Stone of the month: pearl

Stories and beliefs

The origin of pearls has always fascinated our ancestors. The ancient civilizations of the Middle East believed that pearls were tears falling from the sky.
The Chinese, on the other hand, thought they came from the brain of a dragon.

Christopher Columbus and his contemporaries believed that mollusks formed pearls from dewdrops.
Pearls were traditionally offered as wedding gifts.

In the ancient Sanskrit text of the Atharvaveda, pearls were said to bestow long life and prosperity.
In Asia, pearls were believed to help relieve indigestion and hemorrhages. In the 19th century, Arab physicians claimed that pearl powder improved eyesight, calmed nervous tremors and relieved depression.

Approximately the size of a pigeon’s egg, the drop-shaped pearl, which would later become world famous under the name of the Peregrine (due to its eventful fate), was discovered around 1500 in the Gulf of Panama.
It became a prized possession of European royalty until Richard Burton gave it to Elizabeth Taylor in 1969. After the actress’s death in 2011, the Pilgrim found a new owner at a Chistie’s auction in New York, who acquired it at a record price of $11.8 million.
This episode marks the last known chapter of a jewel whose value goes beyond the material.

Genesis of the pearl

Natural pearls are formed when the mollusk secretes a substance called nacre around an irritant such as a piece of sand or a parasite that has invaded its shell.

Cultured pearls are the product of human intervention.
Technicians implant a piece of mantle tissue alone (common for freshwater cultured pearls) or with a nacre seed into a host mollusk.

The mollusk covers the irritation with nacre, just like a natural pearl.
Cultured pearls are raised in pearl farms – saltwater or freshwater operations where the mollusks are cleaned, protected from predators and inclement weather and eventually harvested.

Thousands of years of pearl fishing have decimated the natural pearl beds, so cultured pearls account for the vast majority of pearl sales today.
These come in a wide variety of sizes, colors and shapes.

Where are the Pearls located?

Pearl-bearing mollusks do not thrive in polluted waters, so pearl farms are generally found far from civilization and often in stunning surroundings.

Akoya cultured pearl farms are mainly located in Japan and China, especially along the southern coasts of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces.
South Sea cultured pearls are farmed from the northern coast of Australia through Indonesia to the southern coast of Southeast Asia, with large operations in the Philippines as well.
The Gambier Islands and the Tuamotu Archipelago, both parts of French Polynesia, are two places where rich black Tahitian pearls are cultured.
China is the dominant source of cultured freshwater pearls.

Natural pearls have been found in the Persian Gulf for at least 5,000 years, while divers have been recovering the June birthstone from the Red Sea since 300 B.C. The Mannar Strait has been providing pearls since 2000 B.C. Beginning in the 16th century, during Spanish colonial rule, large quantities of pearls were recovered from the waters off Mexico, Central America and what is now Venezuela.
Only small quantities of pearls are found in any of these areas today.

Pearl birthstone care and cleaning

Pearls have a hardness between 2.5 to 3.0 on the Mohs scale, so they are a soft jewel and require special care. They should be stored separately from other gemstones and metal jewelry to avoid scratches.
Never store pearl birthstones in a plastic bag: plastic can emit a chemical that will damage their surface.
Always apply perfumes, hair products and cosmetics before wearing your pearl jewelry.

To clean these gems safely, use a soft, damp cloth, ideally after each time the pearls are used.

Please contact us so that we can advise you in our stores on the cleaning and conservation of your jewelry.

Powers attributed to it:

The pearl has a special connection with the moon, due to its connection with the cycles and tides, which attributes to it a relaxing effect that is associated with inner peace and serenity.