What are pearls?
Pearls are organic gems grown within oysters and a few other mollusks, such as mussels. Pearls are formed when a foreign object (like a tiny stone) has made its way into the mollusk's shell.
The mollusk secretes nacre, a lustrous substance that coats the intruding object. As thousands of layers of nacre coat the intruder, a pearl is formed; this process takes up to seven or eight years (an oyster's useful life span). ''Cultured'' pearls are those in which man implants the intruding material and the mollusks are cared for in a protective environment (''farm'') while it does its coating work (6 months to 4 years, the longer the time the bigger the pearl will be). Practically all pearls available today are ''cultured'' pearls. The oysters that have produced these pearls had man's help in getting the pearl started, and are kept and cared for in commercial pearl farms. Natural (ALL natural) pearls are quite rare and quite valuable.
The word ''pearl'' should be understood as ''cultured pearl'' unless noted otherwise. Pearl is the birthstone for the month of June. It is also the accepted anniversary gemstone for the 3rd and 30th years of marriage. Pearls have been recognized as the emblem of modesty, chastity and purity. They have come to symbolize a happy marriage.
Some Interesting Pearl Legends
* According to Pliny the Elder, who wrote at the end of the first century AD, Cleopatra bet Mark Anthony that she could serve him a dinner so expensive it would never be equaled. The banquet was indeed luxurious but no more so than she had served on other occasions. Mark Anthony thought he had won the bet until Cleopatra, who was wearing two huge pearls on her ears estimated to be worth around $1,300,000 in today's money, removed one and dropped it in her huge cup of wine where it quickly dissolved. She drank it down and the judge of the wager then declared that Anthony had lost the bet.
* Cartier & Co. traded two strands of pearls and $500 for a magnificent building on New York's Fifth Avenue in 1916. * Commoners were once prohibited from wearing pearls. From the 13th to the 16th centuries, only European royalty could wear pearls.
A Pearl saying : ''If diamonds are a girl's best friend, then pearls must be her favorite sister'
Metaphysical Aspects of Pearls
* Pearls are symbols of purity and clarity.
* Associated with the ministry, pearls bring wisdom through experience; they quicken the law of karma, and bring engagements and love relationships.
* Pearls are said to keep children safe. They are symbols of innocence; therefore, they are talismans for the innocent.
* Pearls help to attune the chakras. Since it is a soft white, it helps bring soft, healing energy during meditation.
* Pearls, like mother of pearl, are associated with the moon and water. This makes them very feminine in nature, and conducive to connecting with the goddess.
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