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Auction: 25001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 520

An extremely rare trial Collar Chain of the Order of Unity of the United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates, Order of Unity, 2nd Type, Collar Chain, trial, silver-gilt with paste stones; breast Star, trial, silver-gilt and enamel with paste stones, both pieces by Spink & Son, some toning, one roundel with slightly loose centre, otherwise very fine, extremely rare and likely unique trial pieces (2)

Spink XRF testing on the collar chain detected:
Ag 82.81%
Au 10.42%
Cu 5.27%

The Order of Unity was originally created to be the United Arab Emirates' highest civil honour, but was subsequently superseded in precedence by the Order of Zayed.

The collar chain of the Order of Unity consists of fourteen links, with the largest central medallion in the shape of a seven-pointed star, representing the seven Emirates, with each ray containing either an emerald or ruby (in the case of this trial piece, all paste stones). The centre of the star features the falcon emblem of the U.A.E. encircled by a wreath of green laurel leaves, which is in turn encircled a ring of diamonds.

The rearmost centre link features a traditional fort which is surrounded by a ring of diamonds beyond which are ten emeralds set within the heptagonal rays of the roundel.

Within an issued set, the remaining fourteen roundels each contain a symbol of the history, culture, or values of the U.A.E. along with inset stones. For this trial piece, only the foremost two sets of roundels contain images and stones. The front pair, which are slightly larger than the rest, feature a dallah - a traditional coffee pot - surrounded by diamonds and ten rubies. The dallah roundel to the right is slightly loose on this trial. The next pair of roundels contain a date palm tree, an important tree in the heritage of the nation. The palms are encircled by a ring of diamonds and ten emeralds, of which two are missing on the left roundel.

The breast Star features a central traditional Islamic star design containing red and green enamel tiles, referencing the colours of the U.A.E. flag. The star is made up of seven points and the tip of each holds a diamond. The rays of the star are separated from the central medallion by a ring of diamonds.

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Estimate
£3,000 to £5,000

Starting price
£2700