Pearls of Wisdom…
Hollywood Icon Grace Kelly, known for her impeccable taste, is shown here wearing her favourite accessory: Pearls
When one thinks about pearls, many famous women come to mind: Grace Kelly, Coco Chanel, Audrey Hepburn and the always classic Queen Elizabeth II. The great Queen Elizabeth I also had a special love for pearls; she owned pearl-embroidered dresses and always wore seven ropes of pearls down to her knees.
Pearls symbolize love, happiness, charity, honesty, wisdom and purity. The Latin word for pearl means unique- because no two pearls are identical. Pearls are the oldest known gem and for many centuries were the most valuable. Even before humans had the technology to carve gemstones, the rare beauty and natural perfection of pearls was immediately apparent.
In classical Rome, only those above a certain rank were allowed to wear pearl jewelry. Cleopatra made a bet with Marc Anthony that she could throw the most lavish and expensive banquet in history and he accepted the wager. When Cleopatra served a very ordinary meal Marc Anthony was sure he was victorious. When they had finished the meal, Cleopatra stood up and removed one of her priceless pearl earrings, dissolved it in a glass of vinegar and drank it. Marc Anthony conceded that she had won the bet.
Ancient people thought oysters made pearls after coming to the surface of the ocean and drinking dewdrops. From the 15th to the 17th century, people thought pearls were oyster eggs and it was not until the 18th century that we gained our present understanding of the formation of pearls.
A pearl is formed when a foreign object, usually a parasite or other organic matter- not a grain of sand as is popularly believed- enters the mollusk’s shell. As a defense mechanism, the mollusk will form layers of a substance known as nacre around the foreign object. Nacre is the same substance that the mollusk makes its shell from.
In theory, any mollusk is capable of producing a pearl but for most species a pearl is made out of a calcium-like substance and has none of the luster and shine we associate with gem grade pearls. For gemologists, only two types of mollusk produce the desirable nacreous pearls- the pearl oysters that live in the sea and the freshwater pearl mussel.
Different Types of Pearls:
Freshwater Pearls: Form in various species of freshwater mussels. They are often dyed different colors including: gold, champagne, pink and orange. Most cultivated freshwater pearls today come from China.
Natural Pearls: Are very rare as they form by accident and, as such, they are very valuable. Unfortunately, because they are so rare, before the technique of producing cultured pearls was developed, many tons of oysters would be killed to find perhaps three or four natural pearls.
A cultured Pearl Necklace
Cultured Pearls: Most pearls on the market today are cultured pearls; this process involves implanting a foreign object in the oyster for it to form a pearl around. This process was developed in the 1950s in order to better control how many pearls were produced and to stop the needless killing of so many oysters.
The rarest kind of cultured pearls are South Sea Pearls. They must be dived for in their deep-sea habitats that are mostly around Australia- the most important exporter of South Sea Pearls.
A Multicoloured South Sea Pearl Necklace
South Sea Pearls are made by wild- not farm raised- oysters and the populations are strictly controlled by the Australian Government in order to ensure sustainability. South Sea Pearls are very valuable as an oyster can only produce up to three pearls in its lifetime and one pearl can take from two to four years to produce. They are very popular and are worn in strands of black, gold, white or even multicolored. South Sea Pearls are prized for their large size and silvery color and sizes up to 14mm are common. An elegant strand of South Sea Pearls can easily take the place of a diamond necklace.
Please stop by one of our House of Kahn Estate Jewelers locations in either Palm Beach, Florida or Chicago, Illinois to view our beautiful pearl collections or call us and we will assist you in your pearl or other jewelry needs. We hope you have enjoyed this article and please feel free to share this article with your friends.
House of Kahn Estate Jewelers
60 East Walton Street
Chicago, Illinois 60611
USA
312-943-9937
House of Kahn Estate Jewelers
231 Peruvian Avenue
Palm Beach, Florida 33480
USA
561-655-3743
