TEAR'S OF THE GODS
BEFORE THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS BEGAN
A description of a pearl is a hopeless task. In its simple aesthetic perfection, in its mystery, its sensuousness and seductive charm, a pearl is simply indescribable.But that has never deterred writers and thinkers from trying. Gallant efforts have been made to behold and record this incredibly mysterious gift of nature. The results are usually ludicrous.
In The Book of the Pearl, written in 1908 by the respected George Kunz, we are told that pearls were, naturally enough, the earliest gems known to prehistoric man. Descriptions followed. According to Persian mythology, pearls were the tears of the gods. The ancient Chinese didn't do much better. They believed that only the moonlight had the power to make pearls grow. But for sheer creativity, it is hard to beat the Greeks. Pearls, they thought, were dew from the moon collected by oysters openly flaunting their insides as they floated on the surface of the sea at night. Not to be totally outdone, the Romans credited pearls to Venus and flavoured this theory with oriental myths that included impregnation from a kind of celestial sperm bank of heavenly dew.
But if pearls can't be described, they can certainly be coveted. Considered by many from the earliest times to be among mankind's most valuable and most sought- after treasures, they have hung from the necks of ageing rulers and ruthless tyrants, nestled in the cleavages of queens and fashion goddesses, and found prominent places in the crowns, rings, necklaces, earrings, belts, buckles and treasure chests of millions of people since antiquity.
What is generally accepted as the oldest written mention of pearls is in the history of Shu King which states: "In the year 2206 (BC), King Yu received pearls as tribute from the river Hwai..." The Old Testament, the Koran and the Talmud all mention pearls. Indian, Persian and Arab leaders fought and killed to control pearl beds, one of the richest of which was located in the Gulf of Manaar. Marco Polo, no slouch when it came to discoveries, visited this area around 1294 and wrote about it extensively.
princes up until the 16th century, the area was a source of immense national wealth and power. Then for about a century the Portuguese took over and dominated the area, only to have the Persians come roaring back and once again become the world's leading pearl fishers.
A EUROPEAN LOVE AFFAIR
The Phoenicians were the first to whet the appetite for pearls among the people of the Mediterranean. Homer in the 8th century (BC) wrote about them in his famous epics. But pearls really conquered Europe with the campaigns of Alexander the Great who linked the Orient with the Occident and opened the floodgates for goods, crafts
and cultures.
When the Romans conquered the area, they contracted its insatiable love for pearls. The Latin word for pearl is margarita because that is what the Romans called their loved ones. But the finest pearls they called unio, something very unique.
Restraint is a virtue seldom associated with Roman life, and the adorning of pearls did not distort this image of over-indulgence. Rulers found unique body parts to cover, bizarre designs to drape, stunning settings to wear and lavish arrangements to flaunt — all with pearls. Not surprisingly, Caesar, Caligula and Nero were devoted fans of such excesses. We are told by George Kunz that Caligula decorated his favourite horse with a pearl necklace, after raising it to the rank of consulship. So in love with pearls were the Romans that historians report they traded gold for pearls to the extent that their trade balance was seriously distorted.
But when Rome was plundered by the Goths and Vandals, its treasure chest of pearls was scattered. Subdued and unappreciated for a long period, pearls did, however, make a comeback in the art and architecture of the Catholic Church. Considered
a sign of love for God, their popularity spread in church vestments, altars and other
religious objects.
But the gloom of the Middle Ages for the most part held pearls in check until the Crusaders began returning from the Holy Land in the 12th and 13th centuries. And with their return, knighthood blossomed and spread to many European countries. With it, the fashion of wearing pearls enjoyed a rebirth.
The Renaissance fast-forwarded this rebirth of interest in and desire for pearls as personal adornments. For the Renaissance itself was fueled by a period of prosperity and an outpouring of truly masterful creativity.
Christopher Columbus did more than discover America. On his third trip he brought back to the Old World bags of pearls that he had bartered for along the coast of Venezuela. Later, Panama and the Gulf of California also became sources for natural pearls, and the French, Italians, Austrians, and English all zealously purchased them, lots of them.
But perhaps the queen of them all was Queen Elizabeth 1(1533-1603) who had such a passion for pearls she almost always wore seven ropes of them, some reaching to her knees. She was also the proud possessor of 3,000 pearl-embroidered dresses.
Not much is recorded about the pearls of the Americas. But we read in The Book of Pearls by Joan Younger Dickenson that the Indians collected and wore them with pride. Dickenson writes: "Pearls have also been found among the ritualistic relics of the great Indian tribes of Mexico and Peru." Large amounts of pearls were shipped to Spain, and the greatest of these pearls was "La Peragrina — the Incomparable" which was apparently discovered in the Gulf of Mexico and presented to King Philip II of Spain.
THE EMIGRATION OF PEARL OWNERSHIP
The ownership of valuable pearls remained mostly in the hands of European royalty. But as wealth diversified, so did pearl ownership. The early colonies in America had far fewer pearls than in Europe, but that was soon to change. By the middle of the 19th century, diamonds were the gem of status, but most wealthy women also owned at least one string of high-quality pearls. By the Gay Nineties, when ostentation was in full bloom, the popularity of pearls was skyrocketing. In the beginning it wasn't the great jewellery houses, but wealthy individuals like William H. Vanderbilt who brought famous strings of pearls and gave them to their wives and daughters. By the turn of the century, wealthy American women were vying with each other to own and adorn themselves with pearls. These were bought mostly at auctions or directly from English, German, Spanish and Italian aristocrats who had other more mundane problems than the wearing of pearls.
But something else was also unfolding, and it had nothing to do with the rich and famous. In 1857, David Howell of Notch Brook, New Jersey bit into his mussel stew and spat out a pearl of almost 400 grains. Charles Tiffany paid him $1,500 for the pearl, and that was enough to start a pearl rush. In a short time discoveries were reported all over the United States. Romantic stories splashed across the front pages
of newspapers, and river-pearling became a way of life for thousands. Hardly a river or stream in the entire country was left unexplored.
But except for a few rare finds, the pearls were tiny and discoloured, and boom turned to bust almost as fast as David Howell spat out that first discovery in Notch Brook, New Jersey.
At the turn of the century, pearls were America's most popular jewel, and never
in the history of the world had so many people owned so many fine pearls.
From this cursory race through history, it becomes rather clear that no stone, no jewel, no metal has so entranced people more than the soft, seductive pearl. But what is even more astonishing is that the pearls we have thus far talked about are perfect without doing anything to them — in their natural state. They are, simply and purely, what nature gives us. And after we remove them, unlike other precious stones, they need no cutting, no polishing. Only the eyes to behold them and the soul to appreciate them. That is the nature of the natural pearl.
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