Has anyone else noticed pearls are popping up everywhere? From celebrity style to makeup and hair trends, engagement rings and so many more places, pearl jewelry, and its iconic style, are continuing to reign in 2022.
Pearls are one of mother nature's best-kept secrets, they are a gift of rarity, one-of-a-kind beauties, and an organic gemstone.
Ironically a natural pearl will only form when a foreign material gets "under the skin" of the Mother of the Pearl. When an irritant, like a grain of sand, works its way into an oyster, mussel, or clam it can create beauty within, that is the pearl. It's technically a defense mechanism, but if you are a spiritual being there could possibly be a deeper meaning here of making the most of any situation or obstacle that gets in our way.
The pearl will wrap the irritant with what is called nacre, layer upon layer until a lustrous pearl is formed. Have you ever thought about where the pearl gets its beauty and coloring from? The pearl will inherit the colors from the inside of the shell it is being formed in, quite literally the mother of the pearl, which can also be a highly desired gem.
Only about 1 in every 10,000 wild oysters will ever yield a natural pearl, on its own and an even smaller percentage of those will ever actually reach the desired size, shape, and color for the jewelry industry. True natural pearls are some of the rarest gifts mother nature gives us and some of the most cherished in the jewelry world.
Pearls have always been the ultimate classic in any jewelry wardrobe, some believe they symbolize purity, loyalty, beauty and so much more.
This is by no means a new trend, pearls being used in jewelry dates back as far as ancient times, and until the 20th century, they were one of the most, if not the most, valued gem because of the scarcity in a natural-born pearl. For centuries pearls were only allowed to be worn by the ruling class and were often the ultimate gift of respect to both men and women.
According to legend Cleopatra once crushed a pearl into a glass of wine to prove to Marc Anthony that she could give the most expensive dinner in history. She showed him…I guess?
By the 19th century ladies of nobility and royalty all wanted to be adorned in elaborate pearl strands, earrings, bracelets, and brooches which caused oyster supplies to dwindle.
Until the start of the 20th century collecting pearls was risky divers had to dive as deep as 100 feet or more, with no guarantee on what the oyster may or may not have inside.
Some natural-born pearls these days have gone to auction for millions of dollars and are a coveted part of history.
Pearls finally became more accessible in the early 1900s once the people of Asia discovered a process to create cultured pearls and worked diligently to truly perfect their process. Mikimoto, of course, was the innovator, but by 1935 there were over 350 pearl farms in Japan producing cultured pearls.
Pearls these days can be found and cultured in freshwater or saltwater. There are now several different types of pearls depending on what type of mollusk they come from.
Pearls are truly an absolute must in any jewelry wardrobe. As little girls it is one of the first pieces of jewelry we recognize, it is perhaps the first piece of jewelry that is handed down within our families to us and often becomes one of our most cherished special occasion pieces. However, why wait for a special occasion?
Pearls are no longer meant to rest in their box, waiting for that special dinner, date, wedding, party, or occasion to arrive! We are now seeing pearls at the forefront of fashion casual and dressy, "And Just Like That" they have become one of the hottest trends going for everyday wear and style.
If you start to look around, on any TV show, movie, online posting, or anywhere at all these days, you will start to notice pearl dangles and hoop earrings, multi-color pearl strands, pearl choker style neckpieces, brooches, ropes and ropes of pearls accenting everyday outfits and even pearl strands around the necks of men.
Another place we are watching pearls pop up is on the runway. Not just as accents for clothing, handbags, sunglasses, and shoes, but seed pearls are being used in some of the hottest makeup trends going all just solidifying pearls have always been a leader in style and trends and will not be going out of style, period.
Be on the lookout for a future blog on all the different types of pearls and what makes them so unique.
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