Bahrain: Exploring the Land of Pearls

What an incredible trip to the land of pearls. Almost seems surreal. Having read and studied Jacques’ diaries for years, it was mind-blowing to bring it all to colourful, sensory life by following in his footsteps, and to experience that same sense of wonder he had felt when disembarking from the boat in Bahrain for the first time over a century ago.

So many wonderful stories and images to share, but first, to set the pearl scene, here’s a jaw-dropping piece. When you consider how long it takes to find enough natural pearls that match in size/tone/shape for a just single stranded necklace (my grandfather told me it wasn’t unusual for Cartier to wait at least a decade to create a natural pearl necklace), it really is extraordinary to witness one of this size. 18 strands no less..

Even more special was being shown this necklace (1st and 2nd images) by the Mattars @mattarjewelers, a family that my great-grandfather had first met back in 1912. Back then, he’d been trying to better understand the pearl trade in the region, and buy some pearls to take back to his Cartier branch in London, and to his brothers in Paris and New York, so he’d met with several pearl merchants.

It’s hard to overestimate how important #naturalpearls were for #thecartiers back then. As the most expensive gem on the planet, #pearls were incredibly sought after and the discovery of a perfect pearl could upset financial markets globally. As #paulclaudel , the French writer and diplomat (who became linked to the Cartiers through the marriage of his son, Pierre to Marion Cartier) noted, in the early 20th century, whenever a perfect natural pearl was found “their appearance on the market depresses all other values. It alters rates of exchange and causes considerable alarm, since they feel their operational stability is under threat, once a new and unquantifiable element has been introduced.” All of which makes the number of pearls I saw in Bahrain quite incredible.

(3rd image in 7 strands @almahmoodpearls , video in 3 strands viewing this year’s pearls @almahmoodpearls and 4th image being interviewed @danatinstitute in 2 strands)

What do you think works best, a couple of strands or lots?!