F19 WA1 Pre-reading

Figure 1. Queen Elisabeth I of England wearing a pearl necklace (Leicester Galleries, n.d.).

Pearls are precious jewels mentioned in the Quran, the Bible and the Torah, and worn by some of the most famous kings and queens in human history. They are formed in two ways. Natural pearls grow on their own in oceans. Cultured or farmed pearls need human assistance for the process of natural formation. On the other hand, imitation pearls are neither natural nor cultured. They are made of glass and coated with fish scales. An imitation pearl can be distinguished from a natural pearl by rubbing it across the teeth. An imitation pearl glides smoothly across the teeth, while a real pearl feels rough and sandy.

Most pearls sold today are cultured. Natural pearls are extremely rare and hard to collect. Before the twentieth century the only way of obtaining pearls was diving into deep water and collecting shells. Divers often risked their lives while diving. Nowadays, the pearl diving tradition and cultural heritage are sources of pride in the UAE. In the past, pearling was an important economic activity for centuries in the lower Gulf emirates. It was responsible for maintaining the links between these emirates, Asia and Europe, and providing income to import necessities such as rice, water, wood and spices. The pearl industry boomed when pearls from the Arab Gulf reached faraway markets. Pearls from the region were exported to India, Persia, Iraq and Turkey, and sold in European and Asian markets.

Figure 3. A diver wearing a cotton diving suit (Le Guen, n.d.).

Figure 2. Pearl oyster farming (Nationalgeorgraphic.com).

The warm waters of the Arab Gulf produced highly prized pearls, often named according to their shape and colour. “Dana”, for example, was the name of the most perfect shape. The value of the pearl depended mainly on its size, luster/shine and shape. Although pearls were a luxury commodity, the market was not stable. During the economic depression of 1929, pearl prices declined, forcing many people in the southern states of the Gulf into poverty. Saif Ahmed Al-Gurair, a boat captain from Dubai, still remembers selling a valuable pearl for 7,000 rupees in 1930, which would have brought 100,000 rupees ten years earlier.

Source: Zacharias, A. (2009, June 21). The perils of the pearl divers. The National. Retrieved from https://www.thenational.ae

Figure 4. Different pearl colours (popularpearls.com).