We're proud holders of a Scottish Freshwater Pearl Licence, granted by the Scottish Government's Nature Agency, NatureScot. All of our Scottish freshwater pearls were found before 1991, when the statutory ban on fishing freshwater pearl mussels began.
Often known locally as Tay pearls, Scottish freshwater pearls famously feature in the Crown Jewels. They are found in an array of natural colours, including pink, cream, white, purple and brown, and often in unique shapes. It is this uniqueness that makes them highly sought-after around the world.
Indeed, Scottish freshwater pearls have been treasured for thousands of years, with Julius Caesar's appreciation of them being one motive behind the Roman's first invasion of Britain in 55BC.
More than half of the global population of freshwater pearl mussels are found in Scotland. The mussel beds were decimated due to illegal fishing and the mussels are now categorised as a threatened species. As such, it is a requirement to hold a licence to be able to sell any Scottish freshwater pearls, and they must have been found before 1998, when the law was changed to further protect the mussels.
We have a beautiful, though limited, selection of Scottish freshwater pearls and jewellery in stock. If you would like to order a bespoke piece of jewellery featuring Scottish freshwater pearls, please contact us.
Our Scottish freshwater pearls are sold subject to a licence from the Scottish Government's Nature Agency, NatureScot, and were taken from the wild prior to 27th of March, 1991.