Pearls are a unique gemstone in the history of mankind and have been the objects of praise and fascination for hundreds and hundreds of years. They brighten up the faces of those who wear them. Women wearing pearls – just like pearls hiding in shells – are mysterious and impossible to get to know; they are refined yet simple. They radiate sublime elegance and timeless beauty.
Their rarity made them the privilege of rulers and gods. Today, now that they are cultivated, they are a basic item in the accessories for every well-dressed woman. Pearls have been surrounded by many legends during history. In Polynesian mythology, the god of peace and fertility Oro gave a black pearl to Bora Bora as a proof of his love. In imperial China, a black pearl was the symbol of wisdom and it was guarded by a dragon between his teeth. Whoever wanted to get the pearl had to kill the dragon first.
In the Persian Gulf pearls were called the teardrops of angels. The belief was that rain falls from the eyes of angels and after these teardrops fall into the sea and are locked in oyster shells, they get hardened. In hot and dry climates fishing for pearls was a way of living for many centuries.
A pearl is the only organic gemstone. It grows in oysters shells in the sea or in freshwater mussels, sometimes in snails. It develops as a defence to a potentially threatening irritant such as a parasite inside a shell and the mollusc creates a pearl to seal off the irritation. Theoretically, all bivalves can grow pearls but in practice only one in every 100,000 grows one. Because of their rarity and the great demand for them the culturing of pearls began centuries ago, especially in Japan. Location and the type of shell used distinguish the many different types of cultured pearls.
The best known and most expensive cultured pearl is the Akoya, which is grown in pearl oysters near the coasts of Japan, China and Korea. Akoya pearls are famous for their wonderful lustre and warm colour. In size they are rarely more than 9 millimetres.
South Sea white pearls are cultivated in semi-tropical mussels in Australia and Indonesia and they are usually 10-20 millimetres in diameter. They too are very expensive due to the large size and warm lustre.
South Sea black pearls are from Tahiti and French Polynesia. They exist in a large variety of colours, ranging from black to brown, from grey to silvery blue and some of them have red, green or blue lustre. Their large size and colour make them expensive.
Pearls cultured in freshwater mussels are generally longish and have a milky lustre and are cheaper than saltwater pearls. They are cultured mainly in Japan, China and the USA.
Mabe pears have a half-sphere shape because they are formed flush against the shell of the pearl oyster. These are cultured in Japan, Indonesia and Australia and are most commonly mounted on jewellery so that their flat half cannot be seen.
The value of a pearl is determined by size and shape, plus the quality and colour of its surface. The most valuable pearl in the world is La Regente, which originates from Napoleonic times and is worth 3.26 million Swiss Franks. This unparalleled gem, a large, egg-shaped pearl, was originally given as a present by Napoleon to his second wife Marie Louise. One of the most famous black pearls is Azra, which formed the central part of a necklace in the Russian crown jewels.
Royal ladies and celebrities have always demonstrated a love for pearls. Old portraits show that for instance Elisabeth I, the Queen of England, was a great lover of pearls. Elisabeth II of England is almost always seen with a pearl necklace. Princess Diana and many Hollywood starlets followed suit.
Caring for pearls
Pearls must be worn frequently in order to make sure that they maintain their lustre and colour. However, after use, they need to be polished with a soft cloth because perspiration can harm them and they may lose their lustre in storage.
If you do not regularly wear your pearls, it is advisable to wipe them with a leather cloth one by one to ensure that contamination is cleaned off. You need to be careful when cleaning the pearls not to rip the necklace.
If the pearls become hazy from contact with skin or hair on the neck, treat them with salt. Put the pearls on a piece of cloth, spray salt on them and tying together the corners of the cloth, rinse them through until the salt disappears. Dry the pearls in lukewarm air.
Contaminated pearls may also be washed with warm soapy water if the pearls are strung together by thread. After washing, dry the pearls with a cloth. If there are resistant marks, the pearls can also be soaked in soapy water. If plain thread was used to hold the pearls together, then it is best to use benzine for soaking. In this case, you should cover the bowl!
Never use acids, household ammonia or Liquor Ammoniae because they dissolve pearls!
