Pearls burden a neck. They inspire and... blow your mind.
A brief report on the visit to the Royal exhibition "Pearls. Treasures from the Seas and Rivers" of the Qatar Museum, Aug-Oct 2018, the Historical Museum, Moscow.

It turns out that there is a person who owns not less than 70% of the world's natural pearls. He is Husein Alfardan, no, he is not a sheikh, he is a trader, the driving force of "one of the most successful and powerful family-run conglomerates in the Arabian Gulf". These people know a lot about pearls and have mind-boggling resources, with sufficient funds to choose the best from the best. The exhibition in the Historical Museum gave a chance to admire rare and valuable pearls, and to learn more about the treasures from the seas and the rivers. For me, the Qatari exhibition was a real celebration of the soul, so I happily share my experiences and discoveries with those admirers of pearls, who did not attend this high-profile event in Moscow.

This extra class pearl necklace with seven rows was made by Hussein Alfardan.
The pearls were extracted in the waters of the Persian Gulf for five millennia. It was an important source of income of Qatar, and today it became an epitome of the culture of this small proud country. The exhibition was first shown in London and for five years it managed to thunder in six countries.

The video at the start of the path of the grateful spectator reports that a pearl grows into a pearl ball after penetration into a shell of small sea creatures and particles. The shellfish tries to get rid of them and envelops them with special substances most similar in composition to human fingernails. Sorry for naturalism. However, now it becomes clear why pearls love warming touches, they need to be worn and not to be kept in a coffret.

The color of a pearl has a meaning. The classic color is bright white, black pearls get their color under the influence of melanin, and the most expensive pearls are Filipino pearls, which are almost indistinguishable in color from gold. In general, there are about 20 varieties of pearls, among which yellow pearls have the lowest price. The shape is also important — a perfectly smooth sphere, a drop, a seed bead are valued.
The Qataris brought more than 80 pieces of jewelry in valuable antique safes, just about 100 exhibits from the union of Qatar Museums. Among them there are iconic treasures of the European Royal houses and aristocrats, the jewelry from the collection of Elizabeth Taylor the brooch-lips at the idea of Salvador Dali, the rarities from the Jewish community in North Morocco, Tibetan hats and pearls from Central Asia and Russia. Necklaces, tiaras, bracelets, brooches, pins, figurines, earrings.

A special place at the exhibition is occupied by a history of cultivation and production of pearls for four hundred years, the evolution of design of pearl jewelry.
At the exhibition tiaras were of a great interest, one couldn't look at them because of the crowd.

The pearl of the pearl exhibits. This tiara was made of diamonds and 13 large pearls for the wedding of the only daughter of the banker Baron Mayer de Rothschild Hannah and the English aristocrat Archibald Philip Primrose, the fifth Earl of Rosebery by the jewelry house Garrard. It can also be worn as a necklace. In 2011 the tiara was bought by the Qatar Museums for £1.1 million.

The tiara of the beloved daughter of Elizabeth of Austria, known as Sissi, is made in the Art Nouveau style. it is not only a piece of jewelry, it also has a historical value.

The tiara of the Royal house of Hanover is a phenomenal work of nature and a genius jeweler.

For a change, here are a few pieces of jewelry, I can't call them just bracelets. Morocco, the 18th century. The exhibition had a number of such works — pearls with uncut rubies and emeralds in gold.

A ring from the collection of Elizabeth Taylor and a brooch on a sketch by Salvador Dali.
Of course, the exhibition is impressive, it is a grand, rare opportunity to soak up inspiration and broaden horizons. However, for objectivity I will add to this syrup a bit of pepper critics. Despite the fact that the exhibition was specially prepared to be shown abroad, the organization seemed imperfect, perhaps because the Qataris are just beginning their art journey. Unfortunately, we hardly "begged" the museum of the prospectus of the exhibition, it was not possible to purchase a catalog or a booklet. For example, to find the ornament of Elizabeth Taylor we needed a prior training, the descriptions missed the history of works, the details of the materials were partially presented, not systematic. On the other hand, all these carelessness only stimulated me more to continue my own path of recognition of pearls, the mysterious magical treasure of the rivers and the seas.