The 4000 Year History of Pearls
Pearls have been prized and collected for more than 4000 years, making them one of “the worlds’ oldest gems”.
The Earliest History of Pearls:
Many cultures throughout history have long treasured and highly valued Pearls. Back as far as 2300 BC, Chinese records indicate that pearls were gifts and prized possessions to, and of, royalty. In India, ancient Hindu texts continuously refer to pearls, stating that the god
Krishna discovered the first pearl. In ancient Egypt, as far back as 4000 BC mother-of-pearl was used for decorative purposes, although the use of actual pearls did not come until perhaps the 5th century BC.
Pearls during Roman Times:
Pearls, in ancient Rome, were a highly prized accessory, worn as a symbol of wealth and prestige. They were such a status symbol, that there was actually an effort made to prohibit the wearing of pearls by those not deserving of them. Perhaps the most celebrated incident in Roman history involving pearls had to do with a feast given by Cleopatra, the last Egyptian queen, for the Roman leader Marc Antony. The feast was described by Pliny the Elder, the Roman historian in his book, “Natural History”. Although some current historians dispute the details and significance of the feast, there is general agreement that indeed the incident described took place. The gist of the story is that Cleopatra bet Marc Antony that she could give the most expensive meal ever provided. When the only thing placed in front of her was a goblet of sour wine (i.e., vinegar), Antony wondered how she would be able to win the bet. Whereupon Cleopatra removed one of her pearl earrings — said by Pliny to have been worth 10 million sesterces, the equivalent of thousands of pounds of gold and dropped it into the vinegar. The pearl dissolved in the strongly acidic solution, and Cleopatra drank it down, winning her wager.
Pearls in Grecian Times:
The ancient Greeks highly valued pearls also, using them especially at weddings, where they were said to bring love. With many natural beds of oysters lying along the Persian Gulf, the Arab cultures also placed high value on the pearls, which are the Koran described as one of the greatest treasures provided in “Paradise”.
Modern History of Pearls:
Native Americans, in the Western Hemisphere, also valued the freshwater pearls they had discovered and harvested from lakes and rivers. There is a story told of a Native American princess, who presented gifts of animal skins, cloth, copper and freshwater pearls to Hernando de Soto. Colonizers from France, Spain and England all found native Indian tribes using pearls as jewelry as well as for trade. Once the colonial powers discovered the sheer volume of pearls available in America’s rivers, pearls became one of the chief products sent from the colonies back to Europe. Saltwater pearls, from the Caribbean and along the coasts of Central and South America along with freshwater pearls from North American rivers, were harvested. All of these pearl supplies began to dry up during the 19th century, however, as a result of over fishing and the pollution caused by industrialization.
The History of North American Pearls:
The English colonizers along North America’s Atlantic coast and French explorers to the north and west, all found native Americans wearing pearls, and they discovered freshwater pearls in the Ohio, Mississippi, and Tennessee River basins. So many gems were exported to Europe that the New World quickly gained the appellation “Land of Pearls.” What is now the United States became famous for two products. Its best freshwater pearls fueled a ready market overseas, purchased by people who, unlike the then less sophisticated frontier Americans, knew the rarity and value of large, round, lustrous pearls. Many of the best examples made their way into Europe’s royal gem collections, where they can still be seen on display, usually misidentified as saltwater pearls from the Orient. In addition to the pearls themselves, American mother-of-pearl also became a major export, from both the North American colonies as well as later, from the United States. The primary use of mother-of-pearl was to make shiny, iridescent clothing buttons, billions of which were exported all over the world (from Iowa mainly). This lasted all the way through the mid-20th century. Then, the invention of plastics quickly replaced mother-of-pearl for this use. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the history of