Pearl - a type of gemstone that is formed when an irritant enters the shell of a mollusk.
Types of pearls: freshwater pearls, saltwater pearls, cultured pearls. Size: 6 to 15 millimeters. Price range: $1 to $100,000.
"The global pearl market is currently valued at just over $10 billion."
"Originating in Mesopotamia, the pearl trade flourished in the Indian Ocean all along the Persian Gulf, the South China Sea and the Sea of Japan where it remained for millennia before demand from the monarchies of Europe sparked dives across the Western hemisphere."
"From the mid-18th century with the rise of global trade, the Gulf’s pearl industry exploded; trade routes that connected Indian, Persian, and Turkish lands meant that the pearl eventually flooded European and Chinese markets. By the late 19th century, it is estimated that around 60,000 people, almost the entire population of the Arabian Gulf, stretching from Kuwait along Saudi Arabia to Bahrain, Qatar, and the Sultanate of Oman were involved in pearling, at times representing up to 95% of local incomes."
"The pearling industry was dominated by slave labor, and male slaves were used as pearl divers until the final abolition of slavery in the Gulf states in the period of 1937–1971. Thousands of slaves from India and Africa were transported through Zanzibar into the region in order to meet the world’s gargantuan demand for pearls."
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Source:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_hunting
https://oec.world/en/profile/hs/pearl-products
https://www.pearlparadise.com/pages/pearl-price
https://oliviaandpearl.com/blogs/blog/pearl-cultivation?pb=0
https://www.forevernetco.com/product/2/28/4
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl
https://atmos.earth/a-cultural-and-mythological-history-of-pearling-in-the-arabian-gulf/