Pearls Pearls are the oldest known gem in history and for thousands of years remained the most valuable. It is believed that a fragment of pearl jewellery, found in the sarcophagus of a Persian princess who died in 520 BC, is the oldest example of their use and is displayed in the Louvre in Paris.
Pearls have always been regarded as a symbol of perfection and purity and they have been part of the legends of every culture on earth. “Hebrew legend claims that pearls were the tears shed by Eve on being banished from Eden. An Indian myth says pearls are dewdrops from heaven, which are caught by shellfish at sunrise during a phase of the full Moon. In China, pearls were thought to come with rain from the spit of fighting dragons, and were believed to be a charm against fire. There is an ancient form of divination called margaritomancy, which is derived from margan', the Persian word for pearl. This method uses a pearl to determine the guilt of a person accused of a crime. As pearls were associated with purity, they were thought to react against anything false.”
(Legends of the Pearl – www.helium.com)
Since ancient times, pearls have featured in the teachings of religious figures from Buddha to Mohammed. The bible has many references to pearls and many of Christ’s parables refer to them. Christians are all familiar with the “Pearly Gates” and the Pearl of Great Price in Revelations. The Quran often mentions that those who get to paradise will be adorned with pearls – “God will admit those who believe and work righteous deeds, to Gardens beneath which rivers flow: they shall be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearls; and their garments there will be of silk.”
Through the ages, many cultures restricted the wearing of pearls to those that were deemed worthy of them, but fortunately, nowadays, we may all enjoy the sheer luxury of these beautiful gems. Thanks to modern techniques we no longer have to rely on pearl divers who may or may not be lucky enough to find a mollusc willing to give up its prize.
Natural and Cultivated Pearls fall into two categories:
Salt Water Pearls are grown in oysters living in the ocean in protected lagoons. Akoya, South Sea and Tahitian are the three main types of saltwater pearls.
Fresh Water Pearls are formed in mussels that live in lakes, rivers, ponds and other bodies of fresh water. Most fresh water cultured pearls sold today come from China.
Simulated Pearls allow us to enjoy the luxurious look and feel of pearls when we can’t afford the real thing. There are 3 types of imitation or simulated pearls. Shell, glass and plastic.
“Shell is probably the best of the three and the more expensive of course. Shell pearls are made from fish scales and oil called hemage (pronounced her'ma'ghee). This is made up into a paste which is applied usually in 29 successive layers to a base. The more layers applied the better the quality and the more expensive simulated pearls you will get. Each time a layer is applied it is allowed to dry and is polished to remove any imperfections before the next layer is applied.
The fine quality Majorca Pearls are an example of the shell pearl where this process is used but the actual details of the process are a closely guarded secret.
Glass Pearls are similarly made but the bas is a milky glass bead and sprayed or covered with hemage one to three times only then dried. The quality is considerably less than the shell pearl and the difference can be easily seen.
Plastic Pearls are simply a plastic bead painted or coated in paint to resemble a pearl and is the cheapest of the imitation pearls. The paint tends to peel off and so is not of much use to anyone.“
Sizes of Preciosa imitation pearls (PDF-file 156 kb)
Glass pearls in stock (XLS-file 283 Kb)
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