What are natural pearls?

Pearls strand, symbol of purity and elegance

The pearls, the pearl strand and the pearl necklace have always been a symbol of purity and elegance, today as yesterday.

"A woman needs strands and strands of pearls" said Coco Chanel who loved this jewel so much that she wore up to six strings of pearls all together, so long that they were tucked into the belt.

The pearl necklace is an accessory of timeless elegance, able to give shine to the face and charm to the entire bearing.

History and legends

Since ancient times, pearls have been associated with women, water and the Moon.

As early as 2000 years before Christ, pearls were traded and used as a currency in the East.
The first legends derive from ancient Persia and the first Chinese culture.

1. The Chinese believed that pearls were born under the influence of the Moon from lightning strikes the molluscs. This is why in addition to water, and pearls are also linked to the charm of the Moon, which recall it in the whiteness of their appearance.
2. A Hindu legend traces the discovery of the first pearl to the god Krishna who would have collected it from the bottom of the ocean to adorn his daughter on her wedding day, as a symbol of beauty and purity of her soul.
3. Another legend tells that, in ancient Japan, a pearl necklace symbol of love was lost at sea in the kingdom of the dragon; having lost his token of love, the young man took refuge in a distant country, where a young fisherwoman, to show him her love, recovered the pearl at the cost of her life.
4. The ancient Greeks identified pearls and pearl necklaces as a symbol of fertility and purity of soul and associated the pearls with the goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite (Venus for the Latins) who, according to the myth, derives its origin from the foam of the sea that breaks on the rocks and is born on a shell, exactly like in Botticelli's painting `` Birth of Venus ''.
5. We find the same symbolism in ancient Egypt, where the pharaohs of the Ptolemaic era dedicated pearl necklaces to the goddess Isis, and where according to legend Cleopatra conquered Marcus Antony with a pearl.
6. In Europe there was a widespread belief that pearls were generated from solidified water drops thanks to the action of the light of the Sun or the Moon.
7. In addition, the pearl and pearl chokers were used a lot in sacred representations and paintings as an icon of chastity and religious purity. It was during the Middle Ages that some artists began to depict the tears of the Madonna as pear-shaped pearls. And since sacred paintings were widespread in every court and every church throughout Europe, the ladies began to associate elongated pearls as tear-bearers. This belief stuck to prejudice for many centuries.

The oldest pearl ornament that has survived, is a pearl necklace with three strings of 216 pearls, which dates back to the V-VI century BC, discovered inside a bronze sarcophagus in 1901 in Susa, seat of the Winter Palace of the Persian kings and today preserved at the Persian Art Gallery at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Natural pearls and cultured pearls

A natural pearl is formed by a natural process, in response to an irritation caused by a disturbing element (such as a grain of sand) that penetrates inside the body of the mollusk. As a defense reaction, the animal covers the "intruder" with very thin layers having a composition equal to that of its shell, or mother of pearl.

Natural pearls can be of different colors, the most common are white, cream, gray, pink or bronze, all with different shades. In nature there are not 2 identical pearls, precisely because they are created by oysters in a completely natural way and indeed their uniqueness is the characteristic that makes them so precious.

The pearl takes shape and volume over the years and reaches its maximum size after a long stay inside the mollusk. The shape can be perfectly spherical, elongated in the shape of a drop, or baroque, that is, irregular.
The shape is in no way modified by man but remain as they are in Nature, without smoothing or cutting.

Cultured pearls, very similar to natural pearls, are obtained from salt or fresh water molluscs, following human intervention.
Once he understood the natural process of pearl formation, man tried to artificially recreate it.
In the early 1900s, after many years of attempts and thanks to the studies of some Japanese researchers, first of all Mikimoto, splendid spherical specimens of cultured pearls were obtained.
Cultured pearls develop almost identically to natural pearls, the only difference is that the foreign body is intentionally inserted by man into the mollusk.

Pearl necklaces: curiosities

Virtue of the round of pearls
The ancients attributed many virtues to pearls: they calmed anger, soothed stomach pains, strengthened friendships, ignited passion because they were aphrodisiacs and strengthened bones,
They also whitened the skin, which is why Cleopatra used to drink some dissolved in wine vinegar, an expensive custom followed by many noble ladies until the eighteenth century.
In general they were considered a panacea against any disease.

Pearls as a gift
Precisely because pearls are daughters of the Moon, it is customary for them to be given by the mother to the bride for the wedding day, as a sign of good luck. Until a few years ago they were the only jewels granted by etiquette to a "young bride",
Pearls are also the only jewels that can be worn at a papal audience.
If stolen, they bring great misfortune to the thief.

Is it bad luck to give pearl necklaces and pearl earrings?
Historically the pearl was used a lot in sacred representations and paintings as an icon of chastity and religious purity.
It was during the Middle Ages that some artists began to depict the tears of the Madonna as pear-shaped pearls. And since sacred paintings were widespread in every court and every church throughout Europe, the ladies began to associate elongated pearls as tear-bearers. This belief stuck to prejudice for many centuries.
Legend also has it that pearls given as gifts bring bad luck to those who receive them as gifts. To avoid bad luck, pearls should always be given in even numbers and the person who receives them should give them a coin in exchange, as if pearls and a pearl necklace had been "bought" and not given away.

Presentation box for your pearls

In our wide range of products available in the online store you will also find the Presentation box for pearls, perfect for highlighting the unique and inimitable characteristics of a pearl necklace, a pearl pendant, a pearl bracelet or pearl earrings.
These classic and elegant presentation boxes are covered with metallic paper with a soft white microfiber interior or a thermoformed base for strand of pearls. The pure white color of the interior is optimal to bring out all types of pearls, natural and cultured.

The presentation boxes can also be customized in small quantities according to your preferences with internal or external digital hot stamping.