Al Mahmood Pearls: Custodians of Bahrain’s Natural Pearls
At the heart of Al Mahmood Pearls lies a single material: the natural Bahraini pearl. Everything the house produces, from museum-worthy necklaces to everyday jewellery, begins with pearls drawn from the kingdom’s waters. Nearly a century spent sourcing, assessing and matching natural Bahraini pearls has positioned the Al Mahmood family among Bahrain’s leading natural pearl experts. Seeing natural pearls in person is increasingly rare, making the opportunity to experience them firsthand at Jewellery Arabia 2025 all the more significant.
When I spoke with Mohamed Abdulrazzaq Al Mahmood, CEO of Al Mahmood Pearls back in November, the message was clear – his goal is to emphasise each pearl’s individuality, be it its perfectly round or baroque shape, lustre or tone. This is precisely what Al Mahmood seeks to preserve, allowing the beauty of these sea gems to speak for itself in a high jewellery and perfectly wearable daily design.
Al Mahmood’s magnificent nine-row natural pearl necklace from the VIP Collection. It took three decades to collect the pearls, which graduate from a creamy white centre pearl measuring over 10mm
Pearl Diving and Provenance
Bahrain’s relationship with pearls long predates their status as luxury objects. Built on a pearling tradition in which both divers and traders played highly specialised roles, the tawash, or pearl merchant, acted as the critical link between sea and market – a lineage that continues today with the Al Mahmood family.
Pearl diving itself has changed significantly. Where it once required four to six months of arduous travel at sea, modern technology now allows licensed divers to remain underwater for hours at a time, enabling a single diver to accomplish what previously demanded the labour of dozens. ‘Today, one person can complete the task of 50 divers’, tells me Mohamed.
What has not changed, however, is the element of chance. Pearls are still discovered without cultivation or seeding, formed entirely within wild oysters. Bahrain remains unique in formally prohibiting pearl farming, guaranteeing the natural origin of every pearl from the kingdom’s waters.
Two white gold and diamond rings, each set with a natural saltwater Bahraini pearl from Al Mahmood's esteemed collection
Weighing Al Mahmood’s natural Bahraini pearls the traditional way
The Al Mahmood family’s involvement in Bahrain’s natural pearl trade dates back close to 100 years
The same principles have guided the Al Mahmood family for generations: an insistence on natural origin, an expert eye for selection and an appreciation for the organic beauty that makes each pearl unique
Prized for their historical value and rarity, in ancient times natural Bahraini pearls were used as currency and ornaments for royalty
Generations of Natural Pearl Expertise
The Al Mahmood family’s involvement in Bahrain’s natural pearl trade dates back close to 100 years, when pearl diving and trading formed the backbone of the island’s economy. Over generations, this connection evolved from necessity into specialist expertise.
In 1982, this inherited knowledge became a physical presence with the opening of the family’s first showroom under Abdul Razak Al Mahmood, formalising decades of experience into a house dedicated exclusively to natural Bahraini pearls. This was a humble beginning for what would become the kingdom’s treasure.
At the zenith of Bahrain’s pearl diving epoch, Abdul Razak’s father held the revered position of Tawash – the master grader and valuer of a pearl diving fleet. His were the hands that first cradled the ocean’s most secretive gems, his eye the one that discerned their hidden luminosity. This priceless knowledge and intimate dialogue with the sea’s most coveted treasures became the family’s inheritance. It is the very soul of Al Mahmood Pearls, and the foundation upon which its undisputed leadership in natural pearls was built.
A white gold and diamond ring, set with a natural saltwater pearl weighing 32.03 chow. Chow is a traditional unit of measurement used in the natural pearl trade in the Persian Gulf
This legacy gleams from within the most prestigious addresses in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Yet, the true hallmark of the house is not merely its presence, but the expertise of its founder - expertise so profound it was eternally enshrined by the late Amir of Bahrain, H.H. Shaikh Isa Bin Al Khalifa. In 1998, he bestowed upon Abdul Razak Al Mahmood the honorific title of ‘Shaikh of Pearls’, a historic seal of mastery.
Nowadays, following in the footsteps of his father, Mohamed Abdulrazzaq Al Mahmood leads the company. His approach reflects the same principles that have guided the family for generations: an insistence on natural origin, an expert eye for selection and an appreciation for the individuality and organic beauty that make each pearl unique.
Two unique Al Mahmood Pearls creations featuring natural saltwater pearls adorned with shimmering diamonds
It’s all about passion
It’s been several years since I first met Mohamed, and one thing that I have noticed from the start and that remains the same is his passion for pearls. The way he looks at them - with so much love and adoration - hasn’t changed a bit, if not has become stronger. ‘Pearls are an integral part of my life, an essential component of my identity and passion. I was exposed to pearls from an early age and grew up with them, but now I look into the future, allowing their beauty and history to continue to inspire me’.
During the meeting, the company CEO confessed that he has a good number of outstanding pearls in his private collection which is understandable since he knows like no other the true value and rarity of natural sea minerals.
A natural saltwater pearl and diamond ring in 18k white gold. This exquisite pearl weighs 85.161 chow
This ring showcases a natural saltwater pearl weighing 32.03 chow
The VIP Collection
Now, let’s take a closer look at jewellery to understand how Al Mahmood collections showcase pearls as protagonists of each design. Let’s start from the finest jewels that are a part of the VIP Collection. This is the highest expression of Al Mahmood Pearls’ work – a space reserved for the house’s rarest and most exceptional natural Bahraini pearls. These are not pieces conceived to sit within collections, but jewels assembled gradually, often over decades, as pearls of the required calibre are found, assessed and brought together.
Al Mahmood completed the breathtaking nine-row natural pearl necklace just weeks before Jewellery Arabia
At its summit sits a nine-row natural pearl necklace, completed just weeks before Jewellery Arabia. Finished three decades after the first pearl was selected, each strand graduates from a creamy white centre pearl measuring over 10mm. Standing before it, my thoughts turn to the passion and discipline required to wait for pearls like these to appear, one by one. Its worth lies not in a number alone, but in the years of patience, judgement and expertise required to bring such a piece into being. It is one of those rare jewels that makes you pause, as you consider everything that had to align for it to exist at all.
Al Mahmood’s way of working often begins with a single pearl. After admiring the nine-row necklace, Mohamed Abdulrazzaq Al Mahmood showed me one such example: a natural Bahraini pearl small enough to sit in the palm of the hand, yet exceptional in every respect, from its flawlessly clean surface and high lustre to its perfectly spherical form. “What makes this pearl so special is its origin,” he explains. “This is a truly remarkable natural Bahraini pearl. You can see the colour, the lustre and the pure beauty of it. It is a perfect G1 pearl, suitable as a centre gem, or as the beginning of a new story – the foundation for building an entire necklace.”
I was also honoured to be the first to try on a necklace and earrings suite that sits comfortably alongside the nine-strand necklace. Over the course of six months, Al Mahmood’s master craftsmen brought the set together, pairing the luminous saltwater pearls with top-quality D-E-F diamonds.
Katerina wears the nine-row natural Bahraini pearl necklace, the highest expression of Al Mahmood Pearls’ craft
The delicate art of drilling holes in Al Mahmood’s natural pearls
The holes are drilled using a traditional hand drill
Al Mahmood uses this revered, centuries-old technique to drill all of its natural pearls
Beyond the VIP Collection: Living with Pearls
While the VIP Collection represents the pinnacle of Al Mahmood Pearls’ work, it is not the sum of it. Within the Signature Collection, pearls are combined with diamonds, mother-of-pearl, and ornamental stones such as malachite and turquoise. Alongside geometric, Art Deco-inspired motifs and architectural lines, the collection also explores natural forms more subtly, for example shell-inspired silhouettes in which Bahraini pearls are set directly into sculptural 18k gold. “When you wear this pendant, you wear the memory of the Gulf,” says Mohamed Abdulrazzaq Al Mahmood.
Katerina holds the Al Mahmood Signature choker in 18 rose gold,with natural Bahraini pearls, mother-of-pearl and diamonds
The Signature Collection also includes sumptuous tassel pendants, reworked at a scale and proportion suited to everyday wear. ‘This jewellery line is inspired by the rich tapestry of Arabian heritage and represents the elegance of minimalist design’, share Al Mahmood CEO. Cascading from contemporary pendants and earrings, these pieces are immediately recognisable as Al Mahmood and, known locally as karkoosha, are a firm favourite with Bahrainis.
The Heritage Collection, meanwhile, draws directly on Bahraini jewellery traditions, translating historic design cues into high carat 21k gold adorned with natural pearls and turquoise. Comprising 21 designs, pearls are woven into the jewels using fine gold threads, with traditional goldwork, including ornate granulation – the delicate placement of tiny gold spheres – bringing classic Bahraini richness and intricacy to each piece.
The Al Mahmood Signature bangle and ring in 18 rose gold, with natural Bahraini pearls, mother-of-pearl and diamonds
A House Shaped by its Natural Pearl Heritage
From exceptional high jewellery necklaces to everyday jewels designed to be loved and lived with, the house’s dedication to natural pearls reflects an unwavering commitment to Bahrain’s most precious natural resource. It is this singular focus that distinguishes Al Mahmood as one of the true custodians of natural Bahraini pearls today.
A bracelet from the Signature Collection featuring strands of natural Bahraini pearls and diamonds
Seeing so many Bahraini pearls together at Jewellery Arabia was a pleasure and a privilege. Will Al Mahmood surpass its nine-strand necklace at the 2026 edition? I very much look forward to finding out.
WORDS
Katerina Perez is a jewellery insider, journalist and brand consultant with more than 15 years’ experience in the jewellery sector. Paris-based, Katerina has worked as a freelance journalist and content editor since 2011, writing articles for international publications. To share her jewellery knowledge and expertise, Katerina founded this website and launched her @katerina_perez Instagram in 2013.
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