Pearls Still Wield Mystery and Allure
Think of pearls, and what most likely comes to mind is a sparkling white strand of perfectly round, luminous beads draped on the neck of an exquisitely coiffed, white-gloved woman. Today, pearls are affordable and versatile enough to be found on all types of people and in all styles of jewelry.
Pearls, with their romantic and mysterious origins in the sea (never mind they are basically made out of oyster spit) have figured prominently in legends and mythology for thousands of years. Hindu tales have the god Krishna discovering the gem, Roman warriors supposedly financed whole campaigns with the sale of a few pearls, and Cleopatra is said to have won a wager with Mark Anthony by dissolving a prized pearl in her wine and drinking it down. Chinese dragons are frequently depicted carrying a pearl with a lightening bolt; while an Arabic legend describes the pearl as being made of dewdrops filled with moonlight, and the pearly gates of heaven are made from, well, pearls.
The Coming of Culture
Pearls are formed when a foreign object enters the shell of an oyster or other shelled mollusk, such as abalone, mussels, conch, or clams. If the object cannot be expelled from the shell, the creature coats it with a secretion called nacre, which gradually builds up to form a pearl.
In the early 1900s a technique was discovered to force oysters to create pearls. These are known as cultured pearls. They are made in an identical manner to the natural ones, except that the introduction of the foreign object into the oyster is controlled. Its similar to the difference between harvesting wild mushrooms in a forest versus growing them in a greenhouse, or the difference between wild salmon and farm raised salmon.
Both natural and cultured pearls come in an incredible array of colors and shapes. The most prized, and therefore the most expensive type of pearl, are those that are perfectly round and uniformly white. But they also occur naturally in varying shades of cream, gray, blue, eggplant, and green, among others. Cultured pearls can be found in nearly any color, and at relatively inexpensive prices. In fact, pearl farms can create specific colors to match any swatch.
Of all gemstones, pearls are truly unique in their origin and appearance. The increased abundance of this gem through culturing has only allowed more people to personally enjoy the beauty and mystery of this jewel of the ocean.
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