De Soto’s Lost Pearls: The Treasure That Never Reached the Mississippi

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The Pearls That Never Reached the Mississippi

Hernando de Soto found his famous American pearls in South Carolina, lost them in Alabama—and reached the Mississippi empty-handed. Few European names are more closely associated with the Mississippi River than Hernando de Soto.

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Hello, fellow pearl enthusiasts,

I have just published a new edition of my LinkedIn newsletter, Natural Pearls, examining one of the most remarkable—and frequently misunderstood—episodes in American pearl history.

Although Hernando de Soto is closely associated with the Mississippi, the pearls described by his chroniclers were found hundreds of miles away at Cofitachequi, in present-day South Carolina. Taken largely from mortuary buildings and graves, they were carried west and reportedly destroyed in the burning of Mabila before De Soto ever reached the Mississippi.

The article also examines the Lady of Cofitachequi, the conflicting accounts of how many pearls were taken, their damage from heat, and what pearls represented to Indigenous communities before the arrival of the Spanish.

I hope Pearl-Guide members will enjoy the article, and I would especially value your thoughts on this fascinating chapter in the history of natural freshwater pearls.