Historian and scion of the famous Cartier family, Francesca Cartier Brickell, has concluded a trip to Bahrain during which she was hosted by the Bahrain Institute for Pearls and Gemstones (Danat). 

 

The visit was made over a century since her great-grandfather, Jacques Cartier, first came to the island in the early 20th century. 

 

Danat organised a comprehensive programme for Cartier Brickell’s visit to Bahrain. The tour included her attendance at Danat’s stand at the Jewellery Arabia Exhibition, during which she attended a book signing for her new book, The Cartiers, which chronicles the history of her family and its role in the jewellery trade.  Citizens and residents were in high demand for this book, and some of them went to the exhibition particularly to purchase it. 

 

She also gave a lecture that received great interaction from the visitors of the exhibition, who listened to aspects of the family connection found by Jacques Cartier, in the Arabian Gulf region and Bahrain in particular, and a number of evidence, stories and photographs that date and document that stage. 

 

Cartier Brickell’s itinerary also included a visit to Muharraq Governorate and the diving and natural pearl extraction areas. She learned about the developments that have occurred in the field of pearl extraction and trade during the past one hundred years. She was also able to examine the Bahrain’s role in reviving and preserving this invaluable and historic enterprise thanks to the Danat Institute and other relevant parties, and she also took part in a diving tour. 

 

Under the coordination of Danat, and on the occasion of the visit, a memorial photo was taken of Cartier Brickell yesterday in the same position in which her grandfather, Cartier, sat during his visit to Bahrain in 1912, about 110 years ago, and next to her are the grandchildren of those who appeared in the previous photo with Jacques Cartier. 

 

The CEO of the Danat Institute, Noora Jamsheer, noted that the visit of Cartier Brickell to Bahrain was a resounding success which has raised the profile of Bahrain’s pearl trade and its continued efforts in reviving the natural pearl sector. 

 

“The visit helped us to recall and reflect upon Bahrain's rich history concerning pearl extraction and trade through linking the present with the past. The Cartier family have played an important role in converging artisanship with gemstone procurement, resulting in the finest jewelry in the world,” stated Jamsheer. 

 

For her part, Layal Boushahri, Director of Marketing and Communications at Danat, stressed Danat's continued desire to undertake further international friendship building initiatives as part of its mission to revive the pearl sector in Bahrain – and enhance the sector’s contribution to the national economy. -TradeArabia News Service