Back in 2011 a pearl was unearthed from an archaeological dig that was excavating a coastal aboriginal site in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It was almost perfectly round, five millimetres in diameter and discovered in an area which was well-known as the heart of Australian cultured pearl production. The question posed by this discovery was whether or not this beautiful pearl was the creation of the modern industry, a tiny treasure that had almost been discarded and sunk down in the earth laying undiscovered until that day in 2011. There was a small chance that it was a genuine natural pearl. The latter explanation seemed unlikely but the researchers at the University of Wollongong were convinced of the authenticity of their find. The pearl didn’t have the seed that appears on cultured pearls and exhibited the classic features of a perfect natural pearl. read more