Pearls have been treasured by most Civilizations since the dawn of time. The Shun empress of China was said to have received a tribute of pearls in 2250 BC and Cleopatra supposedly dissolved a large pearl in a glass of wine and drank it to impress Mark Antony with the limitless wealth of her kingdom. The first successful pearl farm was begun in 1906 in Espiratu Santo Island in the Mexican Gulf of California, leading to the science of pearl cultivation.