perliana4 articles
Origin and History
From the pearl divers of the Persian Gulf to Mikimoto's first cultured pearl and the records set at Sotheby's and Christie's. How pearls form, who farms them and which pieces have made history.
Mikimoto: how the first cultured pearl was grown in 1893
On 11 July 1893 Kokichi Mikimoto harvested the first half-round cultured pearl. The round pearl followed in 1905, the Mise-Nishikawa method in 1907.
The Most Expensive Pearls in the World and Their Auction Records
The world's most expensive pearl: CHF 36.4 million for Marie Antoinette's pendant in 2018. La Peregrina at USD 11.8 million and the record necklaces.
Pearl Diving in the Gulf: Why Bahrain's Natural Pearl Vanished
Gulf pearls were the world's finest by 1900. In 1905, 917 boats sailed from Bahrain; by 1950 the fishery was dead. Cultured pearls and oil explain why.
How Cultured Pearls Are Made, from Nucleus to Harvest
A cultured pearl forms when mantle tissue and usually a nucleus are placed inside a mollusc. Akoya take 10 to 24 months, South Sea two to three years.
Pearl loupe
Move the pointer over the image: the loupe shows surface and light window at 2.5 times.
