Pearls - sought after for their intrinsic beauty for thousands of years. They used to be the pinnacle of jewelry, more expensive than gold and silver combined and its' only within the recent 100 years that modern technology has changed this fact. Today, most pearls are cultivated and grown in huge farms, making them available to the mass consumer market. Pearl necklaces are particularly popular.
It wasn't always like that though. Once, pearl diving was one of the most dangerous activities you could possible do. Imagine grabbing hold of a heavy rock and then jumping in the water to let yourself sink 100 feet onto the seabed. Then having to use a knife to cut free ouysters before returning tot he surface - and doing all of this on one breath of air. While it may sound as a fascinating story, you certainly wouldn't want to do it yourself. Which is also why it was mainly performed by slaves or the desperately poor.
Naturally, this dangerous activity was reserved for the desperate or the powerless - in many cases slaves or extremely poor peasents. Today, this method is all but obsolete in most places of the world. The cheaper cultured pearls have become popular and are many times the only pearls available to the consumer.
Still, there are a few places in the world, where the hunt for the natural pearl still goes on. One of these places is in Bahrain, a small gulf state with crystal clear waters. Bahrain is one of the centers for trade with natural pearls as cultured specimens are simply banned from trade. The state has made an conscious effort to keep waters clean and habitats preserved, even with the oil trade taking its heavy toll.
Does it make a pearl of higher quality or more beauty, that it has been retrieved from the depths of the ocean? It's certainly a fascinating story.
It wasn't always like that though. Once, pearl diving was one of the most dangerous activities you could possible do. Imagine grabbing hold of a heavy rock and then jumping in the water to let yourself sink 100 feet onto the seabed. Then having to use a knife to cut free ouysters before returning tot he surface - and doing all of this on one breath of air. While it may sound as a fascinating story, you certainly wouldn't want to do it yourself. Which is also why it was mainly performed by slaves or the desperately poor.
Naturally, this dangerous activity was reserved for the desperate or the powerless - in many cases slaves or extremely poor peasents. Today, this method is all but obsolete in most places of the world. The cheaper cultured pearls have become popular and are many times the only pearls available to the consumer.
Still, there are a few places in the world, where the hunt for the natural pearl still goes on. One of these places is in Bahrain, a small gulf state with crystal clear waters. Bahrain is one of the centers for trade with natural pearls as cultured specimens are simply banned from trade. The state has made an conscious effort to keep waters clean and habitats preserved, even with the oil trade taking its heavy toll.
Does it make a pearl of higher quality or more beauty, that it has been retrieved from the depths of the ocean? It's certainly a fascinating story.
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