During preparation of content for Bahrain’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, Pearling Testimony of an Island Economy (aka the Pearling Path) new artefactual, archaeological and documentary evidence was discovered and collated that reveals the long history of pearl fishing in Bahrain, and its central role in the economy of Bahrain and the Gulf. In this paper a comprehensive presentation is given of pearls and pearl jewellery found during archaeological excavations in Bahrain, including the rich collection of Tylos Period jewellery (mainly Hellenistic to Parthian periods). Remarkable new evidence of pearl-fishing in the Early Islamic period is outlined, as revealed by recent excavations at a major installation built around a submarine spring (Al Sayah) off the coast of Muharraq Island. Samples of archival evidence relating the more recent historical fishery are presented and discussed, derived from the unrivalled archive of primary documentation kept by the Bahrain National Museum.