Latest news with #pearls
Times
24-05-2025
- Times
Pearls, saffron markets and fine art: this Middle Eastern city should be on your radar
A lifelong love affair with pearls and an adolescent obsession with horses collided when I visited the Kingdom of Bahrain, a small but significant island in the Gulf. 'I adore it, it's coming back with me,' I texted home. 'What, the horse?' came the response from Dublin, in a message tinged with panic after my WhatsApp messages flooded with photos of my glorious sunset beach ride. Moon, the gentle Arabian mare who looked after me as I got back in the saddle after a gap of several decades, stayed behind when it was time for me to leave. I did, however, bring home an indulgent purchase: a beautiful piece of jewellery featuring four tiny natural pearls, harvested from oysters gathered by hand by divers in Bahraini waters. Before the discovery of oil there in 1932, commercial pearl fishing was a cornerstone of Bahrain's economy. The island kingdom's gems are held in high regard for their remarkable lustre, thought to result from the confluence of seawater and freshwater from natural springs under the Gulf. In the past, teams of divers went to sea in traditional dhows for periods of up to three months in the summer season, returning with pearls to trade on international markets. So sought-after were Bahraini pearls that in 1912 Jacques Cartier, scion of the luxury jewellery house, travelled there to source supplies of what were at the time the world's most expensive gems. To this day Maison Cartier retains a presence on the island, providing on loan a revolving collection of its archive pieces for display at the national Pearl Museum. When I visited, the display included several exquisite antique watches, combining the house's horology finesse with pearl and diamond casings and bracelets. The museum is the final stop on the Pearling Path, a 3.5km trail and Unesco world heritage site where visitors can learn about pearls, beginning with the oyster beds where they are created in a quirk of nature, to the people whose livelihood they provided, from divers to merchants, and how they lived. There are 17 'houses' or historic structures to be explored on the trail, which winds through the narrow alleys of Muharraq, the old capital of Bahrain. International trade in pearls changed for ever in the 1930s, however, when Japanese technology made possible the cultivation of farmed pearls, flooding the market. To protect its natural pearl tradition and trade, cultivated pearls are banned in Bahrain. The natural variety is still highly prized in world markets, with the price of a single large pearl of high quality reaching many thousands of euros. Licensed professional and amateur divers are active in Bahrain waters and tourists can join a scuba dive or snorkel excursion — and keep their catch, if they are lucky. Today, the petroleum industry is the main source of Bahrain's wealth. The country's rapid development is evident from the soaring architecture dominating the skyline as seen from the saddle as Moon and I meander along a dedicated horse riding path on a pristine beach, just a few minutes' drive from the capital, Manama. Nothing could have prepared me for this island's exquisite beauty, with incredibly clear turquoise seas and white sandy shores never far from view. Here, as we cool off with a wade into the shallow sea, comparisons come to mind with further-flung island nations such as the Maldives. Bahrain has a total of 84 islands, of which 33 are natural and 51 man-made, through reclamation. The kingdom's 1.6 million inhabitants live mainly in the north of the country, which in its entirety is just 48km long by 16km wide. Beauty is also all around me when I join a small group guided tour at the non-profit RAK Art Foundation, the personal collection and working studio of the artist Rashid Al Khalifa, a member of the Bahraini royal family. It is situated in his childhood family home in Riffa, a 20-minute drive from Manama. Car hire and taxis are both very inexpensive, with a taxi or Uber costing about €12 each way. • The Merchant House, Bahrain: the hotel that thinks it's an art gallery The extensive collection, displayed in a series of adapted and specially designed spaces and pavilions, both indoors and outdoors, includes works by internationally renowned artists including Damien Hirst, Yves Klein, Bridget Riley and Bernard Buffet, as well as Khalifa himself. It is a mesmerisingly beautiful place and a memorable and thought-provoking collection. Free guided tours, running from Monday to Wednesday, must be booked online in advance ( The body must be nurtured as well as the spirit and the soul, and there are plenty of dining options in Bahrain — from glitzy rooftop restaurants to waterside bistros and cafés, as well as international chains aplenty in the many shopping malls, and more traditional choices too. At the Ritz-Carlton, where I stayed, there are no fewer than 17 different dining options, from Mexican, Japanese, Thai, Italian and Indian speciality restaurants to outdoor cafés and a sushi bar on the private beach. On my first night in town, at the Bahrain outpost of the Japanese restaurant group Roka, on the top floor of the Pearl House in Bahrain Harbour, I eat sushi, rock shrimp tempura with spicy mayo, and sweetcorn with smoked butter and sobacha salt from the robata grill, and drink a delicious chardonnay. Though it is a predominantly Muslim country, alcohol is widely available — at a price — in Bahrain. Another standout is dinner at Astéria, a new fine-dining Greek restaurant in an area with the rather utilitarian name of Block 338, which is dedicated to nightlife and eating out. With two sleek dining rooms decorated in cool neutral tones, as well as a bar with live music, this is a hip and happening spot with an extensive menu of refined modern Greek food and a global wine list. The highlight of my meal here is a clever take on profiteroles, with Greek coffee, coffee ice cream, and coffee powder administered from a giant peppermill. • The Middle East's most laid-back city break (with no crowds) Time Out Market arrived in Bahrain recently, in City Centre Mall, adjacent to Le Méridien hotel. The 13 outlets here serve a global menu of Chinese, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Mexican, Lebanese, Thai, South and North American dishes. We stay local and order chicken mathrooba, a Bahraini comfort food dish of gently spiced chicken and rice cooked low and slow until it becomes a gelatinous porridge, much tastier than it sounds. At Cipriani, the Italian restaurant brand with outposts all over the world, from Mexico to Marbella, I slip into holiday mode and feel as if I could be anywhere. In the vast, glamorous dining room on the beach at Marassi Beach, I tuck into flawless calamari and prawn fritti with the lightest whisper of a coating, and a perfect espresso macchiato. But experiencing the Bahraini food — an amazing variety of breads and dips, grilled meats, fish and veg, and a myriad of softly spiced rice dishes — is a highlight of my stay. The meal I enjoy most in my four-day city break in Bahrain is a late breakfast at Danat Al Tawawish, a traditional Bahraini restaurant in Manama's souk. Hot pillowy flatbreads arrive with which to scoop up gently spiced chickpea masala. There is more of that delicious bread, fried this time and sandwiched with mahyawa, a paste made with fermented fish, and we with it we drink saffron juice dotted with chia seeds. After breakfast, my wonderful travel guide Husain (a former chef) takes me to the spice merchant in Little India where he shops for his own kitchen, and I stock up on Iranian saffron and a big bag of a Bahraini spice blend, made in-house to a secret recipe. It is heady with turmeric, black pepper, cloves, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, star anise … and something else indefinable. Whenever I want to remember this wonderful trip, I will pull that bag out of my larder, inhale its deep, complex aroma and be right back there. There are a great many internationally recognised luxury hotel groups in Bahrain, but the Ritz-Carlton is one of the originals and is highly regarded as a grande dame of the upper levels of hospitality there. The seven-storey, 260-room resort is set on 20 acres with a spa, indoor and outdoor pools, a private beach, a flamingo lagoon, and its own desert island. Rooms are compact but luxurious, and the location, just 11km from the airport and 3km from Manama city centre, is excellent. A deluxe twin room in May starts from BD100 (€235). Bahrain has lots of big, modern shopping malls lined with international brands, where prices at the clothing brand Zara, for example, are a little higher than in Ireland. More interesting is the shopping for local crafts, jewellery, textiles and pottery, as well as spices and dates. The Manama souk is a good source of locally made and imported crafts. Just behind it, you can wander the streets of Little India in search of spices, condiments, dates and dried fruits. Marie-Claire Digby travelled as a guest of Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority. The sunset beach ride was organised through Kashta Tours ( and costs BD7 (€16) for one hour
The Guardian
23-05-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Shimmering with an opal shine: New Zealand's unique blue pearls face threat of warming seas
Roger Beattie was diving off the Chatham Islands, about 800km east of New Zealand, when he saw his first pāua pearl. Beattie was familiar with pāua, the Māori word for abalone, and their iridescent shells of shimmering purples and greens. But the pearl that had formed inside was unlike anything he had ever seen, gleaming with layers of the pāua's natural colours. 'I just thought 'heck, that would make amazing jewellery,'' Beattie says. That was in the early 1990s, and Beattie soon started experimenting ways of farming pāua, and creating pearls in the shell. A decade later, he began selling the so-called blue pearls commercially. Now, a small industry exists in New Zealand cultivating the unique gems. They are rare, with only a handful of companies running farms, each producing only a few thousand pāua pearls each year. But the delicate operations are being made more complicated as changing conditions and warming seas alter the environments pāua need to survive. 'Warm waters cause physiological stress to the pāua,' says Shawn Gerrity, an ecologist at the University of Canterbury who has studied the pāua. There are four species of pāua endemic to New Zealand. The blackfoot pāua is the biggest species, known for its vibrant shell and succulent flesh. All cultivated pāua pearls come from the blackfoot pāua. The pearls appear shades of blue, turquoise, purple and green. 'Only this abalone, in this water, produces such an unusual colour of pearl,' says Jacek Pawlowski, a jeweller in Akaroa, a seaside town southeast of Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island. He has worked with the pearls for the last 25 years. 'They have that rainbow, opal shine, no pearl is exactly the same,' Pawlowski says. Many of the world's pearls come from freshwater mussels in China, while more valuable Akoya pearls primarily come from Japan. Black and golden 'South Sea' pearls are cultivated in Australia and around the Pacific. In New Zealand, making farmed pāua pearls is delicate and labour-intensive. As juveniles, pāua are taken out of the water, where their flesh is pried up and a small implant placed under their shell for a pearl to form on. If their soft bodies are nicked, the pāua will bleed to death, so the process must be gentle. Only one in five pāua will create a jewellery-grade gem, Beattie says. Each mollusc needs to be fed vast quantities of kelp and live in water about 16 degrees for the three to four years it takes for a pearl to form. To keep the pāua cool, Beattie's farm is towards the mouth of Akaroa Harbour, with colder water from the open ocean. Arapawa Pearls, in the Marlborough Sounds at the top of the South Island, keeps its pāua in tanks to create a constant temperature. But rising ocean temperatures pose a threat to their survival. Sea surface temperatures around New Zealand have increased 0.16 to 0.26C per decade since 1982, according to official statistics. Marine heatwaves have dramatically increased in frequency around New Zealand, with a particularly severe event in 2017/18 causing thousands of sea creatures to die. Increased marine temperatures have caused mass die-offs of abalone species in other areas of the world, like California, where warming water has reduced abalone's access to food and sped up the transmission of a withering disease. Beattie has had an algal bloom – which is more likely in warm water – kill a harvest of pāua by depriving them of oxygen. Gerrity says marine heatwaves 'destroy habitats'. 'When kelp is degraded, sea urchins survive, and it's hard to get pāua back,' he says. Gerrity has researched the recovery of pāua in Kaikōura, on the north-east coast of the South Island, where thousands of pāua died after the sea floor was lifted six metres in a 2016 earthquake. Nine years later, with careful management, the population is healthy again. It is a model for what could happen if a heatwave caused similar pāua deaths, but there's still a lot of risk. Dr Norman Ragg, senior shellfish scientist at science organisation Cawthron Institute, says pāua are a 'really interesting quirk of nature', that have remained unchanged for millennia. While New Zealand's populations are still healthy, there is no room for complacency. 'There are a lot of bad news stories about abalone around the world – they are a large, tasty, shallow-water, easy-to-catch sea snail that breeds and grows slowly and that puts a lot of burden of responsibility back on to [New Zealand].' Ragg believes cultivating blue pearls could go some way to bolstering appreciation for pāua and securing its future in the face of climate change. Looking over his Akaroa shellfish farm, Beattie says he will continue to 'work with nature' to ensure the pāua and their pearls continue to thrive. 'It's almost impossible to improve on what nature makes. The pāua have to be not just healthy, but happy,' he says.
Irish Times
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Pearlify Me
I am worth my weight in pearls. Didn't you know this? Watch how they push up from my skin - Boils and bruises turned to brilliance I am a page of Braille-written grievances The pressure is my becoming. What am I without it? Pearlify me Until I am a beast of sand and cracked ceramic My only value is in the tension Bring it on Drown me in it And I'll fill my lungs with your bullshit Let it be my worth Until I clink and chip when I walk
Zawya
12-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
DANAT showcases Bahrain's timeless pearl heritage at Arabian Travel Market 2025
The Bahrain Institute for Pearls and Gemstones (DANAT) proudly participated in the Arabian Travel Market 2025, held over four days at the Dubai World Trade Centre, under the theme "Global Travel: Developing Tomorrow's Tourism Through Enhanced Connectivity". This prestigious event served as a strategic platform to present Bahrain's distinctive cultural narrative, with a particular focus on its enduring heritage of natural pearls. Through its dedicated stand, DANAT showcased the Kingdom's deep-rooted history in pearls—traditions that are inseparable from Bahrain's national identity. A key highlight was the live demonstration of the traditional oyster shucking, which drew significant interest from attendees of various nationalities. Visitors gained an immersive insight into the intricate craftsmanship that historically underpinned Bahrain's maritime economy, highlighting the lasting beauty and cultural authenticity of its traditional practices. Commenting on DANAT's participation, CEO Mrs. Noora Jamsheer stated: 'We are honoured to represent the Kingdom of Bahrain and its pearl heritage at one of the region's most distinguished and internationally recognised travel and tourism exhibitions. The Arabian Travel Market provides an exceptional platform to convey the richness of Bahrain's cultural traditions—particularly those rooted in natural pearls and fine jewellery—firmly anchoring them within the narrative of national tourism.' 'Our participation in international platforms of this calibre contributes meaningfully to advancing Bahrain's position as a distinguished destination for heritage tourism. At DANAT, we play an active role in preserving and showcasing the Kingdom's cultural wealth, particularly its renowned pearling legacy." Mrs. Jamsheer said, "The strong interest and engagement witnessed at our pavilion reflected widespread appreciation for the educational insights and live demonstrations delivered by our team. In parallel, we engaged in constructive dialogue with travel and tourism stakeholders to explore prospective partnerships that support the growth of heritage-oriented tourism experiences.' Mrs. Jamsheer further noted that this initiative aligns with DANAT's central role in advancing the national strategy to revitalise the pearl industry. It also reflects the Institute's broader objective of reinforcing Bahrain's global status as a hub for natural pearls and a key player in heritage tourism. About DANAT: Bahrain Institute for Pearls and Gemstones (DANAT) was established in 2017, under the aegis of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain. It was formed as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company (Mumtalakat), the sovereign wealth fund of the Kingdom. Its vision is to become the world's preferred institute for natural pearls and gemstones' third-party verification services and scientific research. As a reflection of Bahrain's ancient pearling history and the strong desire to protect this heritage, DANAT was established as the guardian of global gemological excellence. It plays a vital role in ensuring, protecting and enhancing public trust in pearls, gemstones and jewellery. DANAT is an authority on industry standards, scientific knowledge and education, and is committed to maintaining the highest standards of professional and personal ethics. For more information on DANAT, kindly contact. Marketing & Communications
Vogue
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue
Kate Middleton Goes All in on the Big Bow Trend
Pearls have long held a special place in royal tradition, and Kate has consistently leaned into their elegance. Earlier this year, at the Holocaust Memorial Day service, she wore Queen Elizabeth II's Bahrain pearl drop earrings—a wedding gift to the late monarch from the Hakim of Bahrain—along with a three-strand pearl bracelet once owned by Princess Diana. Diana wore the bracelet for some of her most iconic appearances, notably with her 'Elvis' dress on the 1989 royal tour of Hong Kong with the then Prince Charles. Passed down to Prince William, the bracelet appears to have become a particularly treasured piece in Kate's jewellery collection, worn on multiple tours and engagements. Accessories are where the Princess really shines sartorially. Her handbags often hold personal significant and nuggets of Royal history—a recent bag buy which she wore for a public engagement came from a luxury British brand beloved by the late Queen Elizabeth II, Asprey. For sunglasses, she's opted for the independent London, Italian-made eyewear Finlay & Co. So of course the addition of a new accessory, the aforementioned black velvet hair bow, comes with a bit of a sartorial backstory. Through the years and in her early days as a minted Royal, Catherine would sport her signature, sleek, and Sloaney ponytail. This latest look is a much more refined, and enduringly sophisticated take on what has become a contemporary trend.
