A “one-of-a-kind” freshwater pearl, believed to be the largest discovered in Scotland in more than four centuries, has gone on display at the National Museum of Scotland (NMS). The Abernethy Pearl, named after its finder William Abernethy, was discovered inside a mussel near the River Tay in 1967. Measuring 11mm in diameter and weighing 43.6 grains, it is the most significant find since the Kellie Pearl of 1621, which is thought to be set in the Scottish crown.
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Experts say the pearl, which would have taken around 80 years to form, highlights the environmental pressures facing Scotland’s rivers. Rachel Walcott, principal curator of earth systems at NMS, described it as “rare and special”, adding that the conditions needed to produce such a specimen no longer exist due to the impact of the biodiversity crisis. “We simply wouldn’t have 80 years of undisturbed water in Scotland today for a pearl of this size to be created,” she noted.
The pearl was donated to the national collection by retired Edinburgh jeweller and NMS volunteer Alistir Wood Tait, who purchased it at auction last year for just under £94,000 with the intention of gifting it to the nation. Walcott emphasised that its size and form make it particularly remarkable, explaining that unlike many river pearls, which are often baroque in shape or discoloured, the Abernethy Pearl is perfectly round and has a pinkish-white hue.
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Scotland is home to about half of the world’s freshwater pearl mussels, but populations have been devastated in recent decades by pollution, habitat loss, declining salmon stocks and illegal harvesting. Classified as one of the UK’s most threatened species, freshwater mussels were banned from being fished in Scotland in 1998, following decades of decline. The Abernethy Pearl will now be permanently displayed in the museum’s Restless Earth gallery, serving as both a natural treasure and a reminder of the ecological challenges facing the country’s waterways.
