By the 1600s, the Portuguese had established territory on the southern coast of India; Portuguese Estado da India. The geographical position of the Portuguese colony was crucial to creating a monopoly of trade routes for the gem trade, as gems mostly came from the surrounding countries.Hofmeester, Karin, and Bernd-Stefan Grewe, eds. Luxury in Global Perspective: Objects and Practices, 1600–2000. Studies in Comparative World History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016. doi:10.1017/9781316257913. Goa became the capital of this colony and established a general consul that employed many goldsmiths from the area to create jewellery. By the turn of the sixteenth century, Goa was the largest gems market in Asia. Due to their luxury and holy properties, gems and precious stones were revered in the area, as was gold.Bycroft, Dupré, Bycroft, Michael, and Dupré, Sven. Gems in the Early Modern World : Materials, Knowledge and Global Trade, 1450-1800, 2019.
Gold, with its glowing characteristic, has been associated with the divine, and has been venerated continuously by various cultures. In Europe, gold adorned the halls of palaces and decorated the bodies of royalty and the church.Corrigan, Campen, Diercks, Blyberg, Corrigan, Karina, Campen, Jan van, Diercks, Femke, Blyberg, Janet C, and Peabody Essex Museum, organizer, host institution. Asia in Amsterdam : the Culture of Luxury in the Golden Age, 2015. During the European expansion of the 1500s, the colonies acquired by Europe were monumental in obtaining this material. In Hindu mythology, gold is a material of the gods. Throughout Indian history, it was seen as a representation of the gods on Earth and a protective metal capable of love, affection, and reverence. Grewe, Bernd-Stefan. “Gold in Twentieth-Century India: A Luxury?” In Luxury in Global Perspective, 91–115. Cambridge University Press, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316257913.004.
Rock crystal was often used as a talisman for protection against evil. Rock crystal is also frequently identified with water in the form of ice, as many Europeans thought that rock crystal was a solidified form of ice.Bycroft, Dupré, Bycroft, Michael, and Dupré, Sven. Gems in the Early Modern World : Materials, Knowledge and Global Trade, 1450-1800, 2019. Rubies represented blood, the fluidity of life itself. In Hindu traditional astrological belief, whoever wore rubies had blessings from the Hindu sun god Surya. The fascinating rubies in the Makara pendant are balais, for their purple-ish color. They were more revered than darker red ones due to their transparency and association with water.Bycroft, Dupré, Bycroft, Michael, and Dupré, Sven. Gems in the Early Modern World : Materials, Knowledge and Global Trade, 1450-1800, 2019.
Representing the sky and water, sapphires were also called “blue crystals”. Shani, a personification of Saturn and Krishna, the eighth reincarnation of the supreme Hindu god Vishnu, would bless the wearer with longevity, discipline, wisdom, and experience. In addition, sapphires would protect from evil eyes and melancholy, which could impact naval officers during their voyages.Bycroft, Dupré, Bycroft, Michael, and Dupré, Sven. Gems in the Early Modern World : Materials, Knowledge and Global Trade, 1450-1800, 2019.
The Makara pendant’s materials all have historical importance and belong to planes of realities that are not of this earth – yet they come from it.Note>Stronge, Susan. The Jewels of India. Bombay: Marg Publications, 1995. They were representations of daily struggles, interactions, and relationships. They often gave the wearer qualities beyond those of the earthly realm.
The earth brought forth these materials, and through them, formed the essence of this Makara Pendant.