---
title: "What Are the Most Famous Pearls in History?"
description: "Famous pearls in history: Cleopatra's pearl, Caesar's gift, La Peregrina, Charles I's earring and Marie Antoinette's record pendant, and which records hold up."
canonical_url: "https://learnaboutpearls.com/history/famous-pearls/"
last_updated: "2026-11-04"
last_reviewed: "2026-10-27"
reviewed_by: "Simon"
publisher: "Unique Pearl"
publisher_disclosure: "Learn About Pearls is published by Unique Pearl, a pearl jeweler."
---
# What Are the Most Famous Pearls in History?

**Short answer:** Some of the most famous pearls are known through history and legend. Pliny wrote that Cleopatra dissolved one of the two largest pearls ever seen in vinegar. La Peregrina, found in the Gulf of Panama in the 1500s, passed through European royalty to Elizabeth Taylor and sold for $11.8 million in 2011. Marie Antoinette's natural pearl pendant set an auction record of CHF 36,427,000 in 2018.

**Key facts:**

- Pliny wrote that Cleopatra owned the two largest pearls that had ever been seen, and dissolved one of them in vinegar. [1]
- Julius Caesar bought Servilia, the mother of Marcus Brutus, a pearl that cost six million sesterces. [2]
- Charles I of England wore a pearl-drop earring at his execution in 1649. [3]
- La Peregrina, a drop-shaped natural pearl, was found in the Gulf of Panama in the 1500s and became a prized possession of European royalty. [4]
- In 2011, Christie's New York auctioned the Cartier necklace containing La Peregrina for $11.8 million. [4]
- In 2018, Marie Antoinette's 18th-century natural pearl and diamond pendant sold at Sotheby's for CHF 36,427,000, a record for a natural pearl. [5]
- In 1917, Pierre Cartier traded a double strand of natural pearls for a mansion on Fifth Avenue in New York. [6]

Most of history’s famous pearls are [natural pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#natural-pearl), found by chance in wild [mollusks](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#mollusk), because [cultured pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#cultured-pearl) only became commercially important in the 1920s. [7] The stories below come from ancient writers, museums and auction houses, and each is told as its source tells it.

## Pearls of the ancient world

The oldest known pearl ornaments are about 8,500 years old: in 2019, archaeologists reported pearls used as adornments in Baja California Sur, Mexico, radiocarbon dated to that age. [8]

Roman writers recorded extravagant pearls. Pliny the Elder described seeing Lollia Paulina, wife of the emperor Caligula, at a wedding entertainment, covered in emeralds and pearls worth forty million sesterces. [1] He also told the most famous pearl story of all. Cleopatra, he wrote, owned the two largest pearls that had ever been seen, and to win a wager with Antony she dissolved one in vinegar and drank it; the other was cut in two to hang from the ears of the statue of Venus in the Pantheon at Rome. [1] The page [pearl myths](https://learnaboutpearls.com/basics/pearl-myths/) looks at whether that could work.

![Painting of a banquet: Cleopatra, in a golden gown, holds up a pearl drop on a pink bow above a shallow dish on the table, while Mark Antony, in armor and a plumed helmet, watches from across it.](/_astro/cleopatra-dissolving-pearl.BGvodc2L_Z16KVak.jpg?dpl=dpl_HtGtH9KVXNVAK9cLZJJhqCYEKmh2)

Cleopatra dissolving her pearl, as Andrea Casali painted it. The painting's title says wine; Pliny's account says vinegar. Image: Andrea Casali, “Cleopatra Dissolving the Pearl in Wine”, National Trust. [Public domain](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/), via [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Andrea_Casali_\(1705-1784\)_-_Cleopatra_Dissolving_the_Pearl_in_Wine_-_1530100_-_National_Trust.jpg).

Julius Caesar was a pearl lover too. Suetonius reports that he was said to have invaded Britain in the hope of finding pearls, and to have weighed pearls in his own hand to compare them, and that he bought Servilia, the mother of Marcus Brutus, a pearl that cost six million sesterces. [2]

## Royal pearls

**La Peregrina.** This drop-shaped natural pearl, about the size of a pigeon’s egg, was found in the Gulf of Panama in the 1500s and became a prized possession of European royalty. [4] CIBJO’s guide says it is presumed to have come from _[Pinctada mazatlanica](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#pinctada-mazatlanica)_, the Panamic black-lipped [pearl oyster](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#pearl-oyster). [8] Richard Burton gave it to Elizabeth Taylor in 1969, and in 2011 Christie’s New York auctioned the Cartier necklace containing it for $11.8 million. [4]

**Charles I’s earring.** Charles I of England wore a pearl-drop earring at his execution in 1649, and the earring was shown at the V\&A’s 2013 exhibition on pearls. [3]

![Painted portrait of Charles I with long brown hair, a pointed beard and a lace collar, with a large pearl drop hanging from his ear.](/_astro/charles-i-pearl-earring.DQS0Ttvc_Z25sKgs.jpg?dpl=dpl_HtGtH9KVXNVAK9cLZJJhqCYEKmh2)

Charles I with a pearl earring, in a portrait from the workshop of Anthony van Dyck. Image: Workshop of Anthony van Dyck, “Charles I (1600–1649)”, Royal Museums Greenwich (detail). [Public domain](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/), via [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charles_I_\(1600-1649\)_RMG_BHC2607.tiff).

**Marie Antoinette’s pendant.** The queen of France was among the 18th-century celebrities who wore opulent pearls, in swags or as multiple strands and [chokers](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#choker). [3] In 2018, her 18th-century natural pearl and diamond pendant sold at Sotheby’s in Geneva for CHF 36,427,000, which Sotheby’s reported as a new auction record for a natural pearl. [5]

**The Dagmar necklace.** This necklace was a gift to Princess Alexandra when she married the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, in 1863. [3]

## Pearls in the modern age

In 1917, Pierre Cartier traded a double strand of natural pearls for a mansion at 653 Fifth Avenue in New York City. [6] Cultured pearls soon made famous pearls of their own: in 1954, Joe DiMaggio gave Marilyn Monroe a necklace of cultured pearls, later shown at the V\&A. [3] The page [who invented cultured pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/history/cultured-pearl-revolution/) tells how that change came about.

## Records, and what can’t be verified

The highest published auction price for a natural pearl that we found is Sotheby’s 2018 sale of Marie Antoinette’s pendant. [5] The page [what pearls are worth](https://learnaboutpearls.com/buying/what-are-pearls-worth/) explains what drives prices.

Claims about the largest pearl are harder to check. The biggest “pearls” reported come from [giant clams](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#tridacna-gigas); they are non-nacreous [clam pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#clam-pearl), which CIBJO’s guide says typically measure 3 to 140 mm and can appear much larger, especially as blisters. [8] We found no [laboratory report](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#laboratory-report) verifying any “world’s largest” claim, so we don’t repeat them here.

## Timeline

Each event below is dated as precisely as its source allows. The [pearl timeline](https://learnaboutpearls.com/history/timeline/) has every dated event in pearl history.

1. **About 8,500 years ago**: The oldest known pearl ornaments. In 2019, archaeologists reported pearls used as adornments in Baja California Sur, Mexico, radiocarbon dated to 8,500 years old, the oldest reported so far. [8]
2. **1498**: Columbus meets people wearing pearls on his third voyage. On his third (1498) and fourth (1502) voyages, Christopher Columbus met people adorned with natural pearls. The pearl sources he found, in present-day Venezuela and Panama, raised demand in Europe. [7, 9]
3. **1649**: Charles I wears a pearl-drop earring to his execution. The V\&A showed the pearl-drop earring that Charles I of England wore at his execution in 1649 in its 2013 Pearls exhibition. [3]
4. **1863**: Princess Alexandra receives the Dagmar necklace. The pearl necklace known as the Dagmar necklace was a gift to Princess Alexandra when she married the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, in 1863. [3]
5. **1917**: Pierre Cartier trades a double strand of natural pearls for a mansion. Pierre Cartier traded a double strand of natural pearls for a mansion at 653 Fifth Avenue in New York City. [6]
6. **1954**: Joe DiMaggio gives Marilyn Monroe a cultured pearl necklace. The necklace of cultured pearls that Joe DiMaggio gave Marilyn Monroe in 1954 was among the jewels in the V\&A's 2013 Pearls exhibition. [3]
7. **1969**: Richard Burton gives La Peregrina to Elizabeth Taylor. La Peregrina, a drop-shaped natural pearl found in the Gulf of Panama in the 1500s and long owned by European royalty, passed from Richard Burton to Elizabeth Taylor. [4]
8. **2011**: La Peregrina sells at auction for $11.8 million. Christie's New York auctioned the Cartier necklace containing La Peregrina for $11.8 million. [4]
9. **2018-11-14**: Marie Antoinette's natural pearl pendant sets an auction record. At Sotheby's in Geneva, Marie Antoinette's 18th-century natural pearl and diamond pendant sold for CHF 36,427,000, a new auction record for a natural pearl. [5]

## Questions people ask

### What is the most expensive pearl ever sold?

At auction, Sotheby's reported a new record for a natural pearl in 2018, when Marie Antoinette's 18th-century natural pearl and diamond pendant sold in Geneva for CHF 36,427,000. Earlier, in 2011, the Cartier necklace holding La Peregrina sold at Christie's New York for $11.8 million. [4, 5]

### What is the largest pearl ever found?

We found no laboratory-verified record. The very large "pearls" reported from giant clams are non-nacreous clam pearls, which CIBJO's guide says typically measure 3 to 140 mm but can appear much larger, especially as blisters. In ancient times, Pliny called Cleopatra's two pearls the largest ever seen. [1, 8]

### What is La Peregrina?

A drop-shaped natural pearl about the size of a pigeon's egg, found in the Gulf of Panama in the 1500s. It became a prized possession of European royalty; Richard Burton gave it to Elizabeth Taylor in 1969, and in 2011 Christie's New York auctioned the Cartier necklace holding it for $11.8 million. [4]

### Did Cleopatra really dissolve a pearl in vinegar?

The only account is Pliny's, and many modern scholars have treated it as fantasy. But a 2010 study found that the acid strength of wine vinegar is ideal for dissolving a pearl, so the chemistry is plausible. [1, 10]

## References

1. Pliny the Elder; translated by John Bostock and H. T. Riley. The Natural History, Book IX, Chapter 58: Instances of the use of pearls. [Source](http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0137%3Abook%3D9%3Achapter%3D58) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20160516131237/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0137%3Abook%3D9%3Achapter%3D58)
2. Suetonius; translated by Alexander Thomson, revised by T. Forester. The Lives of the Twelve Caesars. [Source](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/6400/pg6400-images.html) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20261015091812/https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/6400/pg6400-images.html)
3. Victoria and Albert Museum, with Qatar Museums Authority (2013). Pearls (exhibition press release). [Source](https://www.vam.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/238019/V-and-A-Pearls-Release-oct.pdf) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20240612234028/https://www.vam.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/238019/V-and-A-Pearls-Release-oct.pdf)
4. Gemological Institute of America (GIA), Birthstones. June Birthstones. [Source](https://www.gia.edu/birthstones/june-birthstones) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20260614074112/https://www.gia.edu/birthstones/june-birthstones)
5. Sotheby's (2018). Marie Antoinette's Pearls Break Auction Records in Geneva. [Source](https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/marie-antoinettes-pearls-break-auction-records-in-geneva) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20260410204948/https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/marie-antoinettes-pearls-break-auction-records-in-geneva)
6. Gemological Institute of America (GIA), Gem Encyclopedia. Pearl. [Source](https://www.gia.edu/pearl) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20260909031512/https://www.gia.edu/pearl)
7. Gemological Institute of America (GIA), Gem Encyclopedia. Pearl History and Lore. [Source](https://www.gia.edu/pearl-history-lore) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20260612145202/https://www.gia.edu/pearl-history-lore)
8. CIBJO Pearl Commission (2025). CIBJO Guides Describing and Classifying Natural and Cultured Pearls, the Producing Molluscs & Responsible Pearling. [Source](https://cibjo.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Final-Guide-October-2025-v2-COMPRESSED.pdf) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20260212155210/https://cibjo.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Final-Guide-October-2025-v2-COMPRESSED.pdf)
9. CIBJO, The World Jewellery Confederation, Pearl Commission (2026). The CIBJO Pearl Book (Pearl Blue Book) 2026. [Source](https://cibjo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Pearl-Blue-Book-2026-.pdf) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20261025235254/https://cibjo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Pearl-Blue-Book-2026-.pdf)
10. Prudence J. Jones (2010). Cleopatra's Cocktail. [Source](https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/classics-gnrl-hmnties-facpubs/2/) · DOI [10.1353/clw.0.0169](https://doi.org/10.1353/clw.0.0169) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20240224062334/https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/classics-gnrl-hmnties-facpubs/2/)

**Written by:** Learn About Pearls editors

**Fact-checked:** Learn About Pearls editors, October 26, 2026

**Reviewed by:** Simon, October 27, 2026

**First published:** November 4, 2026

**Publisher:** [Unique Pearl](https://learnaboutpearls.com/about/), a pearl jeweler

**Revision history**

1. November 4, 2026: First published. First published

**How to cite this page**

**APA:** Learn About Pearls editors. (2026). _What Are the Most Famous Pearls in History?_ Learn About Pearls. https://learnaboutpearls.com/history/famous-pearls/

**MLA:** “What Are the Most Famous Pearls in History?” _Learn About Pearls_, Unique Pearl, November 4, 2026, learnaboutpearls.com/history/famous-pearls/.

**Chicago:** Learn About Pearls editors. “What Are the Most Famous Pearls in History?” Learn About Pearls. Unique Pearl. Last modified November 4, 2026. https://learnaboutpearls.com/history/famous-pearls/.

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## Related pages

- [History](https://learnaboutpearls.com/history/): From ancient pearl fisheries to the first cultured pearls and today's industry, with a dated timeline.
- [The cultured pearl revolution](https://learnaboutpearls.com/history/cultured-pearl-revolution/): How cultured pearls began in China and Japan, and how pearl farming spread around the world.
- [Natural pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/natural-pearls/): Pearls that formed with no human help, why they are rare, and how labs confirm them.