Relative Values
In 1917, the jewellers Cartier bought a building in New York with two strands of natural pearls valued at USD 1,200,000.
In 1957, the same pearls were sold at auction for USD 157,000.
Sources suggest that in the Bombay market, 1gm of fine Gulf pearls may have had the same approximate value as 320gms of gold or 7.7kg of silver in 1917*.
The display of 2.2gm of fine pearls from the Sultan Ali Al Owais Collection in NBD Pearl Museum is equivalent to 16.945kg of silver or 704.7gms of gold*.
*Approximate values calculated from information supplied by the Bank of England Information Service.