Assouline

The story of Bahrain’s pearls stretches back in the mists of time. For millennia the oyster banks around the Arabian Gulf dominated all others, and the headquarters for the pearl trade was Bahrain. Pearl diving in the region dates from the Dilmun and Tylos periods (2200 BCE–300 CE), names for Bahrain in ancient times, when the island was already a center for international trade. Pearls powered the economy of the island kingdom for centuries, and Bahrain’s importance as a center for natural pearls is reflected in the nation’s culture. Today, the streets of Muharraq bustle with locals and visitors passing by the long-standing merchants’ courtyards and houses preserved on the UNESCO World Heritage site titled Pearling, Testimony of an Island Economy.

Since the dawn of civilization, the Arabian Gulf region has been famous for its high-quality natural pearls, and today in this age of lab-grown gems astute jewel aficionados are appreciating anew the importance of Bahrain’s precious natural pearls. Bahrain is one of the only places in the world that does not allow cultured pearls but harvests only natural pearls from protected oyster beds, fostering multigenerational families who proudly continue to create stunning jewelry with these rare gems from the sea.