Pearl Information Guide
History of Pearls
Until the advent of methods of farming pearls in the early 1900’s the few natural pearls available were so expensive that they were purchased almost exclusively by the very rich and privileged.Pearl cultivation in Australia began in 1956 at Kuri Bay, a remote inlet 480 km north of Broome. When these large, lustrous gems were first seen in some of the world’s most famous jewellery stores in about 1960 they created a sensation. They still do! There are now more than a million pearls harvested annually valued at around $200 million.