EXCERT FROM THIS BOOK:
In August 1498, during his third voyage, Christopher Columbus landed on the American continent:
…The one thing that stood out to Columbus and his men, was, that the Natives, were richly adorned by strings of pearls treasure, and gold, some had them around their necks, others around their wrists and ankles, but not a single Native did not wear any Gem….
…The Spaniards were delighted, and Columbus exclaimed: “We are in the richest country of the world, let’s give thanks to the Lord”.
…after bartering about 6 marcs of pearls (forty-eight ounces), Columbus wrote in his logbook: “ …they were richly adorned with pearls, drilled in a primitive manner and they didn’t have any small ones, either because they had plenty of large ones, or they did not know how to pierce them…some of them were as large as pigeon eggs, others as small as mustard seeds…
…in the first half of the sixteenth century pearl exports exceeded the trade of emeralds, gold, and all the other commodities combined…an estimated 54 million carats of pearls were taken to Spain…
…One of the sailors approached a Native woman who wore a necklace made of large pearls and offered her a piece of earthenware, she took her necklace and gave it to him…
TESTIMONIALS
Special Thanks to Antoinette L. Matlins, PG, FGA, Author, Gem and Jewelry Expert, Educator, Lecturer, and Consumer Advocate. Without her experience, wisdom, support, enthusiasm, and professionalism, this fascinating project would not have been possible.
Quote: From The Pearl Book, “Never did the crown heads of Europe dream of the wealth that would be forthcoming from this primitive land [America]. Who would have imagined a bounty of pearls? Who could have imagined that native Americans, were wearing fortunes in pearls treasure?”…
…It has been confirmed that The Columbus Pearls date from the time of Christopher Columbus and they have been identified as a type produced by a mollusk unique to the Caribbean within an area from the coast of Guyana to Panama…Antoinette L. Matlins, PG, FGA
A very special and profound Thank You to Dr. Kenneth Scarratt and his research team at DANAT in the Kingdom of Bahrain, who in 2017 and 2018 took time out of their very busy schedule to perform a variety of scientific tests on a large portion of “The Columbus Pearls” collection and coming to following conclusions:
Quote: “…no transformation to calcite was observed externally. Many larger, and some smaller, pearls revealed multiple growth structures. Chemical analysis of the samples confirmed their saltwater origin…Macroscopic, spectroscopic and luminescence data suggest that most of the pearls are likely from the mollusc P.imbricata complex and the rest from Pteria sp…”
Dr. Kenneth Scarratt also expressed that overall, the pearl collection is in extraordinary good condition, despite their age.
…”Thank you for the rare opportunity of inspecting and counting The Columbus Pearls collection. Witnessing and taking part in the special adventure was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. Being able to attest and actually view and count this collection was an event I will always treasure and share. The fact that such a collection actually exists, in itself, is both amazing and breathtaking, even more so, for those of us who share the love of pearls”….
Another very special Thank You to Gary L. Smith, Forensic Gemologist® / Forensic Jeweler™, Gemstone & Jewelry Investigations, Past President ~ ASA International, G.I.A.-G.G., A.G.S.-C.G.A., A.G.A.-A.S.G., A.S.A., Master Gemologist Appraiser®, who not only examined and tested several of the “The Columbus Pearls” collection, but after doing so, expressed the following:
…”In my experience dealing with ancient artifacts and jewelry for over half a century as a forensic expert, gemologist and appraiser, I have had opportunity to examine numerous ancient pearl items from various excavations and collections.
“The Columbus Pearls” Collection is unique in several aspects as the sheer number, quality and age is beyond anything I have ever examined.
The majority of other ancient pearls are highly calcified with little or no nacreous surface, whereas many of these are in incredible condition for their age”…