Abernethy Pearl to be Auctioned August 21, 2024

Known as the Abernethy Pearl, it is expected to command between $51,000 and $77,000 when it hits the block at Lyon & Turnbull’s sale of the Cairncross Collection on August 21.

Weighing 43.6 grains (14 carat), the Abernethy Pearl was found in 1967 by William Abernethy, a somewhat legendary Scottish pearl fisherman who died in 2021 and is widely considered to have been the last of his kind.

Abernethy learned to fish for pearls from his father and spent most of his working life traversing the country’s rivers on foot or in small boats. According to a documentary from the 1970s, Abernethy was able to discern whether or not a mussel contained a pearl simply by looking at its size and shape.

Typically smaller than their saltwater counterparts, roughly one in five thousand mussels in Scottish rivers contain a pearl. With Scottish freshwater mussels teetering on the verge of extinction due to overfishing, a pearl fishing ban was introduced in 1998, making it illegal to kill or disturb mussels.

Lyon & Turnbull’s Cairncross Collection auction stems from the jeweler in Perth that was the only business licensed to sell Scottish freshwater pearls. Cairncross of Perth closed in 2023 after a century and a half in business.

Read about my trip to view "Little Willie", as the Abernethy pearl is nicknamed, here and learn more about the man who found it.

SOURCE: https://news.artnet.com/art-world/giant-scottish-pearl-abernethy-heads-to-auction-2519270


The largest Scottish freshwater pearl found in living memory will be staying in Scotland after selling for almost £94,000 at auction, said to be a world record.

The piece, which went to a Scottish buyer, formed the highlight of The Cairncross Collection auction in which every single item was bought, an occurrence known in the industry as a “white glove sale”.


Another auction highlight included a Scottish freshwater pearl necklace, which fetched £17,640.

Kari's Note: Knowing that the UK is several hours ahead of us here in Iowa, USA, I wanted to check and see what the Abernethy pearl sold for and to my surprise, the auction was live at that moment selling the natural pearl necklace. I expected the necklace to sell for much higher. But the highlight for me was next the Abernethy pearl sold live. What are the chances that I would happen to login to the Lyon & Turnbull auction, at that precise moment? I felt God's divine blessing on me and on my business that I could witness this famous sale first hand. Thank you, Jesus!