Pearl is the birthstone of the month of June. It is also the only birthstone that is created by living creatures, specifically oysters and shellfishes.
This occurs when an oyster’s soft inner body is lodged with a parasite, a piece of shell, or basically anything that would irritate them.
Once the oyster becomes irritated, it releases a substance known as nacre. This builds up around what irritated the oyster hence, leading to the creation of a pearl.
History has shown in myths that pearls possess magic. In Ancient times, however, only the wealthy were allowed to wear gemstones, including pearls. But how did the pearl’s beauty really dominated the eyes of the human population?
Pearls: Throughout the Ages
Before this precious gemstone was cultivated, pearls were so rare that they were so expensive. Because of its tremendous prices during the old days, only the nobles and the wealthy were able to own one.
In India, books have mentioned that their god, Krishna, gave the first ever pearl to his daughter, Pandaia, to celebrate her wedding.
In Persia, a sarcophagus of a Persian princess shows that there is a fragment of pearl jewellery inside it. This shows that even during in 420 BC, pearls were used as a form of embellishment.
Legend has said that the pearls were formed from dewdrops that dropped into the sea and were swallowed by oysters. The Persian Gulf is home to a lot of oysters. Previously, it was the center of pearl trading and the country got its financial support from selling pearls.
In China, pearls were the perfect gifts for the royalty during the 2300 BC. Pearls symbolizes the purity of the wearer.
The Pearl Age
During the 15th and16th Century, pearls have become a part of the trade that were considered a constant. This led to the Pearl Age.
In this period, the popularity of the pearls have reached the women in Europe and nobles and royal would wear them all over their bodies: in a pure pearl necklace, bracelets, brooches, and in earrings. By the 19th Century, the pearl supply has dwindled due to the high demand of this previous gemstone.
The oysters in shallow rivers were reserved for the royals and those in the deep sea only produced a limited number that was not enough for all the people yearning to own a piece of this gemstone.
Cultured Pearl
The first ever cultured pearl was created in Japan by Kokichi Mikimoto. Mikimoto manually and purposely introduced a stimulant to an oyster in order to create a pearl.
This innovation has caused the prices of pearls to drop and by the year 1935, there were already a total of 350 pearl farms in Japan, alone. These pearl farms produces 10 million cultured pearls in a year.
Nowadays, pearls are cultivated in freshwater or in seawater. There also a variety of colors to which suits the taste of the wearer.
However, one thing is for certain and remains the same throughout the ages: pearls are beautiful gemstones that must be added to every jewellery collection.
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