Did you know?
- The Greeks believed that pearls were the hardened tears of joy that the goddess of love shed from her eyes when born from the sea.
- The Arabs believe that pearls were formed when oysters were lured from the depths of the ocean by the beautiful moon and then swallowed moonlit dewdrops.
- The pearls are formed when an irritant, such as a small parasite or a fish lodges in the flesh of an oyster, mussel, or clam; the protective substance produced by the mollusk is called “nacre“.
- The most popular places to find natural pearls are the waters in The Persian Gulf, Japan, the South Pacific Islands off northern Australia, and the coasts of Panama, Venezuela, and California.
- Pearls are by some believed to be an aphrodisiac.
- Pearls are seen as a symbol of purity, and they are given to celebrate a marriage or the birth of a child.
- Fresh water pearls are given on the 1st wedding anniversary.
- Cultured pearls, almost 90% of the pearls on the market, are made when a human intentionally inserts foreign tissue into a living oyster.
- Besides round pearls (most popular and wanted) there are also baroque pearls with irregular shape.
- There are also the so called blister pearls that are grown attached to the inside of the shell.
- The process of making a pearl may take as long as eight years to create a pearl.
- Ultrasonic cleaners are great for cleaning some jewelry but is not recommended for pearls.
- The pearls properties are considered to be truth and beauty.
- The healing properties of the June birthstone – Pearl are effective for health problems relating to the heart, spleen, stomach, intestine & ulcer problems.
- Different cultures throughout history have associated pearls with modesty, chastity, power and courage.
- The June birthstone comes in many shades from white through cream, grey, lavender, champagne, golden yellow, blue mauve black and green.
- Mikimoto pearls are the most famous Japanese pearls.
- Although any shelled mollusk can make some kind of pearl, only certain clams, scallops, bailer shells, pen shells and abalones make pearls that are beautiful enough to be used in jewelry.
- Throughout history, in areas where natural pearls were common, the gems were used as a means of financial exchange, withholding a great value.
- Roman women wore pearls in their hair, sewn on clothes and shoes, and as jewelry because pearls were attributed to the Venus Goddess of Beauty.
- Elizabeth Taylor now owns the perfect “La Pelegrina” pearl, the world’s most famous pearl.
- Fashion icon Coco Channel was the first to introduce pearls as a fashion accessory for everyday wear, pearls were her signature design.
- The oldest pearl jewelry is more than 4,300 years old, found in the Persian capital of Susa and now held in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
- Some Cultured pearls are produced from the Akoya oyster, so the term “Akoya Pearl” refers to a saltwater cultured pearl.
- South Sea Pearls are the most expensive and rare cultured pearls. They have a golden color and are almost perfectly round.
- The term South Sea Pearl refers to the waters off the coasts of Burma, Indonesia and French Polynesia in addition to Australia.
- Long strands of pearls were a symbol of the roaring twenties and a celebration of the decade of decadence.
- The Star of Asia (sometimes called the Pearl of Asia) is a very big teardrop shaped pearl weighing nearly 14 pounds. The biggest pearl is actually the Pearl of Allah.
