Pearls: Chapter 1
By: Elana Rubin of FutureFashionista.com & Evelyn Yallen of IntoTemptation.com
Pearls are the oldest known gemstone and a source of fascination for thousands of years. They are an organic gemstone, similar to amber and coral, as they are created by a living creature, in this case, the oyster.
Pearls are produced by mollusks, both freshwater & saltwater varieties, when an irritant, such as sand or bacteria gets inside an oyster and it reacts by producing thick nacre that coats the irritant. Mollusks are a soft bodied creature with a calcareous shell that can be univalve, bivalve, or multivalve and usually reproduces through external fertilization. Common examples of mollusks include snails, Bobtail squid, octopus, cuddlefish, crawfish, scallops.
Non-Nacreous Pearls
Many of these mollusks produce calcareous concretions that look like pearls but are scientifically not considered "pearls" by gemologists because they do not contain nacre. These 'pearls' have a very similar structure and also consist of calcium carbonate but in a fibrous structure instead of a crystallized form. The mollusks also do not produce the sticky conchliolin paste that fuses the layers of crystallized calcium carbonate.
These calcareous concretions can vary from fragile pastel green balls that crumble with a mild touch to having the same structure & composition as a kidney stone produced by a human with no commercial value. They can also be very rare durable purple or salmon pink gems that sell for $3000 per carat.
Cephalopods such as squid & octopus, can produce "pearls" but gastropods, such as the Queen conch snail create some of the most prized calcareous concretions. These non-nacreous "pearls" are completely natural and include the Melo Melo from the Indian 'volute' marine snail, the Lion's Paw Scallop pearl, The Queen Conch pearl from the Strombus gingus univalve snail and the North American Quahog "pearls" from the bivalve vlam Venus Mercenaria.. These pearls cannot be cultured.
In the early 1900’s, man learned how to artificially replicate the spontaneous occurrence of nacre production by nucleating oysters with beads or donor mantle tissue and thus "Pearl Farming" was born. Today nearly 99% of the pearls in the jewelry market are cultured and many of the local governments regulate and protect the mollusks. The Pearl Farming industry has saved the oyster from extinctions.
Pearls are one of the most ecologically friendly gemstones. They require no mining, preventing destruction and chemical leaching into the earth's soil. The government restrictions in mollusk harvesting and pearl farming have allowed mollusks to live with great care & protection, ensuring the oyster population exists in perpetuity.
Their distinguished manifestation in every known culture and their strong presence in the earliest written texts, religious documents, ancient artifacts and historical records have made them one of the most recognizable and celebrated gems in the world. Their initial discovery is unknown but the pearl's first appearance in written words was in the 4,000 year old Chinese text Shu King. Their utilization by the Chinese people was extensively described, from their use as payment for taxes and their placement in the mouths of nobility upon their deaths.
In sacred Hindu writings from India and Ceylon (1000 B.C.)., Krishna plucked pearls from deep in the ocean and gave them to his daughter Pandaïa on her wedding day. This is also the first historical reference connecting pearls with weddings. Of course, the sight of a bride adorned with pearls is commonplace today.
The Persian Gulf has also been a great source of pearl history, through their appearance in art, pottery and coins. The oldest known pearl necklace, The three strand Susa necklace, was discovered in the sarcophagus of a Persian princess who died in 520 BC, It now resides in the Lourve.In the first century B.C., wealthy Roman women decorated their gowns and furniture with pearls. They would even sleep on beds inlaid with pearls to bring about a restful slumber. The Roman general Vitellius financed an entire military campaign by selling just one of his mother's pearl earrings.
In one of the most famous pearl stories, Cleopatra wagered Marc Antony she could give the most expensive and luxurious dinner in history. Cleopatra arrived at the banquet wearing large pearl earrings. She crushed one of them, dissolved it in her goblet of wine, and drank it down. She offered the other earring to an astonished Marc Antony, who declined it and admitted that she had won. The remaining pearl earring was later cut in half to adorn the statue of Venus in the Pantheon in Rome.
Walking through any museum, you can begin to see the importance of pearls in famous art and paintings, both religious and secular, such as Botticelli's "Birth of Venus." Great historical figures have included pearls in portraits of themselves to portray power, purity, and to solidify their exalted standing as nobility.
Pearls recur in religious texts as a symbolic reference. In addition to their inclusion in Hindu texts, pearls are mentioned repeatedly in ancient Judeo-Christian and Muslim religious texts and equated with the most expensive material object a person could own. The Hebrew hymn," Eshet Chayil" (woman of valor) is chanted every Friday evening on Shabbat and originates from Proverbs 31. Eshet Chayil speaks about the woman of valor being much more precious than a pearl and the ideal woman a son should bring home to meet his picky Jewish mother. The allegorical concept of 'pearls of wisdom' originates biblically in the Book of Job.
The Book of Revelations in the New Testament mentions "The Pearly Gates" at the entrance of Heaven in which the twelve gates are each made of a single large pearl. In the Book of Matthew, Jesus was called "The Great Pearl". The Koran has numerous references to pearls. Mohammed utilizes pearls as a metaphor for the greatest awards a man can be given. Ancient Islamic Texts refer to the pearl as a very sacred creation by G-d, therefore Muslims place extremely high value on natural pearls. Many Muslims will not purchase cultured pearls for this reason. This attitude towards cultured pearls is evident today in Bahrain where customs laws have made it illegal to bring cultured pearls into Bahrain, except for those used in medicinal treatments.
Throughout history, the pearl has remained the most popular gemstone of royalty. Queen Elizabeth I is one of the most famous pearl enthusiasts, having owned over 3,000 gowns decorated with pearls in addition to closets full of pearl adorned wigs and decorative objects. Many famous paintings and art work show royalty, including King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth II and Mary Tudor wearing pearl jewelry. Phillip II, King of Spain presented his wife Mary Tudor with the exquisite "La Peregrina" (eventually sold at auction to Elizabeth Taylor in 1969) as a wedding gift. Mary Tudor cherished this pearl and it can be seen in the numerous paintings of her.
With Great Thanks to the Following Sources of Information:
Ward, Fred. Pearls. Gem Book Publishers, 1995.
Matlins, Antoinette. The Pearl Book.Gemstone Press. VT 2008
Pictures courtesy of GIA, The Smithsonian, Elana Rubin