Pearls are the essence of hope, faith, and the ability to make the best of the situation you are in.
It is an organic gem that is formed when an irritant (usually a grain of sand) enters a mollusc (shellfish). The oyster or mollusc coats the irritant with layers of nacre, also known as mother of pearl, until the irritant is turned into a beautiful pearl! Light reflecting from these overlapping layers of nacre creates a characteristic iridescent lustre which is also known as the “orient of the pearl”.
For thousands of years natural pearls have been harvested from the Red Sea, Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Manaar. Once believed to be the tears of the Gods, the pearl is also referred to as the “Queen Gem” (diamond being the “King Gem”). The Ancient Hindus included it as one of the five sacred gems on the magical necklace of Vishnu.
In the case of Cultured Pearls, the irritant is introduced to initiate the formation of the pearl – this is the case with most pearls on the market today as it is much more cost effective to cultivate them than it is to search the seas for oysters bearing Pearls. Freshwater Pearls occur in the rivers of Scotland, Ireland, Austria, France, Germany and Mississippi. Both Freshwater and Saltwater Pearls are cultivated in Japan.
The pearl is one of the June birthstones, and gemstone of the 3rd and 30th anniversary.
It is said that the Pearl enable us to accept love.
There is also a great myth that says Pearls are unlucky, but it simply cannot be said of the lucky grain of sand that started out as an annoyance and ended up being a beautiful gem!
— Reinette
Goldfish Jewellery Design Studio works with all precious metals, stones and diamonds. For further information, please contact us.