Pearls - Pieces of the Moon?
I’ve always loved the lustre of pearls but until recently I had not worked with the genuine article apart from re-knotting a strand I somehow inherited.
However as time has gone on I have slowly begun to offer a few pearl necklaces and bracelets on the website and am currently working on bringing you some pearl earrings (sneak peak above) with a Wristocracy twist of course.
I always like to learn a bit about the materials I am working with and pearls are no different. Have a quick read below to find out a bit more!
Where do pearls come from?
As you may know the iridescent jewels that we know as pearls come from the sea or water at least. They are found in some oysters (ocean) and mussels (rivers) in a variety of different places around the world. Other molluscs produce pearls as well - however not all of them are as pretty or valuable as the nacre covered pearls that we have come to love. Conch and snail (Melo melo) pearls being the exception - they are super rare and very valuable.
Pearls in History
Throughout history pearls have been worn by royalty and style icons alike. Coco Chanel, Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy favoured them as did Cleopatra, Queen Elizabeth and even Julius Caesar himself (more on that later). They have been called many names including the ‘Queen of gems’, ‘Celestial Dew’, ‘Pieces of the Moon’ and even a ‘Roman girls best friend’.
In some Indian cultures (Hindu mythology) pearls are referred to as the’ moon’s daughter’ or ‘teardrops of the moon’ because of their connection to ocean tides and their shimmery glow that resembles that of the moon. Some even believe pearls have ability to prolong youth!
In Ancient Rome pearls were associated with Venus, the Roman ‘Goddess of Love’ who was said to have emerged from the sea in a scallop shell. (This was later depicted in the famous Botticelli painting ‘The Birth of Venus’ - pictured above.) They were seen as a symbol of purity and beauty and became more valuable than gold or diamonds becoming the ultimate symbol of wealth, power and prestige. It seemed every Roman girl wanted to own one, however because pearls were so rare and sought after, to own even one pearl you had to be enormously rich.
Julius Caesar had a passion for pearls and he was a great connoisseur of them. It’s been said that he was even able to guess their value just by weighing them in the palm of his hand. He once gifted a large black pearl to his favourite mistress Servilia. It was said to be worth some six million sesterce (approx 1.5 billion USD dollar equivalent in 2019) making it perhaps the most valuable gemstone of all time! Caesar restricted who could own pearls going so far as to order that pearls were only to be owned by people of a certain age and class; they had to be married and possess great wealth.
Julius Caesar’s interest in the jewel was so piqued that it was said to be one of the factors that drew him to invade Great Britain! It was said that time the British Isles was the source of some of Europe’s finest pearls. Beautiful black pearls from Scotland, rose pink pearls from Ireland and white pearls from England were found in the mussel shells that lived in the rivers of Great Britain.
What are the most valuable pearls today and why
Over the years pearls have been found across the globe including the Middle East, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, China, the South Pacific, Australia and the Americas with each area known for a particular type of pearl. Salt water pearls are generally considered more valuable than fresh water pearls because a single oyster can only produce one salt water pearl, whereas a single mussel can produce up to fifty fresh water pearls a time. Of the salt water pearls the South Pacific pearls are generally considered the most valuable because of their exceptional quality (size, colour and lustre) and their rarity due to the long time it takes to grow them.
What is a cultured pearl
Pearls from the wild are rare finds these days, in fact the vast majority of pearls on the market today are not formed and found in the wild, but rather cultured by man. Whilst cultured pearls are still formed within a mussel or oyster shell, they do so after human intervention. A piece of donor shell is placed within the shellfish that then leads to the shellfish emitting the nacre protection onto the foreign body (to protect itself) thus forming the pearl.
The nacre or shimmery coating is the same material that coats the inside of the mother shell (the mother of pearl) and it is thickness of the layers of nacre that determine how shimmery the pearl is. That shimmer along with the origin, size, shape, and colour determines the value of the pearl. The longer the pearl is left to form the more shimmery and perhaps valuable it will be.
Pearls naturally come in a variety of colours including white, pink, silver, cream, brown, green, blue, black, yellow, orange, red, gold, and purple however nowadays many pearls can be dyed to achieve these colours.
How to clean pearls
Pearls are delicate and can be easily damaged - they rate about 2.5 on the Moh’s scale so can be easily scratched.
Despite the fact that pearls were born in water - they should not be worn in it. To keep your pearls looking beautiful remove your pearls jewellery before showering, swimming or extreme exercise (causing sweat) and avoid exposure to perfume or hairspray as this can damage the nacre.
Instead use a soft, damp cloth to wipe down your pearls and wear your pearls often they tend to survive longer when worn. This is because they are porous and the small amount of moisture and oil from your skin helps to maintain their lustre. Left alone for long periods in a jewellery box will lead to their dehydration.
Some other random interesting pearl information
Pearls are linked with February and June, the zodiac signs of Cancer and Gemini and are often used as a gift to celebrate a 3rd and a 30th wedding anniversary.
Cleopatra is said to have once taken her priceless pearl earring off and dissolve it in wine. She then drank it to impress upon Mark Antony how rich she was.
Queen Margherita of Italy wore pearls from below her chin to her knees!
Pearls are linked with the name Margaret and all its derivatives as the name comes from the Ancient Greek word for pearl.
Sometimes pearls are even made into health ‘tonics’ and/or used in some makeups for various increase perceived health benefits.
Most of the freshwater pearls seen today are cultured in China.
Are there any other gemstones you’d love to learn more about? If yes, let me know, which ones and I will happily go down the rabbit hole again! Oh and the pearl earrings above will hopefully be out soon - if you want a pair - comment below or message me and I can provide a few more details in advance.