Pearl
Pearls are an organic gemstone and the only gem created from a living creature.
Pearls are separated in to two types: natural and cultured. With natural pearls, during a chance happening in nature, a foreign substance
such as a grain of sand or coral finds its way inside the shell of a saltwater or freshwater mollusc, usually oysters, mussels or clams. The
mollusc starts to coat the irritant with layers of ‘nacre’ to protect itself. The nacre is slightly iridescent and forms the beautiful outside
of the pearl.
Until a Japanese man, Kokichi Mikomoto first cultured pearls in the early 1900’s, all pearls were natural, rare and very expensive. Today,
95% of pearls are cultured. A shell bead is placed inside the mollusc by man and returned to the water where the creature will coat the
intruder with nacre. Cultured pearls can be formed in a beautiful array of colours and in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Natural
colours of cultured pearls range from white, cream, pink, lilac, silver, gold and black. Many other pearls are dyed to a multitude of
different colours. Most cultured pearls are produced in Japan in oysters, whereas freshwater pearls are cultured in mussels, mainly in China.
As pearls are organic and composed of calcium carbonate, with a low hardness, they should always be kept away from harder materials that
could cause scratches and damage the surface lustre.
The name pearl comes from the Latin word ‘perula’ which means small pear. Natural pearls are one of the oldest known gems and have been
adored by people for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks thought that pearls were the hardened tears of joy of Aphrodite, the Goddess of
Love, as she was born from the foam of the sea. The Romans were particularly fond of pearls which were favoured by the rich classes. Women
would wear their pearls to bed to remind them of their wealth as soon as they woke up. A Roman General is said to have financed a whole
military campaign by selling one of his mother’s pearl earrings. In ancient China, pearls were swallowed to cure eye diseases and fever.
They were also thought to bring wealth, power and longevity. Today in China, low grade pearls are ground and used as medicine. As they are
mainly composed of calcium carbonate, many cultures use pearls as an antacid medication or dietary supplement.
Pearl is the birthstone for June and the zodiac sign of Gemini (May 21 – June 21). It is also given as a gift for the 3rd and
30th (Pearl Jubilee) wedding anniversaries.