DUBAI // At Dh22 million and at more than 5km in length, the emirate can now lay claim to the world’s longest handmade gold chain.
More than 100 people worked 10-hour days for weeks to make the four million individual segments of the 22-carat gold, 5.52km-long chain that set a new Guinness World Record on Monday.
The Dubai Celebration Chain, which weighs in at 256kg, forms the centrepiece of celebrations organised by the Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group to mark the 20th anniversary of Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) this year.
“It was a painstaking task but we have completed it and we are very proud to add another world record to Dubai,” said Chandu Siroya, managing director of Siroya Jewellers.
The scale of the task was immense, with more than 100 people working the long hours for 45 days to meet the January 5 deadline.
However, it was not without its challenges and problems, with the original die casting meaning the chains kept breaking before a solution was found by using 21 die casts.
“It really is a beautiful chain and I encourage people to go along and take a look at it over the next few days,” Mr Siroya said.
Despite the challenge, it is not the first time that he has been involved with a successful world record.
In 1999, in celebrations that were also part of DSF, the jewellery boss helped to created the world’s longest machine-made gold chain at a length of 4.28km.
“This time we wanted to not only break that record but set a completely new record,” he said.
Work on the chain was split between Siroya Jewellers, Malabar Gold and Diamonds, Sky Jewellery, Joyalukkas and Emerald Jewellers.
Tawhid Abdullah, chairman of the Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group (DGJG), said: “We felt it would be a good way to not only raise awareness of the festival but also of the work that we do as a group.
“It really is a beautiful chain and I think people will be very impressed when they see it.”
The unique aspect of it is that it is handmade, with each of the links individually connected by a team of people, he said.
“It is a fantastic achievement and I am very proud that we have managed to complete this challenge successfully,” Mr Abdullah said.
The chain will be on display to the public at the Old RTA Bus Station, opposite the Gold Centre in Deira, until January 8 before it is carefully separated into different lengths and sold.
Prices for the broken-down record-breaker will vary depending on the daily price of gold but will roughly be charged at about Dh2,500 for a seven-inch bracelet, up to Dh3,000 for a 20-inch-long chain.
“Although many people have already placed orders for the chain, it’s not too late for others to do so,” said Mr Abdullah.
“We planned to get the deliveries to customers on January 8.”
Each piece of the chain will come with a unique authentication code that confirms it as part of the record-breaking chain, he said.
The chain will be available in more than 500 retail outlets during DSF, which runs until February 1.
People who bought the chain will also be able to take part in the biggest raffle promotion organised by DGJG, to win 100kg of gold and 40-carat diamonds jointly offered with World Diamond Mark.
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.
(via The National)
