Dubai: The total value of sales and deals at the UAE’s first in-person rosary auction reached Dh2 million, with the most expensive rosary selling for Dh235,000, according to Ali Al-Khalidi, General Manager of the “Rosaries in Dubai” exhibition.
Al-Khalidi said the Dh235,000 rosary, bought by an Emirati collector, was made from old German amber and dated back about 100 years.
The auction, held on the sidelines of the exhibition, attracted visitors from the UAE and various Gulf, Arab and other countries.
Al-Khalidi said a piece of Baltic amber weighing about one kilogram sold for Dh76,000, while another amber rosary fetched about Dh85,000.
About 13 rosaries were sold at the auction, most of them made from amber. A piece of Baltic amber, a material used to make rosaries of different sizes, was also sold.
Al-Khalidi said the country’s first in-person auction of its kind generated considerable interest among rosary collectors. Such auctions had previously typically been organised through social media and online platforms.
The “Rosaries in Dubai” exhibition, held for the first time in Dubai and the UAE, began on the sixth of this month and concluded on Sunday evening. Al-Khalidi said initial estimates put total sales since the exhibition opened at about Dh30 million, including sales of rosaries and amber stones.
The exhibition featured participants from 21 countries, with more than 86 companies and platforms specialising in the rosary trade. It also featured live rosary-making workshops, while Dubai Central Laboratory participated by issuing instant inspection certificates for rosaries.