A Natural Saltwater Pearl Necklace Persian Golf, 127 Pearls ap. 6.7 mm to 2.7 mm, Length. 51 cm, with platinum clasp set with diamonds. Weight: 11.65 grams The pearls accompany a gemological certificate from the N.E.L. (Netherlands Gemstone Laboratory) report nr. P3559 Catalogue note: One of five precious jewels in the world, the other four being the sapphire, the ruby, the diamond and the emerald—the pearl is the oldest of all gems. It has been used in human adornment for about 7000 years. The finest pearls originated in the Persian Gulf an area fished for pearls since ancient times. As early as the third millennium BC, the Sumerians discovered them while gathering oysters along the shores. Persian Gulf oysters, Pinctada margaritifera and Pinctada radiata were sought after for their mother-of-pearl—a material the Egyptians used for inlay in as 3200 BC. European interest in the pearl banks of the Gulf region was recorded in the early writings of Greek and Macedonian explorers. In Historia Naturalis, written by the Greek historian Pliny, he wrote: " the most perfect and exquisite pearls of all others be they that are gotten about Arabia, within the Persian Gulf." Specifically, pearls found near the coastal region of Iraq, from the area of Basra, were the most sought-after—and hence these pearls are still called “Basra pearls” today. Due to the high demand for mother-of-pearl from the native Pinctada mollusk, the easily accessible oysters that naturally bred in shallow tidal waters became over-harvested later necessitating deep water diving for oyster collection after a period. With the Great Depression of the 1930s swept which swept across Europe, the demand for pearls decreased and the Persian Gulf pearling industry dwindled. Finally, with the discovery of oil in Bahrain by Standard Oil Company in 1932, the Gulf region became congested with shipping traffic, and the resulting pollution was the final death knell for the Persian Gulf pearling industry. No longer commercially harvested, these pearls can only be found in estate jewelry. Provenance: Property of a Lady, Dutch Private Collection.