Pearls have always been admired, but until recently, we didn’t know just how old was their history as the objects of adornment and value. In October, the oldest known pearl was found on an island off Abu Dabi UAE. It dates all the way to Neolitic (Stone Age), almost 8,000 years!

It’s in a remarkably good shape, a little 3mm pink near-round baroque pearl beauty that will be featured in the Louvre Abu Dhabi exhibition “10,000 Years of Luxury“.

Pearls were prized in the Ancient China and Japan, worn in Ancient Rome, and had decorated crowns of the emperors and kings. Recently, the baroque pearls have come into fashion again as a modern take on an ancient adornment, for their one of a kind, clearly natural shapes. Everyone from Keira Knightly to Nancy Pelosi has succumbed to their unique beauty. 

Some of the exceptional pearl jewelry through the ages: