1. History of Pearls

History of Pearls:
As far back as 2300 BC, Chinese records indicate that pearls were the prized possessions and gifts to royalty. In ancient Rome pearls were a highly prized accessory and own as a symbol of wealth and prestige. The ancient Greeks also highly valued pearls, using them especially at weddings where they were said to bring love.

At the height of the Roman Empire, when pearl fever reached its peak, the historian Suetonius wrote that the Roman general Vitellius financed an entire military campaign by selling just one of his mother’s pearl earrings.

Mary, Queen of Scots wearing her rope of famous black pearls.

A reverence for pearls spread throughout the world over the ensuing millennia. India’s sacred books and epic tales abound with pearl references. One legend has the Hindu god Krishna discovering pearls when he plucks the first one from the sea and presents it to his daughter Pandaïa on her wedding day.

In Egypt, decorative mother-of-pearl was used at least as far back as 4200 B.C., but the use of pearls themselves seems to have been later, perhaps related to the Persian conquest in the fifth century B.C.
 

Queen of Italy, Margherita of Savoy, owned one of the most famous collections of natural pearls. She is wearing a multi-strand choker and a rope of pearls, possibly with matching bracelet and earrings 

Pearls, in fact, played the pivotal role at the most celebrated banquet in literature. To convince Rome that Egypt possessed a heritage and wealth that put it above conquest, Cleopatra wagered Marc Antony she could give the most expensive dinner in history. The Roman reclined as the queen sat with an empty plate and a goblet of wine (or vinegar). She crushed one large pearl of a pair of earrings, dissolved it in the liquid, then drank it down. Astonished, Antony declined his dinner—the matching pearl—and admitted she had won.

Cleopatra dawning double strand of pearls while drinking pearl infused vineager.
 

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1A60248 – $81,663

TARA White South Sea Pearl Necklace

16.0-13.3mm White South Sea pearl necklace, with an 18K diamond pave clasp, 3.00cttw of diamonds. This elegant necklace is 16.5″ long and has 29 pearls.

Product ID : 1A60248

Price: $81,663

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1MT60003 – $52,526

TARA Multicolor Pearl Necklace

16.35-13.0mm Multi Tahitian, Golden South Sea, and White South Sea pearl necklace, with an 18K yellow gold diamond clasp, 0.45cttw of diamonds. This elegant necklace is 17.5″ long and has 29 pearls.

Product ID : 1MT60003

Price: $52,526

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2. How Pearls are Formed

How Pearls are Formed:
There are essentially three types of pearls: natural, cultured and imitation. A natural pearl (often called an Oriental pearl) forms when an irritant, such as a piece of sand, works its way into a particular species of oyster, mussel, or clam. As a defense mechanism, the mollusk secretes a fluid to coat the irritant. Layer upon layer of this coating is deposited on the irritant until a lustrous pearl is formed.

 

Oyster Shells being chosen for the cultivation process

A cultured pearl undergoes the same process. The only difference is that the irritant is a surgically implanted bead or piece of shell called Mother of Pearl. Often, these shells are ground oyster shells that are worth significant amounts of money in their own right as irritant-catalysts for quality pearls. The resulting core is, therefore, much larger than in a natural pearl. Yet, as long as there are enough layers of nacre (the secreted fluid covering the irritant) to result in a beautiful, gem-quality pearl, the size of the nucleus is of no consequence to beauty or durability.

 

Pearl Grafting being performed on a oyster

Pearls can come from either salt or freshwater sources. Typically, saltwater pearls tend to be higher quality, although there are several types of freshwater pearls that are considered high in quality as well. Freshwater pearls tend to be very irregular in shape, with a puffed rice appearance the most prevalent. Nevertheless, it is each individual pearls merits that determines value more than the source of the pearl.

 

Underwater view of a pearl farm

Regardless of the method used to acquire a pearl, the process usually takes several years. Mussels must reach a mature age, which can take up to 3 years, and then be implanted or naturally receive an irritant. Once the irritant is in place, it can take up to another 3 years for the pearl to reach its full size. Often, the irritant may be rejected, the pearl will be terrifically misshapen, or the oyster may simply die from disease or countless other complications. By the end of a 5 to 10 year cycle, only 50% of the oysters will have survived. And of the pearls produced, only approximately 5% are of substantial quality for top jewelry makers From the outset and from that small percentage, TARA pearls uses only an even smaller percentage.

 

Resulting Pearl after 4 to 6 years of growth

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3K41103C – $9,900

Silver Tahitian Pearl Necklace

10 x 12mm Multi-Color Tahitian pearl necklace with a 18k white gold clasp.

Product ID : 3K41103C

Price: $9,900

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