In the Scottish Highlands, a region known for striking mountain peaks, craggy coastlines and deep glacial lochs, nature once produced a rare treasure: freshwater pearls.
The country isn’t commonly known as a source for pearls, but these Highland ones have a storied history. Prized since medieval times for their unusual colors and organic shapes, they adorn the Crown of Scotland, made for King James V in 1540 and now displayed at Edinburgh Castle, as well as personal jewelry owned by Mary Queen of Scots.
The pearls are formed in the Margaritifera margaritifera mussels that grow in the fast-moving, cool waters of the rivers Tay and Spey. Their formation is slow: It can take 80 years for a Scottish freshwater pearl to grow to 10 millimeters (about 0.4 of an inch) in diameter, according to the National Museums Scotland.
As a result, they have always been scarce. The likelihood of a single Scottish freshwater pearl reaching maturity is widely believed to be one in 5,000, and fewer still are beautiful enough to be used in fine jewelry.
In 1998, Britain declared the mussels to be an endangered species, making it illegal to disrupt their habitat, and new Scottish pearls disappeared from circulation.
But now, a novel collection is being introduced.
A Legacy Reborn
In 2023, Hamilton & Inches, a jeweler founded in Edinburgh in 1866, purchased the last known collection of high-quality Scottish pearls in a private sale for an undisclosed amount. The cache of almost 200 pearls had been massed by a local jeweler before his death (Hamilton & Inches said it was not authorized to identify him.)
Hamilton & Inches, which is the only jeweler licensed to handle and sell Scottish freshwater pearls, selected the cache’s finest and largest specimens to create the 10-piece Scottish Freshwater Pearl Masterpiece Collection. The contemporary designs, unveiled this month at the jeweler’s Georgian townhouse in the center of Edinburgh, pay homage to the country’s natural resources and beauty, said Victoria Houghton, Hamilton & Inches’ chief executive.
“The natural makeup of the rivers and surrounding land contribute to the uniqueness of the Scottish freshwater pearls,” Ms. Houghton said. “They vary in color, appearing in soft tones of gray, lilac and gold, and shapes. They are almost impossible to find in perfectly round shapes.”
Some of the Masterpiece pearls have been set in Scottish gold, mined in small amounts in Tyndrum in the Highlands, and paired with vintage diamonds in oval shapes and round Brilliant cuts, chosen for their gentle sparkle. Prices range from 9,500 pounds to 79,250 pounds ($12,500 to $104,285).
The designs, created by the jeweler’s artisans, include a strand of off-white pearls and gold rondelles with a removable pearl and diamond drop pendant. A pearl brooch resembles a sunburst, and a sculpted gold ring showcases a large round pearl.
Each piece was handcrafted in Hamilton & Inches’ workshop above the George Street store and is sold with a certificate attesting to the Scottish origins of the pearls and the gold.
Next year, Ms. Hamilton said, the jeweler will use some smaller pearls from the collection in other jewelry designs.
The Rarest of Rare
“The rarity of the last Scottish pearls will resonate with true collectors,” said Joanna Hardy, an independent fine jewelry specialist and gemologist in London.
Scotland’s cool, flowing rivers made a fertile place for the pearls to develop, Ms. Hardy said. She explained that the process begins when the microscopic larvae of the freshwater pearl mussels attach themselves to the gills of young salmon or brown trout. As the larvae grow, they fall to the river bed and build shells. Over time, if conditions are ideal, an irritant might enter a shell, and a pearl might begin grow.
“Anything from changes in nutrients to sudden mud slides or too much peat in the rivers can affect the mussel’s development,” Ms. Hardy said. “The mussel needs at least 15 years to grow to maturity, it needs an irritant to enter the shell, and even if it produces a pearl, not all are beautiful.”
In addition to natural causes, man’s intervention all but destroyed the fragile ecosystem that produced the pearls. Over the years, the trees in the ancient Caledonian Forest surrounding the rivers were felled for timber and development, removing shade and causing the river’s temperature to rise. This adversely impacted the health of salmon and trout, and thus the health of the mussels.
To help rebuild the ecosystem, Hamilton & Inches said it had made an undisclosed donation to the Atlantic Salmon Trust and intended to continue such support to help reforest the region’s river banks in an effort to support the mussel’s life cycle.
A Revival
Natural pearls are among the most prized jewels since the main sources in the Persian Gulf were exhausted during the early 20th century by overfishing and pollution. Today, nearly all pearls are cultured, including freshwater, which come mainly from China using nucleation techniques similar to those for Akoya and South Sea pearls.
And the popularity of pearls is rising, with the World Jewelry Confederation putting global pearl sales at $10.49 billion of the total $356 billion in global jewelry sales in 2023.
As for Scottish freshwater pearls, they can be found in vintage jewelry, particularly Victorian-era pieces because they were more available at the time, according to Charlie Barron, a dealer in rare and antique jewelry and gems in London. But it can be hard to discern their Scottish origin, as many freshwater pearls look alike, he wrote in an email.
In 2024, Lyon & Turnbull, an auction house in London and Edinburgh, set a record for the most expensive Scottish pearl when it sold the Abernethy pearl for £94,000. Discovered in 1967 in the River Tay by William Abernethy, a Scottish pearl fisherman, it remains the largest known pearl found in modern times at 43.6 grains, or about the size of a large marble.
“That was a bit of a unicorn,” Mr. Barron wrote. “Its value was driven by the novelty that it was from Scotland and one of the finest of its kind. But with increased demand and interest for this Scottish gem, I think the value can only go up.”
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