Pearls, as you know, Chinese name. However, with equal success, he could wear Indian, and Slavic, and Arabic, and any other name - for there is no people on Earth who knows pearls and does not appreciate its iridescent brilliance.
But rightfully precious, mined from mollusk shells, would need to bear the name of Queen Cleopatra. Mark Antony, the conqueror of Egypt, fell in love with the ruler of the Nile lands. Burning with passion, he once asked how Cleopatra manages to maintain her youth, freshness and beauty, despite the heavy burden of royal worries?
“It's simple,” Cleopatra replied. “Every day I dissolve one pearl in wine. This wine is served to me for dinner...” With these words, the queen took out a pendant with a huge and therefore unthinkably expensive pearl from her ear, threw a sparkling stone into the wine and drank it in a minute!
And although the secret of female beauty, discovered by Cleopatra, is almost 2100 years old, the queen has few followers. Because even today, when all the pearls on the jewelry market come from specialized farms, no one can afford to spend a pearl a day to save attractiveness.
High cost is a natural property of pearls
Never has a truly beautiful pearl come easy. In the old days, divers mined precious pearls, and few of them lived to adulthood. Today, shells with growing jewels hang in garlands in the depths of the sea, but not every mollusk produces a quality pearl. 
The cost of cultivating pearls is high, and the demand is considerable. Therefore, it fluctuates between high and very high limits. A pair of pearls of impeccable jewelry quality and solid (14-15 mm) sizes cost at least three thousand dollars.
Changeable fashion brings pink, gold, black, classic white pearls to the peak of demand. The cost of collectible and rare pearls of the most current colors is already measured in hundreds of thousands of dollars...
The relative fragility of pearls fuels a price race. Physical properties pearls determine the life span of a semi-precious stone in several decades.
Physical properties of pearls
Minerologists see the properties of pearls like this:- Luster - pearlescent.
- Color - white, pink, yellow, black.
- The syngony is amorphous.
- Hardness - 4 on the Mohs scale.
- Density - 2.6-2.8 g per cm3.
- Fracture - shelly.
Slow evaporation of moisture from the protein tissues of mother-of-pearl leads to the drying of the pearl, and is accompanied by a loss of luster, peeling of layers, yellowing and final decay of the jewel. Pearls isolated from external influences do not lose their attractiveness for many hundreds of years.
The natural color range of pearls rarely goes beyond white and pink shades, although in some places on the planet pearls grow yellow, brown, greenish. Modern biological science has made it possible for farmers to keep shellfish in artificial environments, resulting in the most fantastic colors of pearls on the market.
However, whatever the color of the pearl, the composition of mother-of-pearl is always the same. Inorganic platelets are crystalline calcium carbonate (called aragonite in this case); the glue that holds the plates together is conchiolin, consisting of chitin, lustrin and ... silk.
With artificial cultivation of pearls, the terms of commercial production of jewelry are shorter - partly due to the introduction of a seed ball into the shell, it is enough large diameter, partly due to the "greenhouse" living conditions of shellfish.
The thickness of the mother-of-pearl layer on artificially grown pearls can vary from half a millimeter to three to five millimeters. A too thin layer of mother-of-pearl does not give a bright iridescent play of light, and the bead under it can be seen without difficulty. Such pearls are sold for 10-15 dollars apiece, but even the Chinese do not dare to call them commercial...
From time to time, pearl growers make statements about the creation of gentle technologies that allow you to extract pearls from shells without injuring the body of the oyster. However, in most cases, farm owners prefer to earn additional income from the sale of frozen shellfish meat.
Pearl varieties
Biologists distinguish not pearls, but the organisms that produce them. Gemologists do not go into details and prefer to divide pearls into two large groups: river and sea. 
Freshwater pearls are made from freshwater molluscs. Usually freshwater pearls are an oblong stone, often uneven, bumpy. The irregular shape of river pearls has become the reason for the low price of the stone.
Cultivated (as well as sea) on farms, freshwater pearls are grown without introducing an artificial nucleus into the shell. High productivity of production allows to do without expensive operation.
Sea pearls are always spherical, and often perfectly spherical. By building up only five to ten layers of the conchiolin matrix on a smooth ball of the artificial core, the mollusk simply does not have time to “make a mistake” in laying the mother-of-pearl. That is why large pearls with small defects in genesis are so highly valued. The presence of "mistakes" in the structure of the matrix indicates a large thickness of the mother-of-pearl layer on the synthetic core.
Speaking of pearls, it is impossible not to say about stones of similar origin. Strictly speaking, these formations are not pearls, since they do not contain mother-of-pearl. However, their appearance is so presentable, and the rarity is so off scale that these stones are valued more expensive than the most expensive pearls.
Koh Hog (quahog) produced by the mollusk Venus mercenaria, which lives near the Atlantic coast of America. There is no iridescent mother-of-pearl in this stone, but its purple color finds its admirers.
Red, like porcelain beads conch (сonch) mined in the Caribbean. The best specimens of konka look like rounded fragments of a frozen flame. Such a stone is valued 10-20 times higher than ordinary high-grade pearls.
The most expensive of non-mother-of-pearl pearls is melo- a waste product of the Indian mollusk Melo. This sea snail is able to grow a stone weighing more than 70 grams. At auction, yellow-orange and red-brown melo pearls reach half a million dollars in price!
Pearl Evaluation Criteria
The price of each particular pearl depends on five quality factors. Evaluated:- - chandeliers (pearl shine);
- - color;
- - surface quality;
- - geometric size;
- - perfection of form.
The beauty of color is the second most important quality parameter of a pearl. The color is valued even, pure, pronounced and deep - that is, the lower, translucent layers of the conchiolin matrix should be colored in the same way as the outer layers.
The surface of a high quality pearl is defect-free or has minor defects of natural origin. Chips, cracks, delaminations, scratches are not allowed.
How larger size and the more perfect the shape of the pearl, the better. Ideally, the pearl should be a flawless sphere - which is not often found in nature.
How to buy wild pearls?
No way. There are no legal ways to purchase wild-grown pearls . The ban on commercial production of pearls has been in effect since 1952. throughout the planet.The reason for the ban was the extremely low productivity of mining. To find one pearl of unpredictable quality, up to fifty mollusks were destroyed, which serve as effective water filterers in biocenoses.
To date, no less 95% of the pearls sold are cultured. Almost 4.5% are forgeries and imitations. And only half a percent of the market volume of trade is occupied by wild pearls mined before 1952.
Fake and imitation pearls
Most often, glass beads coated with a polymerized extract of fish scales act as pearl fakes. The resemblance to natural pearls in such an imitation is never complete: the grayish coloring betrays a fake.Hollow glass beads can be covered from the inside with special dyes that repeat the pearl shine quite reliably. From a distance, such a product is indistinguishable from a natural pearl, but upon closer examination, the layer of glass becomes noticeable.
Synthetic polymers with pearl-like properties are used to produce very simple imitations of jewelry. Jewelry "pearls" are not able to deceive even a novice connoisseur of gems.
Testing techniques are simple and effective. If a handful of pearls is poured onto glass, elastic natural pearls will jump, glass and plastic will roll. They try pearls and "on the tooth." The roughness of real pearls is genuine - while all imitations are perfectly smooth.
Talking about imitations of natural pearls, one cannot help but recall the unscrupulously cultivated jewelry. First, farmers often go to great lengths to bleach low-quality dirty yellow pearls from diseased shellfish or polluted environments.
Attempts to turn an actual marriage into a kind of marketable pearls are a direct deception of the buyer. Such pearls have a low chandelier and degrade rather quickly.
Secondly, there are frequent attempts to use pearls that have adhered to the mother-of-pearl coating of the shell. Cut, such a pearl has a hemispherical shape - and even resembles a slightly rounded disk. Gluing the halves allows you to imitate a full-fledged pearl - especially if the metal setting masks the connection line.
Thirdly, the increasingly popular “baroque”, that is, uneven, irregular shape pearls are increasingly being replaced by fragments of shells with a relief mother-of-pearl layer. A feature of the fastening of baroque pearls in jewelry is the setting of a considerable part of the gem with metal. This frame allows you to hide the unsightly part of the jewelry.
The nature of pearls is so unique that people could not ignore it even if they wanted to. A gem extracted from living organisms, with an amazing iridescent hue, has become the most ancient jewel on the planet.
History and origins
Pearls are a stone of organic origin. It is not a mineral, from the point of view of scientists, but according to a tradition that is already about four thousand years old, it refers to precious stones. The price of pearls was very high until the 1920s, then dropped significantly due to the collapse of the market as a result of the work of Japanese pearl farms.
Pearls are formed in the organisms of various marine and freshwater mollusks and are the product of a natural rejection reaction to a foreign object that has fallen into the shell of a mollusk - a grain of sand, a fragment of a shell, and the like. If this object comes into contact with the mollusk's mantle (the outer soft shell that hides under the shell), then the mollusk covers it with a layer of the same material that makes up its shell. As a result, a pearl is formed.
In the same shell of an invertebrate animal, up to several dozen pearls of various shapes can form, but the more there are, the smaller they are, respectively. Only those pearls that have a mother-of-pearl shell are valued.
Zoologists believe that any kind of molluscs are capable of producing pearls, but they find pearls only inside some bivalves and gastropods, as well as in the shells of a single species of cephalopod - the famous nautilus.
Scientists believe that the first pearls were caught by fishermen by accident - discovered when catching edible bivalve mollusks. This happened about four thousand years ago, in the waters of the shallow Gulf of Mannar (a pseudo-sea between Hindustan and the island of Ceylon). Due to the fact that pearls are the only precious stone that does not need additional processing, they began to be used as jewelry, as well as as a monetary equivalent.
Pearls were highly valued throughout the East - from Eastern China, the extreme point of mainland Asia, to North Africa - Egypt, Numidia and ancient Carthage. The value of pearls for the ancients was so great that the famous queen Cleopatra considered earrings with two large pearls to be the most valuable of her jewelry. Statues of gods and heroes were decorated with pearls, pearls were awarded for military exploits, pearls were given for love. It was highly valued in all countries that had access to the sea, although prices for it varied depending on the color, size and shape of the pearl.
The origin of the Russian word "pearl" is associated with the Chinese name for this stone - "zhen zhu", which came to our country through the ancient Turkic and Volga-Bulgarian languages. In most European languages, the name has the Latin root perl. It came from a no longer used word for a specific type of shellfish that was mined by the ancient Latins. In Russian, mother-of-pearl is a synonym for pearls, in a more precise sense - the “front” coating of a pearl.
Physicochemical characteristics
From a chemical point of view, it is a composite of an inorganic substance - calcium carbonate, and an organic one - conchiolin, a horny substance produced by a mollusk. When viewed on a section under a microscope, a layered structure is detected, while layers of a different nature do not touch each other.
The chemical formula of the substance is very complex, since conchiolin is a natural polymer of a protein structure. The hardness of pearls is low, 3-4 units on the Mohs scale. It is easily drilled, but not polished, as in this case the mother-of-pearl layer is erased. Opaque, but individual pearls can be translucent (depending on the variety of pearls).
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Formula | CaCO3 |
| Color | White, yellowish, silver, golden, cream, blue, green, black, grey, pink |
| Shine | Pearl |
| Transparency | From translucent to opaque. |
| Hardness | 3-4 |
| Cleavage | Absent |
| kink | shelly |
| Density | 2.6-2.78 g/cm³ |
Mining sites
Pearls are mined by opening the shells of marine and freshwater mollusks, mostly bivalves (the closest example is mussel). The main areas for the production of sea "wild" pearls are warm shallow seas:
- Gulf of Mannar;
- Persian Gulf;
- Red sea.
Cultured pearls are mined off the coast of Japan, as well as in some lakes inside the Land of the Rising Sun. The cultivated one does not differ from the wild one, except that on pearl farms, the core of the future pearl is placed artificially in the shells of mollusks. After that, the invertebrate grows (and grows inside the jewel) under the supervision of specialists for several years.
Cultured mother-of-pearl is not artificial or fake, but its price is much lower due to controlled production. However, it depends on the color of the pearl, its size, luster and other parameters. Some cultural specimens are valued as gems more than those generated by nature.
There is also river pearls, which are mined in large and clean rivers of Asia, Europe and North America. Its cost is lower, since (on average) it is smaller than the sea one and less often has the correct spherical shape. The main suppliers of river pearls are Russia, Germany and China.
Colors and varieties
The color of pearls varies from milky white to different light shades of green, blue and pink. There is silver, gray, rich green and black. color plays important role in the evaluation of pearls: black, deep blue and absolutely white (without the slightest shades of cream or gray) specimens are most valued, since they are the rarest in nature.
Mother-of-pearl gives a specific play of light overflows on the surface - from soft yellow to blue and pink. This is due to the fact that light interferes on the uneven, wavy surface of the pearl, which only appears to be smooth.
Jewelers classify pearls by size, color, luster, mother-of-pearl layer thickness, surface cleanliness (no defects) and shape. The most valuable specimens are in the form of an ideal sphere with a thick mother-of-pearl layer, without visible defects and with a bright sheen. Pear-shaped and oval pearls, as well as irregularly shaped pearls, are less valued. But some connoisseurs have the so-called "monsters" or "paragons", outwardly resembling figures of people or animals.
The shape and color of pearls depend on the type of mollusk, the salinity and purity of the water in which it lived, as well as its temperature.
Pearl types:
- river - natural, small (up to 7 mm in diameter), white, cream, yellowish or grayish in color, the shape varies from spherical to elliptical;
River pearl necklace - "Tahiti" - cultivated, medium size (up to 12 mm in diameter), shades from silver to black;
Pearl "Tahiti" - "akoya" - cultivated, all colors except blue, diameter up to 14 mm;
"Akoya" - "king" - natural, large (up to 22 mm), all colors, with a thick layer of mother-of-pearl, found only in the southern seas;
"King" - "Mabe" - natural, very large, perfectly round, color range - from silver through lead gray to black;
"Mabe" - "Kasumi" - cultured Japanese pearls of exotic colors, from gold to purple;
"Kasumi" - "baroque" (as well as "paragons" and "monsters") - small, up to 5 mm, different shades white, gray and cream, irregular shape.
Baroque pearls
Products from artificially grown or synthesized mother-of-pearl stones stand apart. Imitation pearls are always perfectly spherical in shape.
Medicinal properties
The healing properties of pearls are associated, firstly, with its ability to diagnose the body, and secondly, with the ability to restore problem areas in organs associated with the removal of excess fluid from the body and with the digestive tract. Pearls are suitable for those who suffer from stomach diseases associated with changes in acidity, and also have problems with the kidneys and liver, to a lesser extent - with the intestines.
The diagnostic properties of pearls are related to the fact that they change their color if the owner changes acidity. upper layers skin. This in itself indicates unfavorable processes that have begun in the body. Some lithotherapists believe that if the pearl fades, loses its luster and becomes cloudy, this means the onset of a tumor process in the body (mainly in the abdominal organs). Thus, mother-of-pearl signals when it is time to see a doctor to check the whole body. To some extent, he is able to "slow down" the development of the disease.
You can wear pearls to people suffering from conjunctivitis and other diseases of the organs of vision associated with constant discharge from the eyes. It will help reduce the amount of discharge.
magical properties
The magical properties of pearls are similar to healing ones. The main one is the ability to darken, fade, lose color if a negative effect is made on the owner (damage, evil eye, other types of magical blows). But at the same time, pearls are a very picky stone. He wants to protect and protect only people who are pure in soul, and among them he does not like the wayward, prone to fits of anger or pride.
Smoky kasumi pearls Pearl does not tolerate people who are unable to keep their word, treacherous and deceitful. Including those who lie to themselves.
In different cultures, pearls are symbols of purity, purity, sincerity of thoughts and the prevalence of the divine (exalted) over the earthly (carnal). In Asian countries, pearl jewelry is used as amulets and at the same time as detectors of evil thoughts and intentions directed at the owner. The scope of application is wide: business transactions, love affairs, health and childbearing, maintaining peace and order in the family, and so on.
Contraindications
Please note: the properties of pearls are such that this stone is not suitable for anyone. It should not be worn by weak-willed people who are prone to weakening self-concentration and depressive states, especially men who have problems with self-esteem and an unstable psyche. The magic of pearls is suitable mainly for women, in them it enhances the classic feminine qualities - softness, maternal wisdom, gives femininity and charm. If pearls are worn by men, then they are given character traits female character.
This is beneficial, for example, for business people, businessmen and politicians who can use a little flexibility and plasticity in negotiations. Pearl loves such people, it brings them good luck and protects them from dangers. But men with an initially labile, mobile psyche, especially creative ones, pearl talismans will be brought to a personality disorder - up to a psychiatric diagnosis.
You cannot wear pearls that previously belonged to another person if you are not sure of the personal qualities of the previous owner. It captures and keeps for a long time the emotional-energetic cast of the previous owner. This means that some of your grandmother's problems may also be passed on to you from your grandmother's pearl necklace.
Zodiac Compatibility
The magical properties of this stone are most widely manifested under the influence of the planetary forces of the Moon and Water (or, more precisely, the Ocean). Pearl is not just a water stone, but a sea stone, astrology believes that of all the stones it is as close as possible to the power that plays with the ebb and flow, moving huge masses of water across the surface of the planet. This stone has absorbed the strength, grandeur, suspiciousness and changeability of the Ocean, so it can be worn by most water signs.
The greatest zodiac compatibility of pearls is with Pisces and Cancer. The exception is Scorpio, the most difficult, dangerous and unpredictable sign. Scorpio is "dark" water, cold gloomy depths of the Ocean, where mysterious and terrible creatures live. Therefore, Scorpions can only wear black pearls.
According to the horoscope, the stone will not suit such zodiac signs as Taurus, Virgo or Capricorn. Deep Water does not like Earth because it cannot conquer it. Mother-of-pearl jewelry will try to suppress the will of representatives of earth signs - but there will be much less problems with fiery ones.
| Zodiac sign | Compatibility ("+++" - fits perfectly, "+" - can be worn, "-" - absolutely contraindicated) |
|---|---|
| Aries | + |
| Taurus | +++ |
| Twins | + |
| Cancer | +++ |
| a lion | - |
| Virgo | +++ |
| Scales | + |
| Scorpion | + |
| Sagittarius | + |
| Capricorn | + |
| Aquarius | + |
| Fish | + |
(“+++” - fits perfectly, “+” - can be worn, “-” - categorically contraindicated)
Compatibility with other stones
Pearls are incompatible with sapphire, which reflects the surface of the water. He does not like the neighborhood with the stones of the Earth, especially with jasper, cacholong, morion and chalcedony.
The optimal neighborhood is with other water (except sapphire) stones:
- emerald;
- opal;
- moonstone;
- aquamarine;
- alexandrite.
Permissible partnership with Air:
- amethyst;
- uvarovitis;
- topaz;
- hyacinth;
- chrysoprase;
- smoky quartz.
Avoid proximity to Fire minerals, especially ruby, diamond and all kinds of garnets, counting greenish grossular.
Application area
Pearls are a popular insert in expensive jewelry. It is used to create designer rings, necklaces, tiaras, beads, pendants and any other piece of jewelry art. Blue and black "wild" pearls of perfectly round shape and large size, from 10 mm in diameter, are valued above all.
The traditional metal of the frame is white and yellow gold, less often platinum. Silver is rarely used in combination with pearls, and mainly with pearls of gray and silver shades.
How to distinguish a fake
Cultured pearls are not considered fake. But for a genuine stone, large beads of the appropriate shades are often given out. You can recognize a fake by the discrepancy between price and shape: artificial pearls have the shape of an ideal sphere, but at the same time they are too cheap for their size. The cost of natural, including cultured, spherical pearls with a diameter of 10 mm cannot be less than $100.
How to wear and care
There are a number of rules for wearing pearl jewelry. First, for young girls, etiquette prescribes a small amount of pearls, if this is a necklace, then no more than one string of pearls in it. Heavy headdresses with mother-of-pearl should be worn by older ladies.
Secondly, products with colored pearls are worn only in solitude. A large number of green, pink or blue pearls are a sign of bad taste.
Pearl rings are worn on the ring finger.
This stone needs to be carefully looked after. Protect it from direct sunlight, after prolonged skin contact, rinse with water without using a sponge. When cleaning products, only the most gentle “chemistry”, for example, tooth powder, is allowed.
Best time to buy
This is the period when the moon is in its greatest strength- that is, three days of the full moon, the middle of the lunar cycle.
Please note that if worn frequently, pearls need to be "recharged" - placed in a transparent container with water and taken out at night under direct moonlight. Enough 10-15 minutes.
Pearls are a first-class gemstone, that is, they can compete with sapphires, emeralds and diamonds in price. Has an animal (organic) origin.
Stone properties
The organic origin is due to the process in which a mother-of-pearl ball is formed in the shell of a mollusk - a pearl. The process of natural creation takes ten to twelve years, and the reason is that a grain of sand or another foreign body gets into the shell, around which mother-of-pearl “builds up”.
In terms of chemical and physical properties, it is a composition of 85-86% potassium carbonate, about 12% komchiolin and 2-3% water.
Mohs hardness is 2.5-4.
Density - from 2.1 (black) to 2.6 (regular) g / cu. cm.
Opaque mineral, consists of three layers, the thinnest - the third and there is pearl mother of pearl.
History of the stone
Pearls have been famous for their demand since ancient times. White pearls are a classic, but there are different shades - pink, blue, yellowish, black ones are especially valuable and expensive.
Pearls have a very small "age of life" equal to a maximum of two hundred years, after which they fade due to drying. It loses its gem qualities as a gem, so there are no historically valuable pearls with a centuries-old history of ownership by the imperial family, for example, like rubies or jade. But this does not mean that many legends and historical facts are not associated with it.
Already before our era, the mineral was known to the tribes of the East and in India. He was also loved by the Aztecs of America. In Rus', river pearls were used as jewelry and for finishing the clothes of rich people, for decorating weapons and icons.
The popularity of the mineral is easily explained - apart from its beauty, it did not require any complex processing.
The largest pearl - the "Pearl of Allah" weighs about 6 kg, 24 by 16 cm in size was found in 1934 off the coast of the Philippine island of Palawan. It got its name because of the shape, very reminiscent of the head of a man in a turban.
Allah's Pearl
Nowadays, pearls remain one of the most expensive gemstones in the world. This is explained by the fact that its search and extraction is a complex and expensive process.
Types of pearls
- River - as the name implies, it owes its origin to river water. It differs in appearance, because the end result of the “ripening” of the jewel, of course, depends on the composition of the water in which the “house” lies, as well as the properties of the secret of the mollusks, as a result of which the pearl is formed. River ones are almost entirely made of mother-of-pearl.
- Marine - in terms of chemical and biological composition of elements, compared to river, it is much richer. The mother-of-pearl layer is thin, only the surface is mother-of-pearl. In terms of softness, the sea is softer than the river. But in terms of shape and colors, sea pearls have a clear advantage over river ones.
White pearls are the most common type of mineral in color, both sea and river. Most valued white with a blue or pink tint.
Black pearls are the rarest and most expensive of all. Has a lower density than normal.
Golden pearls are native to the Philippines.
Silver pearl.
Green pearls can have different shades, for example, as in the photo, be dark olive.
Rainbow pearls - the name speaks for itself. It is also called iridescent.
Place of Birth
Natural pearls are currently mined in Iran, India and Tahiti. But it is grown in many countries, using special cultivation technologies.
natural and cultured
Natural minerals are extracted from nature, but people have also learned how to grow pearls. Cultured sea pearls are grown on the shores of tropical seas. The process is quite complicated, because storms happen, as well as drops in water temperature. It should also be noted that only one pearl is “born” and grown in the shell, no matter how many grains of sand were originally laid. River cultivation of precious organic minerals is carried out in a certain technology, which is simpler in relation to "sea pearl farms". Several “peas” are laid in one shell, as a result, one mollusk gives from three to ten precious peas. On the human side, for 8-10 years, while the "harvest" ripens, control over the temperature of the water is required, as well as turning the mollusks for an even shape of peas.
Some river hatcheries use combined technology. With it, a hollow plastic ball is laid inside, and not a grain of sand, and then, when it is overgrown with mother-of-pearl, the ball is removed, and the void is filled. This results in a more even surface.
How much is a natural pearl
Natural, and not grown or cultivated, costs ten times more. One pearl can cost from 1,000 to 10,000 US dollars depending on its quality (size, color, shape). In comparison, the price of cultivated starts at $100 and goes up to a maximum of $600 or $1,000 for black.
Large rare shades and shapes of pearls are exclusive, and therefore sold at auctions. Their price can reach up to 600,000 US dollars.
The magical properties of pearls
Also in Ancient Egypt it was believed that pearls bring unfading beauty and long life to their owner. Legends about Cleopatra say that she not only wore pearl necklaces, but also drank a drink made from pearl powder (with pomegranate juice or donkey milk - opinions differ here), and therefore retained her attractiveness for a very long time.
A pearl thread given to the bride for the wedding strengthens feelings and “guarantees” fidelity in married life. But you can’t give pearls to a wedding that someone already wore or pass on by inheritance.
According to astrologers and magicians, it is best magical properties pearls show up when worn as beads or necklaces.
If you use pearls as a talisman, then you can pacify your pride, as well as get rid of other negative character traits - vanity, arrogance. Such a talisman will help you choose the right goal of life, as well as make profitable deals, establish friendships, become more open and better understand people.
For men, it is a symbol of wisdom, power and closeness to God.
For women - a symbol of happiness and youth.
The healing properties of pearls
One healing property - rejuvenation of the body, if you take pearl powder - we have already noted.
If the pearl loses its luster and fades, then this indicates the presence of health problems in the person who wears it, which means that it acts as a talisman and warns of a possible disease.
It also has the following healing properties, confirmed by time and experience of use:
- memory improvement;
- strengthening the psyche and a general beneficial effect on the central nervous system of a person;
- improvement of the liver;
- restoration of the human urinary system;
- lowering blood pressure.
In addition, the powder prepared from the mineral has a good effect on the treatment of eye diseases, purification of the blood and the body as a whole. To do this, dissolve the powder in water, leave it to infuse for 12 hours, and then take it in the amounts indicated by the traditional healer or specialist who recommended this healing method.
Who suits the zodiac sign
Pearl suits Pisces and Aquarius, it will bring them good luck and happiness. All other signs should pay attention to the following warnings and choose decoration, taking into account the character and profession. The mineral is suitable only for strong in character and self-confident people.
How to care for pearls
In order for an ornament or a talisman to please with its beauty for as long as possible, certain conditions must be observed. Since it is a soft organic mineral, it is "afraid" of chemicals, hard surfaces and dry air. Therefore, it is best to store jewelry in a separate box, upholstered soft cloth. If the weather is very dry, you can put a plate of water next to the open box. You should not do the cleaning without first removing the jewelry with pearls. After each time you put on a necklace or beads, before putting them to "rest" in the box, you should wipe it with a damp cloth. If cream or other substances get on the jewelry, wash it in soapy water (use baby soap), wipe it with a cloth and leave to dry without closing it in the box. Subject to these simple terms care, pearl jewelry will delight with its beauty for many years, while sharing beauty and making you younger.
Since ancient times, women of the East have adorned themselves with pearls. It is no coincidence that the name of the stone has Asian roots and comes from the Chinese word "zhen-zhu" or the Arabic "zenchug". However, pearls enjoy no less love in Russia.
The ancient Egyptians believed that the stone brings longevity and beauty to its owner. In the Middle Ages, a tradition developed to give the bride, which is a symbol of fidelity and purity. A precious gift was to be presented by the future spouse or his parents.
How pearls are formed
Many legends are associated with the appearance of an unusual stone, since pearls are a unique precious stone of organic origin. It is formed not in the bowels of the earth, like other precious minerals, but in the shells of Pinctada or Pteria pearl mollusks that live in salty and fresh waters. In this regard, natural pearls are divided into sea and river pearls.
In fact, the formation of a stone is a protective reaction of the mollusk to the penetration of a foreign object (for example, a grain of sand) into the shell. Not being able to get rid of a foreign object, the pearl oyster wraps it with a special substance, mother of pearl, just as it does when its shell appears. The shape of the stone largely depends on where it is formed, and the mass depends on the size of the mollusk.
Previously, a huge number of pearl shells lived in the seas and rivers. However, the high value of the stone led to unauthorized trapping of mollusks and their mass extermination. So there was a need for artificial breeding of pearl mussels.
Cultured pearls
It is a mistake to believe that cultured pearls are not natural. A stone grown under special conditions is an organic formation, not an artificial imitation. Currently, about 90% of the world's traded pearls are obtained through cultivation.
This method was invented in the 18th century by Ye Dingshang. At that time in China, pearls were equated with currency. To feed his family, an enterprising Chinese began to grow "money" right at home. Later, the Europeans improved the process by putting into practice the data of biological experiments. And only at the beginning of the 20th century, the cultivation of pearls acquired an industrial scale.
How does cultivation take place? Some foreign body is introduced into the sink, for example, a mother-of-pearl bead. The pearl is then transferred to special reservoir, which created an ideal habitat for mollusks. Under such conditions, one sea pearl grows in 3 years, and a river pearl in 2. All the time, the shells are under the supervision of specialists, so cultivation is a difficult and very painstaking work.
The world leaders in the supply of cultured pearls are Japan and China. To a lesser extent - Australia, India, the Philippines and some countries of Southeast Asia.
Cultured pearls are of high quality and are widely used in the jewelry industry.
Natural properties of pearls
The pearl hardness coefficient is 3-4 units. Despite this, the stone is very durable and it is almost impossible to split it. The special mother-of-pearl luster of pearls is due to its structure.
The color of the stone depends on the composition of the water in the habitat of the mollusk, as well as its type. The reference is white pearls with a cream, pink or bluish tint. Colored varieties of stone are no less valued: black, gray or golden.
The unit of measurement for the mass of pearls is the grain (1 grain = 0.25 carats), but in recent years, generally accepted carats have been increasingly used. The cost of a stone depends on its shape. Naturally even round pearls are of great value.
Pearls are in fashion
Products, without which it is impossible to imagine the image of Coco Chanel and Audrey Hepburn, are again returning to the catwalks. Now, exquisite pearl jewelry, along with a little black dress, is a must-have item in every woman's arsenal.
The most stylish stars prefer accessories with this stone. Expressive Rihanna and sophisticated Emma Watson, luxurious Angelina Jolie and elegant Amy Adams, of course, know how to emphasize their individuality. In their images, pearl products acquire the character of their owners.
To decorate the most unusual products modern designers choose this particular stone.
This time we will tell you about who suits pearls and how to wear them. This miracle stone is born and lives in a clam shell. The origin of the precious formation is shrouded in legends and myths. Pink and milky white, brown and purple, red and blue-green - a palette for every taste. The colors of pearls depend on the type of "owner" and the waters in which the "owner" of the treasure lives. Let's reveal the secret of who makes mother-of-pearl specimens.
BC
On an industrial scale, pearls were mined as early as the 2nd century BC. This was done by the ancient inhabitants of Sri Lanka, who inhabited the coast of the Gulf of Mannar. The ancestors of the Hindus who inhabited the south of the current province of Tamil Nadu also enjoyed rich seafood. In the sacred Hindu scriptures, an extraordinary mother-of-pearl stone is mentioned.
Caravans carried jewelry north to Persia, clay tablets found there during excavations speak of pearls. The most ancient decoration was preserved by the city of Susa, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Elam. The necklace was found in 1901 and now adorns the Louvre.
In the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, pearl earrings are worn on a bronze statuette of Aphrodite. The product is approximately 2500 years old, but the stones are in excellent condition.
Until the beginning of the XIV century, pearls were recognized as the greatest jewel. European queens, wearing jewelry, posed for the artists. A portrait of Mary Tudor with "Peregrine" has been preserved - the so-called pearl in the shape of a pear, which weighed almost 56 carats.
Molten light of the moon
The Russian princess Zinaida Yusupova possessed the Pellegrina stone, which was consonant in name, which she wore in the form of a pendant around her neck. The pearl weighed half as much as the previous giant. The portrait of a woman performed by François Flameng demonstrates the jewel in all its grace and beauty.
Folk epics attributed magical properties to pearls, which we will discuss below.
Chinese legends tell of a battle of dragons in the sky, when pearls rained down on people. Other myths claim that this is the molten light of the moon, which fell into the shells of mollusks and curled up into balls.
An ancient Indian legend brought a story about how the god Krishna found amazing mother-of-pearl white stones at the bottom of the sea and gave them to his daughter for a wedding. Since then, the tradition prescribes to give the bride exactly pearl jewelry for the wedding.
The Slavs believed that drops of water turn into pearls, which flow down from water lilies and fall into open shells. The Filipinos are sure that earlier the stones lay freely on the seashore. Wishing to possess treasures, people began to fight for pearls among themselves. And then the shells hid at the bottom of the sea.
Variety of "pearl" sea molluscs
Not all types of mollusks that have a shell are able to "make" pearls. We list the main producers living in the seas and oceans:
- mussels;
- scallops;
- oysters;
- giant tridacna (white and pink pearls without mother-of-pearl);
- noble pinna (black, purple, lilac, reddish and brownish stones);
- giant strombus (pink shades);
- heliotis (white, blue-green);
- melon shell (yellow, orange without mother-of-pearl);
- turbinides (gold, mother-of-pearl with a strong luster).
Mother-of-pearl in shells produces the outer layer of the mantle (the fold that forms the cavity). When a foreign microparticle gets there, the process of pearl growth begins by applying mother-of-pearl layers. A foreign body fixed on one side of the shell valve turns into a pearl in the same way, but fuses with the “owner”.
Freshwater producers and various names
The growth rate of the stone is 0.3-0.5 mm per year. The first 12 months usually progress faster. In fresh waters, there are also mollusks that create pearls, for example:
- unionides;
- European pearls;
- barley;
- toothless;
- folded comb.
In English, a pearl is called pearl (pearl). The word is consonant with other European names. The Latins have pernula (in the form of a pearl-forming mollusk, similar to a ham) or pirula (means a small pear). The Russian "pearl" is first found in the inscription on the sides of the cross, made in 1161 by order of the holy woman of Rus' Euphrosyne of Polotsk, and looks like "zhynchig". The obsolete "pearl" in Russian was used to describe beautiful teeth.
How and where is it mined
Pearls are not a mineral, but are comparable in value to a precious stone based on animal origin. The shape of the "beads" born in the seas and oceans is often correct, similar to a ball. River pearls do not possess such perfection.
The stone is mined by specially trained pearl divers. The profession is mastered from childhood and requires developed lungs so that the diver can stay underwater for a long time at depth in search of shells.
As mentioned above, the colors of precious pearls depend on the type of mollusks, and, therefore, on their habitat. White stones are mined in Japan, yellow stones are mined in the Middle East. Mexico is the supplier of red pearls, while India and the USA are the supplier of pink pearls. The island of Tahiti and the waters of Australia store gray-silver pearls.
In fresh waters, "pearls" are found in China, Russia, Germany. But wherever pearls are born, the name "mineral" is not applicable to it, although it contains aragonite, which gives the mother-of-pearl layer to the shell.
Cultivation and forgeries
The property of pearl stones to shimmer with mother-of-pearl is due to the structure. Plates of conchiolin and aragonite are separated by layers of biopolymers. That is, organic matter alternates with mineral aggregates.
There is a way to cultivate pearls. The bottom line is the forced introduction of a foreign body into the mantle of the mollusk. The disadvantage of the method is the high mortality of "producers", which reaches 40%. However, it is successfully used in Japan, using shells pressed into balls as a transplant.
Do not confuse cultured pearls with cultured pearls and its imitations, when ordinary glass beads are covered with mother-of-pearl. A fake pearl is lightweight if it is plastic. Glass imitations have too smooth surface. Under a magnifying glass, the pores of a natural stone are visible, even if it has been tinted.
Under x-rays, pearls turn completely black if the stone has grown in fresh water. Sea pearls glow black only inside, where the core is located.
Highlights tan
In the manufacture of jewelry, pearls are often set in silver, but pearls look great against a gold background. Beads, pendants, earrings, rings - all this for women.
Among men, pearls are not very common. Although in the old days, the male nobility considered it indicative to decorate belts, crowns, hats, staves, caftans with pearls. Oriental grandees wore necklaces, and even our prince Svyatoslav wore an earring with a pair of mother-of-pearl stones in his ear. According to the current fashion, it will look extravagant, but there are those who wish.
For modern men, black pearls could be suitable, but, alas, its negative energy properties will affect the owner. So, we recommend that girls wear a thin mother-of-pearl thread around their necks. For married ladies - several similar jewelry at once or one, but from large stones (9-10 mm in diameter).
Golden-colored pearls look rich on tanned skin, and pinkish stones on white skin. Cream beads or snow-white will suit any woman.
Influence on the zodiac circle
Hot Mars and the Sun, as the patrons of Aries and Leo, oppose aquatic nature origin of the stone. But for all other signs of the zodiac, pearls are suitable. Gemini and Cancer helps to cope with depression and relax. Scorpio charges with vivacity, and the pearl prompts Pisces in choosing a loved one.
Pearls will not allow Taurus to lose their peace, Aquarius will protect from evil tongues. Sagittarians should not wear white stones, but black ones will help you achieve what you want. Women who were born under the signs of Libra and Virgo should not be afraid of enemies, being protected by pearl jewelry. Marine varieties are suitable for Capricorns, which help smooth out stubbornness.
The properties of black pearls, the rarest and most valuable species, are ambiguous. Regardless of the zodiac sign by birth, unmarried girls should not wear it in any form. But for women who have lost their husbands, both widows and divorcees, the stone helps to overcome longing.
Healing and magic
Each people caught their own magical properties of mother-of-pearl stones. As a symbol of fertility, pearls are revered by the Chinese. In Europe it is believed that constant wear a pearl talisman with you will ensure a long life. The Japanese associate its brilliance with youth, and the Mongols believe that the pearl will help to gain power.
Marked and medicinal properties gem. Gray pearls calm the nerves, but jewelry should be worn in pairs. Blacks maintain the owner's immunity at the proper level. And if the stone fades, look for a hidden disease.
Pearl jewelry, regardless of color, helps in the treatment of hypertension, kidneys, liver, conjunctivitis, stomach. Water infused with pearls is credited with antimicrobial activity.
Price spread
It is safer to buy jewelry with pearls in jewelry stores. Prices depend on the place of birth, shape, size, color. For a natural specimen, they can ask for 10 thousand dollars or only 1000. The cost of cultured pearls ranges from 100 to 600 dollars.
