June Birthstone - Pearl
In the sixteenth century a large and perfect pearl was discovered inthe Gulf of Panama and brought to Spain by King Ferdinand V. Hepresented it to his wife Mary Tudor of England as a wedding gift. Itsoon became an emblem of royalty, worn by generations to come. Thisseductive lore of the eternal pearl continues with our own 20th centuryroyalty. Elizabeth Taylor now owns that perfect pearl, the world’smost famous. Named “La Peregrina", Richard Burton purchased it for heron Valentines Day 1969 for $37,000. And who can forget Audrey Hepburnin "Breakfast at Tiffany's", with long strands of pearls draping overher little black dress. Fashion queen Coco Channel was the first tointroduce pearls as a fashion accessory for everyday wear, pearls wereher signature design. House of Channel carries on the tradition withthe latest runway fashions today.
The oldest pearl jewelry is more than 4,300 years old. Found duringthe excavation of the king’s palace at the Persian capital of Susa andcurrently housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The ancient reliefsshow Assyrian and Persian kings with single pearls woven into theirlong beards. Centuries later pearls were introduced to Greece byAlexander the Great. In the thirteenth century Marco Polo visited thecoasts of India & the Persian Gulf and recorded the work of thelocal pearl divers. He described them as being laden with weights andlowered to the seabed to gather pearl oysters while holding theirbreath.
The first attempt at pearl cultivation was by the Chinese in theeleventh century. However, It was not until 1913 that German zoologistFriedrich Alverdes established the exact scientific process by which apearl is created. He discovered that pearls are formed when a foreignbody such as a grain of sand penetrates the shell of the oyster. Inorder to isolate the irritant the mollusk encases it with layer upon layer of a substance called nacre, or calcium carbonate. As each layer of nacre is added the "pearl"becomes more iridescent. The beautiful and lustrous pearls we see infine jewelry stores spend 6-8 years in an oyster.
A Japanese carpenter named Mise started pearl culturing experiments in 1904 and became the first person to develop a spherical cultured pearl,but never achieved a patent. In 1907, a zoologist named Nichikawa alsobegan producing spherical cultured pearls. Upon his death hisfather-in-law, the noodle seller Mikimoto, took over the culturing gavethe new firm his namesake. Over the years the Mikimoto company hasmade great contributions to the development of the pearl industry. Because Mikimoto was long believed to be the originator of culturedpearls, the term Mikimoto Pearls is used incorrectly as a term for cultured pearls. Cultured pearls are produced from the Akoya oyster,so the term "Akoya Pearl" refers to a saltwater cultured pearl. In 1921 the cultured spherical pearl became available to the generalpublic and the entire pearl industry changed as pearls were now an affordable accessory.
The method of culturing a pearl is to open the valves of a pearl oyster insert a bead of mother of pearl shell. The oyster is returned to the water, after a few years the oyster will have covered the beadwith its nacre. The longer the oyster is in the water the thicker thenacre of the pearl becomes which will make the pearl more lustrous andvaluable. The only true way to detect a natural pearl from a culturedone is to x-ray the nucleus.
Pearls are cultivated all over the world. The Australian waters producethe largest pearls in white, grey and golden colors. These pearls growto over 20mm in size and can be round or baroque in shape. South Sea Pearls are the most expensive and rare cultured pearls. They are golden incolor and almost perfectly round. The term South Sea Pearl refers tothe waters off the coasts of Burma, Indonesia and French Polynesia inaddition to Australia.
Pearls from the waters of Tahiti are known as Black Tahitian Pearls,but the true colors are more of a grey to dark gunmetal blue color withovertones of green, pink, lavender and brown. The colors are naturaland are not to be confused with dyed black pearls. A lustrous blackpearl should look metallic with very few to no blemishes. Tahitianpearls range in sizes of 7mm to 30mm and shapes vary from round tobaroque, round being the most valuable.
The Japanese Akoya cultured pearls are round and oval to semi-baroquein shape. The natural colors are white, rose, & light-golden. Thepearl size ranges from 2mm-12mm.
Pearls that have not been cultured and found in the oceans at random are called Natural Pearls. The finest natural pearls are Oriental Pearls from the Persian Gulf. Other natural pearl fisheries are the Gulf ofManaar, The Red Sea, the coasts of India & Australia, the South Seaislands of Micronesia and Polynesia, Japan, coastal waters ofVenezuela, the Gulf of Mexico and along the Pacific coast of Mexico.The Gulf of Panama gave the world the beautiful "La Peregrina."
Any shelled mollusk can produce a pearl of sorts, but only those thathave a shell with a mother of pearl lining can form lustrous pearls fitfor jewelry. The saltwater pearl oyster falls into the latter category and is known scientifically. Filibranchia, of the class known as Lamelli branchia. The generic name is Pinctada, or more commonly knownas the Akoya. The second most important saltwater producing mollusk isthe giant conch, Strombus gigas. The conch pearlsproduced from this shell vivid pink in color and extremely rare. Orange pearls have a similar appearance have been found in the Malaysian, Myna Marian & Vietnamese waters.
Natural Freshwater Pearls are found in rivers across the world, from exotic locales to the heartland of the United States. Some of the best quality are from the Mississippi river. These pearls varyin baroque shapes as wings, dog’s teeth & flower petals that havelent their interesting designs to unique jewelry in the past andpresent. Tiffany introduced a freshwater pearl jewelry collection in1857 that started the popularity in America for the odd-shaped pearls. President Lincoln bought Mary Todd Lincoln a necklace, earrings, brooch& bracelet of fresh water pearls from Tiffany’s in 1861 to wear fortheir inaugural ball.
Long strands of pearls were iconic in the roaring twenties as hip womenof all ages celebrated the decade of decadence. Pearls were a must have for stylish and chic ladies of the time. As the rich got richerthe money spent on the luxury increased. According to Tiffany’sdocuments in 1925 Mr. Wannamaker, following in the tradition of ancientRome two thousand years before him, bought an opera length strand of 79 pearls for $228,800.00 and in September he returned for an even largerpearl strand for $304,480.00. Not to be outdone, Mrs. Marshall Fieldoutspent him when she dropped $60,000.00 on a single pearl—possibly themost money ever paid for a pearl. When these lucrative times came toan end after the 1929 crash, pearls held their value during thedepression.
Prior to pearl cultivation pearls were valued highly because of their scarcity. The famous story of the value of pearls is often toldabout Mrs. Morton Plant who in 1910 sold her fabulous mansion at 52nd street & 5th ave. in New York to Cartier for a strand of pearlsworth $1 million. Mrs. Plant traded her mansion to Cartier for thestrand of pearls enabling Cartier to occupy the location that theystill maintain today.
The first cultured freshwater pearls were originally from Lake Biwa inJapan in 1925. They were beautiful large baroque pearls with a smoothsurface and a fine luster. Unfortunately today the production of Biwapearls is not possible because of the polluted waters of Lake Biwa.
The Chinese cultured pearls have become incredibly popular since 1991. The overall quality of Chinese pearls have been of a poorer quality due to overcrowding of mussel in thelakes which thereby deprive the mussel of essential nutrients for idealgrowth. Because of this, Chinese pearls are a less expensive pricedpearl. However, in recent years the Chinese have been producing pearlsof a higher quality, rounder, a smoother surface, and with moreluster. Chinese pearls come in a variety of colors ranging from white,peach, lavender, pink and peach. Chinese pearls having deep, vividcolors of brown, gold, green and black are dyed; these are not natural pearl colors.
Pearls are graded according to size, color, luster, surface blemishesand shapes. Some pearl companies will have their own system ofgrading. For example: using AAAA for a fine pearl to A for low qualitypearl. There is however no universal set of grading standards and the Asystem can be very subjective. Buying pearls from a Gemologist is recommended.
The size of pearls varies depending on the type of oyster, the locationof the culture farm and the water temperature. The worldwide standardfor measuring pearls is millimeters. Pearls are sold based on the “momme”,which equals 3.75 grams weight. Momme indicates thicker nacre;therefore a more valuable lustrous pearl when measuring pearls of thesame millimeter size. Pearl sizes generally range from 2mm to 20mm inincrements of 1/2 mm.
Pearl color will depend on the type of oyster and origin of thepearls. Akoya pearls tend to be a white with a pink overtone.Freshwater pearls are now available in a rainbow of colors from China. Natural colored pearls have the most value. Freshwater pearls grownaturally in a variety of body colors of white, pink, peach, yellow,lavender, gray; these colors will be a soft hue, while very vivid, deepand even color usually indicates that the pearls are dyed.
The luster depends on the thickness of the nacre. If the nacre is verythin the pearl will look chalky and dull. If the nacre is thick apearl will look metallic and even have its own reflection. It is bestto view pearls in natural light. Many pearls will also lookiridescent. For example, a Tahitian grey pearl may have a hue oflavender & pink colors at the same time. A pearl that is verylustrous evenly over the entire surface is the most valuable.
If the pearl is not completely smooth and has slight nicks, wrinkles,scratches, cracks, pits, dimples, bumps in the nacre they will appearas surface blemishes. Patches of missing nacre will look likediscolorations. The smoother the pearl’s surface, the more valuable.
The perfectly round pearl is the most valuable of all. The JapaneseAkoya pearl is the most round. There are many oval shaped pearls thatto the eye may look round but the price of the pearl is considerablyless. There are many different shapes of pearls depending on the typeof oyster and the type of nucleation. A baroqueshape indicates that the pearl is not round and has a distortedirregular with uneven surfaces. Examples of baroque shapes are pear,drop, egg, button, wings, dog’s teeth and flat.
Tahitian pearls are round, semi-round, drop, button, baroque and circle(rings around the pearl). South Sea Pearls are round, semi round,circle and baroque. Freshwater pearls are mostly baroque and come inendless varieties of shapes, often flat as rather than spherical. A Blister pearlis the term for a natural or cultured pearl that grow attached to thesurface of the shell, when they are removed from the shell they areflat on one side and covered in nacre on the top. Mabe pearls are a cultured blister pearl with a round top and tend to be very delicate. Seed pearls are very small natural pearls usually 2mm round. Keshi pearlsare a byproduct of the oyster, a small pearl that can form in themuscle of the oyster in addition to the cultured pearl. They can beflat, oval, odd-shaped and usually has a poor lustre quality withsurface blemishes.
A strand of pearls should all be matched for color, roundness andluster. A matched strand can be beautiful as well as valuable. Pearlsare strung on silk cord from Japan and are usually tied with a tinyknot in between each pearl to keep them separate and secure. As pearlsare worn the thread will stretch, if the pearl slides on the threadthat is an indication that it is time to have the pearls taken apart,cleaned and restrung. The pearls should always be tight and secure onthe thread. A 16” strand is called a choker. An 18”, a princess, 20”, a matinee, 32” an opera. Any strand longer than opera is called a rope of pearls.
Since a pearl is the natural secretion it is a delicate gem. The pearlwill be affected by perfumes, hair sprays and oils from skin which willreduce the layers of nacre. Pearls should never be worn in water suchas hot tubs, swimming pools or showers. Heat can also damage pearls bycausing the nacre to crack. Clean pearls with a soft, damp clothwithout the use of any detergents or cleaners. Never use any type ofabrasive cleaners or abrasive materials or the pearl surface will scratch.
Do not put pearls in ultrasonic cleaners or commercial jewelry cleaners. A damaged pearl can never be repaired since it is made of organic calcium carbonate. Pearls should be stored in a soft pouch orpearl folder. Safekeeping and treatment of pearls will ensure thatpearls can last for generations.
Artists such as Rembrandt, Vermeer, Manet, Titan, Renoir and manyothers have painted the beauty of women draped in pearls. Photographers have captured Coco Chanel, Jacqueline Kennedy, MarleneDietrich, Vivien Leigh, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and othersociety women depicting the continuing love between women and pearls. Sandro Botticielli, known for painting some of the most beautifulfemale images, painted the portrait of Simonetta Vespucci de’Medici in1480; she is wearing strings of pearls and pink ribbons woven in herhair and a thick braid of pearls in her clothes which frames herdécolletage.
Today pearls are worn with ball gowns, little black dresses, jeans andeven as Elizabeth Taylor wore them on the beach in her bikini. GraceKelly casually wrapped her long pearl strands around her arm.
As quoted from the “Girls in Pearls” by Schoeffel,
When the first drop of rain fell from the clouds into the wide bluesea, it felt insignificant as it was tossed and tumbled by the rollingwaves. “How tiny I am in this vast expanse!” it cried. And Heavenanswered: “Your modesty honors you, little raindrop, and so I willtransform you into a drop of light. You will be the noblest of alljewels, queen of them all, and you will have power over all women.” And the pearl was born.
Janet Deleuse
Audrey Hepburn Photo Credit: "Tiffany Pearls" John Loring. Abrams, New York
