| The pearl was the favored gem of
the wealthy during the time of the Roman Empire. This
intriguing gift from the sea had been brought back from the
Orient by the Crusaders. Roman women wore pearls to bed so
they could be reminded of their wealth immediately upon
awakening. Pearls were once considered an exclusive privilege
for royalty. A law of 1612 drawn up by the Duke of Saxony
prohibited the wearing of pearls by nobility, professors,
doctors or their wives.
An old Arab legend tells us that pearls were formed when
dew drops filled with moonlight fell into the ocean and were
swallowed by oysters. The modern scientific explanation is not
nearly as romantic but still quite fascinating.
A natural pearl (often called an Oriental pearl) forms when
an irritant works its way into a particular species of oyster,
mussel or clam. As a defense mechanism, the mollusk secretes a
fluid to coat the irritant. Layer upon layer of this coating
is deposited on the irritant until a lustrous pearl is formed.
A cultured pearl undergoes the same process. The only
difference is that the irritant is a surgically-implanted
mother-of-pearl bead or piece of shell. The core is,
therefore, much larger than in a natural pearl. As long as
there are enough layers of nacre to result in a beautiful,
gem-quality pearl, the size of the nucleus is of no importance
to beauty or durability.
Imitation pearls are a different story altogether. In most
cases, a glass bead is dipped into a solution made from fish
scales. This coating is thin and may eventually wear off. The
island of Mallorca is known for its imitation pearl industry.
On the other side of the world, pearls were being worn for
adornment by the American Indians. The freshwater pearls of
the Mississippi River were strung into necklaces, sewn onto
headdresses and set into copper ornaments. Freshwater pearls
occur naturally and are generally very irregular in shape,
with a puffed rice appearance being the most common. San
Angelo, Texas in the late 1800’s was known as the Freshwater
Pearl Capital of the US. Even today the numerous lakes in this
region yield fine freshwater Pearls.
Fine natural pearls are quite rare. The Persian Gulf has
always been the source of the finest natural saltwater pearls.
Other sources are the waters around Sri Lanka, Australia,
Japan, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela and the Micronesian Islands.
One of the largest saltwater pearls still in existence is
the Hope Pearl, first acquired by Henry Philip Hope in the
19th century. It is two inches long, and varies between 31/4
and 41/2 inches in circumference. It is on display at the
British Museum of Natural History. Most saltwater Pearls now
come from Tahiti and are known as South Sea Pearls. The nuclei
begins larger (at least 8 mm) yield natural Pearls in the
10-15 mm size.
Japan and China are major source of cultured freshwater
pearls. The smaller nuclei and growth periods less than 8
years yield smaller Pearls in the 2.5 to 8 mm range. Above
that the retail prices soar to several hundred dollars for
8.5, 9.0 or 10.0 mm fine White Pearls. |
