Glossary
Basra pearl
Also written · Gulf pearl · oriental pearl
What is Basra pearl?
Basra pearl is the trade name for a natural, non-cultured pearl fished from the Persian Gulf and historically traded through the Iraqi port of Basra. The Gulf fishery, largely finished by the 1930s, yielded small pearls of fine lustre and warm colour. The term is now used of old natural pearls generally: it states an origin, not a shape or a size.
