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Famous Pearls
Pearls in themselves are famous and some of the pearls have captivating stories behind them, which make them significant. Let us have a look at some of the most famous pearls.
The Abernathy Pearl – This pearl is from Scotland and it is a 44 grain natural pearl. The Abernathy pearl is also known as the “The Little Willie Pearl”. Bill Abernathy, a well-known pearl fisherman, found this pearl in 1967.
The Arco Valley Pearl – This is one of the highest quality pearls and this seems to have been given by Marco Polo to the Chinese emperor by Khubilai Khan. This is a 2301 grains pearl. This white pearl has overtones of brown and pink, it measures 78x41x34 mm.
The Big Pink Pearl – This pearl has found its place in Guinness book of World Records as the largest natural abalone pearl. This pearl was found by Wesley Rankin in 1990 at California’s Salt Point State Park. As of today, the value of this pearl is $4.7 million and this is a 470-carat pearl.
The Gogibus Pearl – This is the largest pearl from the 17th century belonging to the West Indies. This pearl weighs 126 carats. The Gogibus Pearl was purchased by King Philip IV from a merchant named Gogibus.
The Hope Pearl – This is one of the largest saltwater pearls, which weighs 450 carats. This is a white pearl measuring 2x4 inches. It has a wonderful hue with greenish-gold on one end and white on the other end. This pearl is currently owned by the British and is found in the British Museum of Natural History. The Hope Pearl is a beautiful drop shaped pearl. The Hope Pearl is related to the Hope Diamond. They were both acquired by Henry Philip who oversaw the gem collection of the Hope family museum.
The Huerfana – This is a Spanish pearl and the name Huerfana means ‘The Orphan’. This is a one of the Spanish Crown Jewel. Interestingly unlike the other famous pearls that are harvested, we don’t know the complete history of this pearl and who found this pearl but this was found in the Gulf of Panama in a shell bed. This is one of the most perfect shaped pearls among the famous pearls. The first female governor of Cuba, Dona Isabel de Bobadilla seems to have owned this pearl.
Charles I Pearl – This pearl was owned by King Charles I, but has either been destroyed or hidden away by some pearl collector. We know of this pearl from the portraits of Charles I painted by Anthony van Dyck. We have no trace of this pearl after the execution of King Charles I.
Charles II Pearl – This is a 130 grain pearl owned by King Charles II. This pearl was gifted by Don Pedro de Aponte from the Canary Islands to King Charles II.
The Jomon Pearl – This is the oldest pearl in the world and it seems to be 5500 years old. The name of the pearl comes from the name of a Japanese era that lasted between 10,000 and 300 B.C.
There are many other famous pearls in history. Check back from time-to-time as we continue to update our list.
