Hi all
I saw this amazing exhibition today at one of the previews - the curators, the V&A and the Qatar Museums Authority have done a wonderful job.
The exhibition mostly takes a historical journey through the known origins of natural pearls, their formation and types of pearls. Diving traditions and history in the Gulf are next before a series of individual antique safes are used to display some truly unique pieces of pearl jewellery, including an earring worn by Charles I at his execution, the Dagmar Necklace, the Rosebury Tiara, Marilyn Monroe's Mikimoto necklace and other more contemporary pieces.
Freshwater cultured pearls were poorly represented overall and 'pearls come from excrement' also seems to be one of the headlines here! But these are minor quibbles. The exhibition was a one-off opportunity to see these pieces and well worth a visit to London if you can.
If you are interested, there is a short Q&A with the curators about the exhibition and some additional imagery of the pearls here
http://www.winterson.co.uk/blog/2013/09/pearls-exhibition-at-the-va-museum/.
Andrew
PS - whicker - I did see both the books that you mentioned today. Both were in English. I think the main difference is that the 2010 book was published for the Qatar Pearls exhibition, whilst the 2013 volume was specifically published for the V&A exhibition. The 2010 volume is about twice the size, but is also about twice the price. I hope that helps!