The largest freshwater pearl to be found in Scotland in centuries has been donated to the National Collection. Perfectly round, 11mm in diameter and weighing 43.6 grains, the Abernethy Pearl went on permanent display in the Restless Earth gallery at the National Museum of Scotland today (Thursday 18 September). 

A Bronze Age hoard discovered in Carnoustie has been acquired by National Museums Scotland and will go on display for the first time in a new exhibition opening next summer.

The hoard includes a rare spearhead decorated with gold and a bronze sword in a wooden scabbard, dating from around 1120-920 BC. Scotland’s First Warriors (27 Jun 2026 – 17 May 2027) will bring together over 250 objects spanning thousands of years, to explore the origins and impact of conflict and warfare in prehistoric Scotland. 

Scotland’s oldest known bagpipe chanter, a horn spoon collected by an Austrian aristocrat and an exquisite medieval rock crystal charmstone are among the Gaelic stories behind 15 objects in the collections of National Museums Scotland which have been published in a new bilingual online resource.

National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh 
28 June–30 November 2025 
 
nms.ac.uk/monkeys

A unique rock crystal jar found as part of the Galloway Hoard will go on public display for the first time later this year. The Galloway Hoard: Rock Crystal Jar will open on 8 November 2025, at Kirkcudbright Galleries, near where the Hoard was first discovered.