
The pearl hunter. Saudi Arabia, 1935. The incredible radiance of Arabian pearls is due to the unique environment in which the shellfish live. The water in the Arabian Gulf is salty and sweet at the same time, that is why the mother–of–pearl, the inner layer of the shells, is much brighter and more saturated in local pearls than in Europe. The extraction of pearls in the waters of the Persian Gulf began about 7,000 years ago, as evidenced by the triangular stone anchors found on its bottom with holes in the middle – they were used on boats of fishermen and divers, and the first written mentions of outlandish pearls from the East can be found in the works of ancient authors of the III-IV centuries BC. Later, stories about pearls appeared on the pages of the Koran, and there its value was emphasized, which is justified – even then it was valued all over the world as the best precious stones. Pearls from the Arabian Gulf began to come the European market in large numbers after 1643, wh
Post: 24 October 00:06