The Laings Journal
The Pearl - A symbol of sophistication, wisdom, style and also the birthstone for June.
Historically pearls were said to be the teardrops of the gods…and you can see from their iridescent, shimmering beauty why they are a perfect representation of romance, myth and magic..
But here comes the science…
Pearls are the only gemstone made by living animals, and thankfully harvesting the pearls from the mollusks does not kill them since they can be re-implanted and used again to create more pearls.
Most natural pearl oyster beds have vanished due to changes in climate and over-fishing so now the majority of the world’s pearls are cultured – this means that a technician injects the irritant that stimulates the nacre production which then produces a pearl with the exact same properties as a natural pearl.
The oldest known pearljewellery was found in the sarcophagus of a Persian princess who died in 520 BC and it is currently on display at the Louvre in Paris.
To find 50 perfectly matched top-quality pearls for a simple 16 inch necklace, a pearl processor may have to sort through as many as 10,000 pearls!
When it comes to celebrity style, pearls have always been a statement of glamour and femininity – Audrey Hepburn is the ultimate, representation of classic, Hollywood elegance, but we can see the pearl-look translating flawlessly into the 21st century in the form of Sarah Jessica-Parkers famous Carrie Bradshaw - in the Sex and the City movie, Carrie showcases a Mikimoto 32 inch string of pearls said to be worth $12,000.
And as Jackie Kennedy famously said “Pearls are always appropriate”
We hope you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to like, share and comment, and if you have any questions about pearls, please just ask – [email protected]