“Taj Mahal stands in the city of Agra, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, on the banks of the Yamuna River. It was built in the memory of the beautiful Arjumand Bano Begum, who won the heart of a Mughal prince. She was married at 21 to Emperor Jahangir’s third son Prince Khurram and stayed loyally by his side through good times and bad: in the luxurious royal palaces of Agra as well as the transient tents of war camps. In AD 1628, Khurram became king after a bloody battle of succession: he took the name Shahjahan or “King of the World” and showered his beloved begum with the highest titles. She became Mumtaz Mahal, the exalted of the palace and Mumtaz-ul-Zamani, the exalted of the Age. But Mumtaz Mahal was not destined to be queen for long.
In 1631, Shahjahan went on an expedition to the south and, as always, Mumtaz Mahal accompanied him. But she died in childbirth at Burhanpur. She had borne Shahjahan fourteen children, of whom four sons and three daughters survived. When Mumtaz Mahal died, she was just 39 years old. Shahjahan was inconsolable and contemporary chronicles tell of the royal court mourning for two years. there was no music, no feasting, and no celebration of any kind.
Shahjahan, who was a passionate builder, now decided to erect a memorial to his queen in pristine marble that the world would never forget. The site selected for the tomb was a garden by the Yamuna river, unshadowed by any other structure. The site was also chosen because it was located on a bend in the river, and so could be seen from Shahjahan’s personal palace in Agra Fort, further upstream.
This piece was made up of beautiful genuine teardrop shape amethyst cabochon (18x13 mm), 2 charoite rectangles and 2 rare round purple maxican turquoise gemstones surrounded by Higther Metallic Plum Iris, pale whisteria, gold lustered fuchsia, purple metallic iris and bronze Tohos (11 colours in purple and bronze). White and golden freshwater pearls give more texture to the bracelet so as Toho Cubes and Bugles and also 2 silver coloured vintage buttons.
Bracelet measures 1 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches (38 x 220 mm)- with 2 1/2 inch (65 mm) diameter. The foundation and backing is wild plum coloured Toray Ultrasuede. The base is an adjustable brass cuff.
This bracelet was created for the EtsyBeadWeavers (EBW) Team’s February 2011 challenge "Royalty Throughout Time". Please visit our team blog, http://www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com between the 9th and 15th of February and vote for your favorite entry.
