The History, legends and lore of pearls and pearl jewelry.
" Perfected by nature and requiring no art to enhance their beauty, pearls were naturally the earliest gems known to man" (Kunz, The Book of Pearls, 1908).
You will learn of the history and legends of pearl gems some of the famous pearls and pearl jewelry,pearl necklace names and caring for your pearl jewelry.
The Allure of Pearls
Captivating Pearls and Their History Long know as the "Queen of Gems " pearls have a history and allure far beyond what we may realize today. No other stone has captivated people more than the natural pearl, a true gift of nature, created only by chance.
The finest quality pearls have been highly regarded as gemstones for many centuries. The word pearl has become synonymous with something rare and admirable. They are unique among gemstones as pearls are the only gemstones found within a living creature and the only ones that require no cutting or polishing.
Throughout history pearl necklaces were a treasure of incomparable value. Pearl jewelry was the most expensive in the world.
The ancient Romans considered pearls a great treasure. In 61BC at the triumphal procession of Pompey, there were 33 crowns of pearls and numerous pearl ornaments.
The returning Crusaders in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries had a lot to do with the spread of using pearls as personal decorations. The clothes of men and women were encrusted with pearls. Unless you were of the upper class of society you were not even allowed to own pearls.
The emperor Caligula decorated his favorite horse with a pearl necklace and he wore slippers embroidered with pearls.
Queen Elizabeth 1 was said to always wear 7 ropes of pearls that reached to her knees and that she had over 3000 pearl embroidered dresses.
Cleopatra bet Marc Anthony that she could give the most expensive banquet in history. During the banquet she took one of her pearl earrings, supposedly worth 15 countries at that time, crushed it, dissolved it in vinegar and drank it. Marc Antony conceded that she won the bet.
In the early 20th century many famous pieces of jewelry from Europe were sold to wealthy Americans. One of the most famous was the " Their's pearls". It belonged to the widow of the first president of France. In 1924 it was auctioned off at the Louve and sold for the equivalent of $700,000.00. Pearls were important financial assets, comparable to real estate.
When Spanish conquistadors arrived in the western hemisphere they found an extensive bed of pearls around the islands of Cubaua and Margarita. One of them the Peregrina was offered to Spanish Queens. This pearl became VERY famous when Richard Burton bought it for Elizabeth Taylor. Margarita pearls are extremely difficult to find today. They are known for their unique yellowish color. One of The most famous Margarita necklaces is the one that Venezuelan President Betancourt gave to Jacqueline Kennedy when she and President Kennedy paid an official visit to Venezuela.
History and Lore and Types of Pearls
History and Lore Although there are many stories about the discovery of pearls, more than likely the first pearl was discovered when a prehistoric man chipped his tooth when he bit into an oyster that contained a pearl.
Ancient Chinese literature refers to pearls as originating in the brain of a dragon and being so lustrous that it could be seen from a thousand yards away.
One legend has the Hindu god Krishna discovering pearls when he plucks the first one from the sea and presents it to his daughter on her wedding day.
Hindu lore also speaks of pearls as dewdrops that fell out of the night and into the sea.
Pearls are considered to offer the power of love, money, protection, and luck. Pearls are thought to give wisdom through experience, to quicken the laws of karma and to cement engagements and love relationships. They are thought to keep children safe.
Ancient legend says that pearls were thought to be the tears of the gods and the Greeks believed that wearing pearls would promote marital bliss and prevent newlywed women from crying.
A common belief for many centuries was that at certain times of the year, oysters rose to the surface of the water in the early morning hours and opened their shells to take in dew drops which became pearls.
In the 15th to 18th century the belief was that pearls were the eggs of oysters.
In the 18th century the conclusion was that pearls were created as the result of the intrusion or a parasite into the oyster.
Types of Pearls
Pearls are organic gems created by living creatures. It is a hard rounded object produced within the soft tissue of a shelled mollusk. When an irritant such as a piece of sand works it's way into a particular species of oyster, mussel or clam the mollusk as a defense mechanism secretes a fluid to coat the irritant called the nacre. Layers and layers of nacre are deposited until a pearl is formed.
There are basically three types of pearls: Natural, cultured and imitation.
Natural - A natural pearl is the rarest and most difficult to find and usually the most expensive. Most natural pearls sold today are vintage pearls. For thousands of years, most sea water pearls were retrieved by divers in the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Mannar.
Cultured - Cultured pearls go through the same process as natural pearls but the irritant is implanted. The composition and structure of this nacre is essentially identical to that of a natural pearl. Most pearls sold today are cultured pearls.
Whatever method it takes to create a pearl the process takes several years. Often the irritant may be rejected by the oyster, the pearl may be terribly misshapen, or the oyster may simply die from disease or other complications.
Typically by the end of a 5 to 10 year cycle only 50 % of the oysters will have survived. Of all the pearls produced only 5% are of substantial quality for top jewelry makers.
Despite the common misconception, Mikimoto did not patent the process of cultured pearls. The accepted practice was developed by a team of scientists at Tokyo University, headed by Tokichi Nishikawa, who was granted the patent in 1916.
He married the daughter of Mikimoto and Mikimoto was able to use the technology.
Mikimoto did make a crucial discovery in the culturing of pearls, he experimented with everything from glass to lead to wood to nucleate the oysters. By trial and error over a number of years he discovered the highest success rates were from using round nuclei cut from U.S. mussel shell.
Imitation - these are basically glass beads dipped into a solution made from fish scales or painted beads. Mallorca pearls are imitation pearls.
Cultured and natural pearls can be distinguished from imitation pearls by the "tooth "test. Rub the pearl gently against the edge of a tooth. Natural and freshwater pearls will feel slightly rough or gritty while imitation pearls will feel smooth as glass.
Pearls can come from either freshwater or saltwater sources. The commercial process for raising freshwater pearls originated in Lake Biwa, Japan at the end of the 1920's.
Various problems, such as pollution and viral diseases have hampered production. Progress is being made in restoring the ecosystems to return Japanese pearls to a prominent market in the future.
The premier source today of freshwater and Akoya pearls is China. Once thought of as an inferior product, advances in technique and marketing have made Chinese freshwater pearls true gems.
The United States also continues to hold a substantial share of the freshwater pearl market. Most of the US pearls are produced in the south and especially in the Tennessee River.
Native Americans were the first to collect and use US freshwater pearls.
The pearls were used in pendants, on articles of clothing and as tributes.
It is said that the first American pearl was discovered by a cobbler named Howell in 1857 in New Jersey.
He collected a number of mussels from the Notch Brook River near Paterson. As he prepared to eat his favorite mussel dish he bit down on a 26 gram pearl which he later found out would have been worth $25,000.00 had it not been damaged by heat and teeth marks.
Another famous pearl found in the US was also in NJ found by Jacob Quackenback, he sold it to Tiffany for $1500.00 and it was later sold to Empress Eugenia of France for $2500.00.
How Pearls are Graded
Value and Grading of Pearls It is common practice to bleach, polish and dye cultured pearls today. Pearl treatments are driven largely by price and demand. Ironically, experts agree that pearls are looking better than ever before. Industry wide there is very little standardization in grading of pearls.
Pearls are graded by size, shape, nacre thickness, luster, color, surface clarity and matching symmetry that is appropriate for the particular pearl. Example: South Sea pearls are graded against each other, not by what would be expected for an Akoya pearl.
Luster - This is the deep shine or inner glow. This is what separates pearls from all other gems and is what many experts call the "heart and soul "of a pearl. The luster is created when light reflects off the many layers of nacre.
Surface - Surface refers to the amount of or absence of blemishes. The fewer the markings or spots on the pearl's visible surface the more valuable.
Shape - Shapes range from round, to semi-round, off round to oval and from drop to baroque. Round is the rarest and therefore usually the most valuable.
Color - Cultured pearls come in a variety of colors from silvery white to black and a rainbow of colors in between. The overall or main color is called the body color and the overtones are the translucent colors that appear over the body. Color is usually a matter of preference.
Orient refers to the shimmering, iridescent colors which appear to move when the pearl is turned. This is caused by the light reflection through the layers of nacre.
Size - Generally with all other factors being equal the larger the pearl the more valuable. The larger the pearl the more nacre. A pearl's size is measured by its diameter in millimeters. Sizes range from 1 millimeter or less, to 20 millimeters or 3/4 of an inch for the largest black Tahitian pearls.
The largest black pearl ever found was about 25 millimeters (1 inch) in diameter.
Another factor in purchasing pearl jewelry is matching. It is the uniformity of color, size, luster, shape and graduation of pairs or strands of pearls. The more uniform and ascetically pleasing the pearls look together the more time was taken in matching the pearls and is reflected in the price.
Naming of Pearl Necklaces
There is a unique way of naming strings of pearls: . Collar - This will sit directly against the throat and not hang down the neck.
. Choker - This will nestle just at the base of the neck.
. Princess - This comes down to or just below the collarbone.
. Matinee - These fall just above the breasts.
. Opera - These are long enough to reach the breastbone.
. Rope - This is any length of pearls that fall down farther than an opera
Caring for Your Pearl Jewelry
When cared for properly, pearls can last a lifetime. They are soft and need special care. The best way is to wear them often as the body' natural oils keep them lustrous. * Wipe the pearls with a soft cloth after wearing them.
* When taking off pearl jewelry - grasp the metal part and not the pearl itself
* Store them in a jewelry pouch by themselves as they are soft and scratch easily.
* Take off your pearls when applying cosmetics, hair spray and perfume.
* Take off your pearls when swimming or showering.
* Lay the strand flat on a clean soft cloth or towel and clean them with a mild soap and water solution.
* Pearls should be the LAST thing you put on and the FIRST thing you take off.
* Pearl strands should be restrung every one to two years or more often if the thread begins to bag or fray. Silk and nylon beading threads are the most commonly used materials for stringing pearls.
* Have your pearls restrung once every year or two.
Don'ts for Your Pearl Jewelry
* Never use an ultrasonic cleaner
* Never use or expose pearls to dish detergents, bleaches, powdered cleansers, baking soda, or ammonia based cleaners.
* Never use toothbrushes, scouring pads or abrasive materials to clean pearls.
* Avoid wearing pearls with rough fabrics.
* Never steam clean pearls
* Do not hang pearls to dry.
* Do not wear pearls when the string is wet
