate
the bounteousness of court hospitality and the meticulous
craftsmanship stimulated by courtly patronage.
A number of kacip (pinang nut crackers) made of gold, iron and
diamonds are also on display. The Kacip was an essential
accessory in preparing the sirih, since the pinang nut (betel
from the areca palm) had to be cracked to be mixed with other
ingredients.
This tool was created in various forms and designs. The kacip
from Lombok was made in the form of twalen (Semar in wayang kulit
- shadow puppet - plays), who is symbol of good fortune. Balinese
kacip look like horses.
Another interesting object is a 19th century gold and diamond
opium pipe, also from a Lombok royal family. It is exquisitely
crafted with a frog ornament with diamonds and rubies. The pipe
might have been part of the Lombok treasure captured when the
Dutch forces took over the Puri (palace) Cakranegara in l894.
The Cupu (covered container) for lime is another eye-catching
antique made of pure gold and ornamented with diamonds. It was
produced in the 19th Century for Palembang (South Sumatra)
royalty. This covered box is elaborately designed and has
circular motifs. Palembang is famous for woodcarving, gold work
and making textiles with a rich supplementary weft of gold
threads.
Nanny Budiman of the Diamond Information Center explained that
the exhibition is mainly intended to thoroughly study the
development of diamond jewelry in Indonesia.
To provide the public with the latest information on diamonds,
the organizing committee will also hold a seminar on diamond
processing techniques and the history of diamonds at the museum
on Thursday, Feb. 9. (The talk will be in Indonesian.)
"Diamond manufacturing is developing very rapidly around the
world. Indonesia should therefore up-grade its diamond industry,"
Nanny said.
"We should be proud that our ancestors already possessed such
skillful craftsmanship in creating gold and diamond jewelry. It
is our duty to improve it," she concluded.