Monday, March 3, 2008
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Friday, February 29, 2008
HISTORY OF PEARL
Pearls are amongst the oldest and most universal of all gems. They are the oldest jewels know to man, and the only gem made by a living animal. The oldest surviving pearl necklace is nearly 2000 years old and was found in the sarcophagus of a Persian Princess. In many countries pearls were worn as a declaration of wealth and power, and also used as a talisman to bring good fortune, to ward off evil spirits and to cure illnesses. Pearls were symbolic of purity, chastity and feminine charm.
Pearls were worn in civilised Middle East and Asian societies as early as 3500 BC., and continued to grow in popularity during Roman times when pearl fever reached its peak. A pearl earring reportedly paid for one Roman general's political campaign, and Roman women were richly covered in pearls. Pearls found a place in Julius Caesar's heart, and Cleopatra dissolved a pearl in wine and drank it to prove her love to Marc Antonius.
The dawn of the Christian era saw the continued popularity of pearls. The bible refers to pearls several times, and the value still placed on the gem. Following the sacking of Rome, Constantinople became the most important centre of wealth and, indeed, pearls because of its strategic position between the source and the consumers. Pearls continued to be featured in jewellery and clothes as well as art.
The early 1700s saw a decline in the demand for pearls. The discovery of diamonds in Brazil made diamonds for the first time more affordable and demand soared. Pearl supplies from traditional sources became unsteady, and cheap imitations appeared on the markets. All these factors led to a decline in the demand for pearls.
The late 1700s saw a reversal in fortunes. Good harvests from several established pearl sources and the discovery of new ones gave the pearl industry a much needed boost.
The early 1900s saw trade affected by a supply shortage and the appearance of cultured pearls on the market. Cultured pearls were not accepted immediately, it took several years for consumers and the industry to accept this new kind of pearl.
Since then, cultured pearls have replaced natural pearls and now many different countries participate in the cultured pearl industry.
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TAHITIAN PEARL
The cultured pearl of Tahiti is synonymous with magic and perfection. Most come from the atolls and lagoons of the South Pacific. They tend more toward drop shapes than round and vary in size from 7 to 15mm. They can be black, silver, dark or light grey. The rarest colour is "peacock green" - the greenish black colour of a peacock feather.
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SOUTHSEA PEARL
There are two basic groups of South Sea cultured pearls: white and black.
Pearls from the white group are primarily cultured in the northern waters of Australia, the Philippines and Indonesia. Their rarity and exceptional sizes, from 8 to 20mm, make them highly prized. Their colours range from white and silvery blue to pale gold - the golden or light-yellowish varieties abound in Philippine and Indonesian waters while white or silvery hues occur mainly in Australian waters.
Pearls from the black group, among which is the legendary black pearl of the South Pacific, are most frequently found over a wide area stretching from the Cook Islands, eastward through Tahiti to the Tuamotu Archipelago and the Gambier Islands in French Polynesia.
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