Pearls in Recorded History

 

It is not known who or what culture was the first to collect and appreciate pearls. However, an American gemologist, George Kunz, surmised that an ancient fish-eating tribe, perhaps one that inhabited an Indian cost, found these treasures upon opening oysters for food.

Rome’s fascination for pearls reached its peak during the 1st century BC. Women belonging to the elite class wore their Pearls to bed so they could be reminded of their wealth immediately upon awakening. Women of the lower class ranks were forbidden from wearing them. Interestingly, it is not only Roman ladies who were enamored, the infamous Emperor Caligula, bejeweled his beloved horse with a pearl necklace, after appointing it a Consul of Rome.

Cleopatra flaunted her wealth and power to Marc Anthony by crushing Pearls into a glass of wine.

Among cultures, Arabs have shown the greatest affection for pearls, to the extent that reference is found in the Koran: “The stones are pearls and jacinths; the fruits of the trees are pearls and emeralds; and each person admitted to the delights of the celestial kingdom is provided with a tent of pearls, jacinths, and emeralds; is crowned with pearls of incomparable lustre, and is attended by beautiful maidens resembling hidden pearls.”

In Spain, Queen Isabella used her impressive collection of jewelry to fund Christopher Columbus’ expedition to discover the new world. Fortunately for the Queen, the investment paid off as the discovery of Pearls in Central American waters added to the wealth of Spain.

During the Dark Ages, gallant knights often wore Pearls onto the battlefield in order to present them to fair maidens. They believed that the magic of the lustrous gems would protect them from harm.

The presentation of an un-drilled Pearl and its piercing has long been part of an Indian marriage ceremony. Pearls are considered ideal because they symbolize purity and natural innocence.

Historical Firsts and Applications

History records the first known source of Pearls as the Persian Gulf; the ancients of the area believed that Pearls were a symbol of the moon and possessed magical powers. In fact, the oldest known Pearl jewelry is a necklace unearthed in the sarcophagus of a Persian princess who died in 520 BC.

In a 23 BC Chinese book, the scribe writes that a lesser king sent tribute of “strings of Pearls not quite round”. This is the earliest written record of pearl valuation. The Chinese also used Pearls in medicinal ways to cure eye ailments, heart trouble, indigestion, fever and bleeding. To this day Pearl powder is still popular in China as a cosmetic and skin whitener.

In India, Pearls were believed to give peace of mind and strengthen the body and soul.

Europeans thought that swallowing whole or powdered Pearls cured matters of the mind and heart, and strengthened nerves.

Unfortunately, greed and lust for these gems of the sea resulted in the depletion of virtually all the American Pearl oyster populations by the 17th century.