There are conflicting reports on when exactly Caesar gave Servilia the pearl, some sources claim it happened during his first consulship in 59 BC while others state it was when he returned from the war in Gaul. If it was after the war it is possible that Caesar had acquired the pearl as a spoil of war during the Gaul campaign, possibly in Britain, since the coasts of the island as well as Scottish lakes were prime location for harvesting pearls. Adrian Goldsworthy speculated in his book "Caesar, Life of a Colossus" that Caesar may have paid for the pearl with money he had gotten from a bribe from Pompey. Robert B. Kebric reflected that Caesar may have paid with tribute money he received from Pharaoh Ptolemy XII Auletes.