Abernethy pearl
{{short description|Scottish freshwater pearl discovered in 1967}}
File:St._Matthew's_Church_and_Smeaton's_Bridge.jpg, where the pearl was discovered]]
The Abernethy pearl, also known as the Little Willie pearl, is a {{convert|43.60|gr|adj=on}} freshwater pearl{{Citation |title=Abernethy Pearl |date=2009 |work=Dictionary of Gems and Gemology |pages=2 |editor-last=Manutchehr-Danai |editor-first=Mohsen |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-72816-0_36 |access-date=2024-06-28 |place=Berlin, Heidelberg |publisher=Springer |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-540-72816-0_36 |isbn=978-3-540-72816-0}} named after William Abernethy (1925–2021), who discovered it in Perth, Scotland, in the River Tay in 1967.{{Cite web|last=Larif |first=Shihaan |url=http://www.internetstones.com/abernethy-pearl-little-willie-freshwater-scottish-margaritifera.html|title=Abernethy Pearl aka Little Willie Pearl - Scottish Freshwater Pearl|work=Internet Stones.COM Network|access-date=25 March 2017}}{{cite news |title=Bill Abernethy obituary |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/obituaries/article/bill-abernethy-obituary-06j0p29cr |access-date=4 December 2021 |work=The Times |date=4 December 2021}} It is also known as Bill's pearl.
The Abernethy pearl was produced by a mussel belonging to the species Margaritifera margaritifera. It is spherically shaped and coloured white with a slightly pink overtone.{{cite news |last1=Ferguson |first1=Chris |title=Bill Abernethy, who found Scotland's largest freshwater pearl, dies aged 96 |url=https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/obituaries/2769999/perthshires-bill-abernethy-who-found-scotlands-largest-freshwater-pearl-dies-aged-96/ |access-date=4 December 2021 |publisher=The Courier |date=26 November 2021}}
The pearl was reportedly valued at £10,000 in 1967 ({{Inflation|UK-GDP|10000|1967|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}).{{cite news |date=10 November 1996 |title=Call for a ban on pearl fishing to save endangered river mussels |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12079212.call-for-a-ban-on-pearl-fishing-to-save-endangered-river-mussels/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522135101/https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12079212.call-for-a-ban-on-pearl-fishing-to-save-endangered-river-mussels/ |archive-date=2021-05-22 |access-date=22 May 2021 |work=The Herald |quote=...the more recent exploits of Mr Bill Abernethy, who discovered the famous Little Willie pearl - valued at #10,000 in 1967 - have inspired hundreds of fortune-seekers.}} It is now displayed at the A&G Cairncross in Perth.{{cite book |last1=Farn |first1=Alexander E. |title=Pearls, natural, cultured, and imitation |date=1986 |publisher=Butterworths |location=London |isbn=9781483162737 |page=54 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hPXfBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA54}}