Jewellery from Taylor and Monroe at V&A Museum

The Roseberry Pearl and Diamond Tiara that was given to Hannah De Rothschild as a wedding present in 1878 Credit: PA Wire

Treasured jewellery worth tens of thousands, including items worn by late movie star Elizabeth Taylor, have been brought together to give a dazzling history of pearls.

Also among the items are a 1930s Cartier necklace made of natural Gulf pearls, tiaras which have been worn by European nobility, and a necklace given to Marilyn Monroe by Joe DiMaggio in 1954.

The Pearl Necklace once owned by Hollywood film star Marilyn Monroe Credit: PA Wire

More than 200 trinkets and artworks will make up the new exhibition, called simply Pearls, when it opens to the public at London's V&A Museum at the weekend.

The Roseberry Pearl and Diamond Tiara that was given to Hannah De Rothschild as a wedding present in 1878 Credit: PA Wire

The exhibition, opening on Saturday, brings together pearls dating from the early Roman Empire to the present day and shows how they have been used as a symbol of status and wealth around the world.