Pearl History

The Rich History of 'The Queen of Gems'

“Perfected by nature and requiring no art to enhance their beauty, pearls were naturally the earliest gems known to man” (Kunz, The Book of Pearls, 1908).

The most common belief for many centuries regarding the origins of natural pearls was that at certain times of the year, oysters rose to the surface of the water in the morning and opened their shells to take in dew drops which became pearls.
In the 15th to 17th century the popular belief was that pearls were the eggs of oysters.
In the 18th century the discovery was made that pearls were the result of the intrusion of a hard substance or a parasite into the oyster.

Pearls are known as the world's oldest gem, as they have been been prized and collected for more than 4,000 years.

Many thousands of year ago, long before written history, early man probably discovered the first pearl while searching the seashore for food.

Throughout history, the pearl, with its warm inner glow and shimmering iridescence, has been one of the most highly prized and sough after gems. Countless references to the pearl can be found in religions and mythology of many cultures from the earliest times.

In ancient Egypt, mother-of-pearl was used for decorative purposes as far back as 4000 BC, although the use of actual pearls did not come until much later - perhaps the 5th century BC. The ancient Egyptians prized pearls so much they were buried with them.

Ancient Chinese literature refer to pearls as originating in the brain of a dragon and being so lustrous as to be visible from a thousand yards. As far back as 2300 BC, Chinese records indicate that pearls were the prized possessions of, and often used as gifts to, royalty.

Ancient Hindu texts in India reference pearls repeatedly. According to their text, the first pearl was discovered by the god Krishna.

Ancient Greeks highly valued pearls for their unrivaled beauty, often using them at weddings, where they were said to bring love. The Greeks held the pearl in high esteem and referred to pearls as being produced by small shell fish and used to make necklaces of great value.

In ancient Rome, pearls were considered a highly prized accessory - the ultimate symbol of wealth, prestige, and social standing. In classical Rome, only persons above a certain rank were allowed to wear pearl jewelry. Pearls were often used in Roman triumphal processions. Pliny records that in 61 BC at the triumphal procession of Pompey, there were 33 crowns of pearls and numerous pearl ornaments. The emperor Caligula loved pearls so much that he decorated his favorite horse with a pearl necklace and wore slippers embroidered with pearls.

The last Egyptian queen, Cleopatra, reportedly dissolved a single pearl (said by Pliny to have been worth 10 million sesterces, the equivalent of thousands of pounds of gold) in a glass of wine and drank it - simply to win a wager with Roman leader Marc Antony that she could she could give the most expensive meal ever provided and consume the wealth of an entire country in just one meal.

With many natural oyster beds lying along the Persian Gulf, the Arab cultures also placed a high value on pearls, which are described in the Koran as one of the greatest treasures provided in Paradise.

During the Dark Ages, While fair maidens of nobility cherished delicate pearl necklaces, gallant knights often wore pearls onto the battlefield. They believed that the magic possessed by the lustrous gems would protect them from harm.

An Old Arabic Legend romantically explains that the pearls formed when moonlight filled dew drops descended down from the sky into oceans and were swallowed by oysters.

To the Ancient Persians, pearls symbolized moon and its magical powers. The fragment of oldest known pearl jewelry now displayed at the Museum of Louvre in Paris, was found in the sarcophagus of a Persian princess who died 520 BC.

The returning Crusaders in the Twelfth and Thirteenth century had much to do with spreading the use of pearls as personal decorations. The cutting and faceting of gems that we are familiar with today did not yet exist, so pearls were in great demand.

The Renaissance saw the royal courts of Europe awash in pearls. Since pearls were so highly regarded, a number of European countries passed laws forbidding the wearing of pearls by other outside of the nobility.

During the European expansion into the New World, the discovery of pearls in Central American waters added to the wealth of Europe. Unfortunately, greed and lust for the sea grown gems resulted in the depletion of virtually all the American pearl oyster populations of the 17th Century.

Pearls were first discovered in America in the Pacific coast of Mexico and the coast of Lower California. “These pearls are noted for the great variety of colors they display. A large percentage are black, others are white, brown, peacock green etc. Generally they are small and of irregular form.” (Kunz, The Book of Pearls, 1908).
Europeans knew of these pearls from the explorations of Hernando Cortés. Companies were set up by various European countries to trade in the Mexican pearls. The local natives were used to dive for them. These pearls became so popular that after a certain amount of time the area had to be abandoned due to the lack of new mollusks.

In the Americas, both the Incas and the Aztecs prized pearls for their beauty and magical powers. Spanish explorers of the New World found the natives in possession of rich pearl fisheries. For many years, the New World was best known in European cities like Seville and Cadiz as the land where pearls cam from.

Native Americans valued the freshwater pearls they discovered and harvested from lakes and rivers. Hernando de Soto was presented with many gifts including freshwater pearls from a Native American princess. Native tribes used pearls as jewelry and for trade with colonizers from Spain, France and England. Due to the volume of pearls available in America's rivers, pearls quickly became one of the chief products sent from the colonies back to Europe. Pearl harvests included freshwater pearls from North American rivers and saltwater pearls from the Caribbean and along the coasts of Central and South America until the 19th century when natural pearl sources began to decline as a result of over fishing and the pollution caused by industrialization.

In the 1800’s many freshwater pearls were found in US rivers. The most famous one was found in Patterson N.J. in 1857. It was discovered by Jacob Quackenback, a carpenter who sold it to a jeweler named Charles L. Tiffany for $1,500. The pearl was later sold to the Empress Eugenia of France for the sum of $2,500.

In 1916, famed French jeweler Jacques Cartier bought his landmark store in New York's famous Fifth Avenue by trading two pearl necklaces for the valuable property.

Until the early 1900's, natural pearls were accessible to only rich and famous. In the late 1800s - early 1900s, the history of pearls reached a major turning point. It was during this time that Japanese researchers independently discovered the techniques that could be used to cause oysters to create pearls essentially "on demand." The man who finally combined the various technical processes with business acumen and worldwide marketing know-how, was Kokichi Mikimoto, the son of a restaurateur. Today, Mikimoto is credited with almost single-handedly having created the worldwide cultured pearl industry.

Today, with the advent of the pearl cultivation, pearls are affordable and available to all. Cultured pearls share the same properties as natural pearls and are grown by live oysters. The only difference is a little bit of encouragement by man.

Since ancient times, the pearl has been a symbol of unblemished perfection. It is the oldest known gem, and for centuries it was considered the most valuable. To the ancients, pearls were a symbol of the moon and had magical powers. No other stone, jewel, or metal has captivated people more thru the ages than the Pearl. A true gift of nature, each Pearl is naturally beautiful and elegant without being cut, shaped or refined. The Latin word for pearl literally means "unique", attesting to the fact that no two pearls are identical.

 

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Pearl History Timeline

Compiled by Caitlin Williams

Pearl History of Egypt

We know that in ancient civilizations, long before recorded history, people adorned themselves with seashells and beads made from seashells. Therefore it is not surprising that the earliest use of mother of pearl in jewelry occurred in Egypt, about 5,200 years ago. Mother of pearl was used to make cartouches and beads. There are rare examples of pearls in the paintings and statuary of these eras in ancient Egypt, but pearls themselves appear to have been uncommon in these ancient dynasties.

Pearl History of China

China claims the earliest mention of pearls in their historical texts, about 4,000 years ago. Mentioned specifically were freshwater pearls from the river Hwai and the province of King Hau; these were described as "not quite round", which is still a common description of freshwater pearls! Chinese history mentions freshwater pearls in connection with many other ponds and rivers in China. There are also mentions of sea pearls from Cochin, China as well as Japan.

Pearl History of India

India has a long and glorious history of appreciating pearls. About 3,000 years ago, pearls were mentioned in the Rigveda, the oldest of the Vedas. Around 2,500 years ago, the Atharaveda mentions an amulet made of pearls and used as a talisman. The ancient epic poem, the Ramayana, describes a necklace made with 27 pearls. Imagine the classic 16-inch necklace of about 9-11mm pearls - these would have been spectacular pearls! The god Krishna is also associated with pearls in important stories.

Pearl History of Persia

Pearls from the Gulf of Persia have been known for at least 2,700 years, not through the written word, but sculptures and coins. The gulf pearl beds were arguably the oldest, and largest, ever known. There was no other place in the world where pearl oysters grew more and better pearls, or where it was possible to dive for pearls in more places, than in the relatively warm, shallow waters of the Persian Gulf, with its many fresh water springs. Possibly the oldest pearl necklace still in existence comes from ancient Persia, from a 2,400 year old Queen's tomb. Known as the Susa necklace, it has 3 rows of 72 pearls each, held with spacer bars. This design is one of the oldest pearl necklace styles. The Susa necklace has been shown in the Louvre’s Persian gallery, for over 100 years. In The Book of the Pearl, you can find a black and white photo of this necklace opposite page 399, item 9.

Pearl History of Ceylon

Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka, enters into the historical pearl records quite early, about 2,550 years ago. A Ceylon King is recorded as having sent gifts of pearls to his father-in-law in India. There were pearl beds in Ceylon, but Ceylon was also the crossroads of all trade in Asia.

Pearl History of the Philippines

The Filipinos are described in Chinese logs as having sold them pearls from the Philippine island of Palowan, about 1,400 years ago. Palowan is still the best pearling island in the Philippines, and is home of the famed divers of the Badjao tribe.

Pearl History of Greece

The ancient Greeks and Persians were intimately involved in pearls from about 2,500 years ago. Persia was a major source of pearls for Greece. Homer describes Juno's pearl earrings: "In three bright drops, her glittering gems suspended from her ears". A beautiful Greek necklace of pearls and gold, which dates from about 2,300 years ago, was displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of New York 100 years ago. It is one of the oldest known pieces in the world, and may still be owned by the museum. Though it has lost much of its luster, it is still a stunning piece.

Greek Egypt, as ruled by the Ptolemys and Cleopatra, was famous for conspicuous consumption of pearls, literally as well as figuratively. Conspicuous consumption has probably never reached the heights to which Cleopatra took it before or since when she made a meal of a fabulous pearl on a bet with Marc Anthony.

Pearl History of Rome

The Romans apparently acquired their taste for pearls from the Greeks, and for some centuries probably rivaled or overtook India as the world's biggest pearl depository.

There was such competition for pearls in Rome that laws were made that only the elite could wear them. Statues of the goddesses - especially Venus - wore only the very best, largest, and most perfectly matched pearl earrings, in their marble pierced ears. Mortals got to fight over the rest. Large, perfectly matched pairs of pearls were wildly popular and worth far more than singletons.

Pearl History of Judea

The Old Testament did not value pearls particularly and barely mentions them- and that mention is an interpretation of some obscure words. As shellfish were proscribed by Judaism, the ancient Hebrews may not have valued pearls much either.

The New Testament was originally written in Greek, so it is not surprising that pearls are mentioned a number of times. Some of our best known pearl metaphors come from this source - the pearl of great price and pearls before swine.

Pearl History of Europe

The Romans brought pearls back from everywhere they went, so naturally, they began bringing freshwater pearls home from European rivers. Although this search is not recorded river by river, it is quite certain that the Roman lust for pearls ignited a search that eventually reached into every river bed in Europe emptying them of pearls, though not all into Roman coffers.

From the fall of Rome, when royalty began to emerge in Europe, the new elite valued pearls, fished the rivers and traded for them. The crusades fueled the pearl trade from the Persian Gulf, so the European elite increased their stores of pearls. The discovery of America opened up new sources of both sea pearls and freshwater pearls, which fueled the wardrobe of Elizabeth I and trickled down to countless others.

Pearl History of The New World

New World pearls were a major source of money to Spain before gold. Baja California and other areas had excellent pearl fields. Later the major American rivers became a source for an abundance of freshwater pearls to the European trade. It was not for centuries that the very ancient history of pearls in America was known. Pre-Columbian cultures along the largest American rivers had major collections of pearls. Many were buried in mounds and have degraded, but are still clearly pearls. Tributaries of the Mississippi still produce pearls, but the mussels they come from were and still are, mainly gathered for their shells.

Pearl History - 17th through 19th Century

Over time, European royalty wore pearls in every possible way, as jewelry, as crowns, and sewn on clothes. The largest pearls as brooches and as many long matched strands as possible dangled from bosoms and headpieces, cloaks, hats, and shoes. Artwork records lavish use of pearls by the gentry and centuries of paintings depicting nobles wearing ropes of pearls. During the 19th century al known sources of pearls were harvested relentlessly by collectors and traders.

By the time photographs of royals and their friends became a popular way to display wealth, the entire European population of lords and ladies was awash with pearls, not just the queen and her direct kin. Maybe it was just for the sake of the photograph to wear all one's pearls at once, but it showed that these pearls are so numerous that some of them must have been acquired over centuries, been well cared for, and passed down from generation to generation, though many may have been recent purchases.

The end of the 19th century was also the end of the ancient pearl trade. There would be few if any more natural pearls as the world had always known them.