10/10/2026
Part 2 is here...
Before cultured pearls became common, all pearls were wild. Part 2 covers the natural pearls we left out of Part 1: legendary Basra pearls from the Persian Gulf, and rare non-nacreous gems from conch, melo, quahog and scallop.
Natural pearls are extremely rare today, and most pearls you see in shops are cultured. Which one surprised you?