History of the Pearl
Cultivating a Freshwater Pearl
Pearls are like fingerprints. Amazingly, all pearls are similar and unique in the same way. Organic pearls are treasures from the earth, lakes, ponds, oceans and seas.
"They have embodied the mystery and power of life."
By human intervention, an irritant and a piece of mantle tissue are surgically implanted into the mollusk. This stimulates the nacre coating production which coats the pearls over and over. This is like an onion center that can cover itself with many layers. Nacre is made up of calcium carbonate. This is the way a mollusk or oyster protects itself. It can take 2 to 3 years for the mollusk to be harvested. After it is pulled out, the mollusk is cut open to harvest a dozen or more pearls of various sizes and colors. The pearls are washed and then they are tumbled, polished and put on a low heat for a final washing. The pearls are sorted by hand according to size, blemish, shapes and tints. In order to create a 16 inch necklace a sorter has to go through 10,000 of them.
The mollusk's meat is never wasted. This is considered to be a very expensive resource as it is used in many products. The empty shell is then sent to factories and is made into decorations. Due to overfishing, flooding, oil production and pollution finding natural pearls began to disappear. Natural pearl production began in 1920 and began declining 1930 to 1980. Throughout 1893, Japan was the first to launch this idea of pearl farming. Since 1991 China then began to farm and now lead the world with its dominance in Asia in the harvesting of pearls for the 21 century. The city of Shan Xia Hu is the hub of pearl farming. This is in the province of Zhejiang, China. Today, all pearls are now cultured by human intervention assistance. Keep this in mind, all cultured pearls are routinely lightened to achieve a disired luster. Pearls share the same properties as wild or natural pearls. Cultured pearl products of today reveal the quality of natural pearls.
Life of a Pearl
The discovery of the pearl is unknown. However, through historical discovery we know that the Romans and Egyptians loved this piece of organic beauty as far back as the 5th century BC.
The oldest natural surviving pearl necklace was buried with a Persian princess 2000 years ago as well as the mention of pearls in 2206 BC. For thousands of years natural pearls were found from the Persian gulf, Indian Ocean, to the Red Sea. Taking a journey back through time, it was written that pearls were only worn by royalty and aristocracy. Laws were written that forbid anyone to wear these except nobility.
Anne Boleyn who was married to HenryVIII always wore her pearls that had a "B" hanging from it. Before her untimely death, she gave birth to a little girl named Elizabeth who would be the future queen of England. Queen Elizabeth I, was noted for wearing pearl strands some reaching as far as her knees. As the centuries continued pearls were worn by many movie stars such as the beautiful Grace Kelly and the elegant Jackie Kennedy. Through our history it is evident that pearls have a timeless appeal that will never go away.
Chinese Folklore, Healing Powers
-Legend states that cultured and freshwater pearls are considered to offer the power of love, money, protection, and luck.
-Pearls are thought to give wisdom through experience, along with quickening the laws of karma.
-The pearl can cement engagements and love in relationships.
-It is thought to keep children safe.
Symbol of the Pearl
In a mollusk the nacre (layers of calcium carbonate) is released around the irritant (foreign object) to protect itself, thus, becoming a pearl. The mollusk has been symbolized under numerous titles such as the symbol of unblemished perfection or determination to overcome obstacles. Due to their luster and beauty, it represents purity. The Latin word for pearl literally means "unique," stating to the fact that no two pearls are identical. Hold that pearl tight, you will realize that it can bring you peace and patience.
