Established in 2017, at the instigation of HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa,Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Bahrain Institute for Pearls and Gemstones (Danat) was formed as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company (Mumtalakat), the sovereign wealth fund of the Kingdom, with the vision to become the world’s preferred institute for natural pearl and gemstones third party verification services and scientific research.

History

As a reflection of Bahrain’s pearling history and the strong desire to protect this heritage, the Pearl & Gem Testing Laboratory in Bahrain was established in 1990 and became part of a Directorate within the Ministry of Commerce and Agriculture (now the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism) via Amiri Degree No. 10 (The same law prohibits anyone from altering a testing certificate issued by the Laboratory, issuing a testing certificate which is falsely attributed it to it the Laboratory, effecting a change or replacing any pearl after testing and then selling it with the original certificate issued by the Laboratory).

It was the first such Laboratory to be established in the Middle East and since establishment has developed a positive reputation within the Middle East and beyond. The Bahrain Institute for Pearls and Gemstones (Danat) was established in 2017 to take over, enhance, and expand upon the excellent work of the Pearl & Gem Testing Laboratory of Bahrain.