Precious pearl: The gem for June

Are pearls bad luck?

“Kino lifted the flesh (of the oyster) and there it lay, the great pearl, perfect as the moon. It captured the light and refined it and gave it back in silver incandescence. It was as large as a seagull’s egg. It was the greatest pearl in the world.”

This is how John Steinbeck describes the moment of Kino’s discovery that turned his world upside down in the well-known story, The Pearl (1947). The parable is based on a true story that Steinbeck heard when he was in La Paz in the Baja peninsula. The synopsis of the story:

“A poor Mexican diver finds a priceless pearl that will change his impoverished family’s future if he can fend off his own greed and the people trying to take advantage of him.” www.imdb.com

The June birthstone’s iridescent beauty has inspired folklore that spans centuries. Ancient Japanese folktales told that pearls were created from mythical creatures like mermaids or nymphs.

Early Chinese civilizations believed that dragons carried pearls between their teeth and the dragon had to be slain to claim the pearls which symbolize wisdom. The phrase “pearls of wisdom” is still used today.

Greek mythology proclaimed pearls to be tears of joy shed by the goddess Aphrodite, while the Egyptians associated pearls with Isis, the goddess of healing and life. www.pearlparadise.com

Other cultures associated pearls with the moon, calling them “teardrops of the moon”. Hindu folklore explained that dewdrops fell from the moon to the sea and Krishna picked one for his daughter on her wedding day. Pearl jewellery is often worn by brides in both Asian and Western cultures as they are seen as symbols of purity, loyalty and fertility.

Some cultures believed that pearls were bad luck since the gems were ripped from living creatures. To counteract this, pearl jewellery had to be given out of love, without jealousy or malice. www.americangemsociety.org

Throughout history, many stories were inspired by the mysteries surrounding pearls like The Secret Pearl (Mary Balogh), The Padova Pearls (Lee Wilkinson), Mistress of the Pearl (Eric Lustbader), to name a few. Tracy Chevalier wrote Girl with the Pearl Earring in 1999, historical fiction inspired by the Vermeer painting of the same name.

Before Mikimoto discovered how to culture pearls, these precious gemstones were so scarce that they were worth more than diamonds. Pearl divers used to retrieve pearls with great difficulty as well as possible loss of life from the seabed. Only Royalty and the very rich could afford them.

I always had a fascination with these beautiful gems and I remember how it was also my mother’s desire to own a string of pearls. Unfortunately, I could not afford a genuine string in those days and gifted her a three-strand set of costume pearls.

Today pearls are much more affordable and are available for those who want to enjoy wearing them. Pearls are making a big comeback and we see it on the red carpet and people (men and women) all over the world wearing them in all kinds of creative styles.

In a previous post, https://ferisshirley.wixsite.com/shirley-over-sixty/post/wat-is-jou-waarde, I wrote more about the history of pearls, different kinds of pearls, their grading, how to test if pearls are the real deal as well as other interesting facts about pearls. Feel free to read it there.

Whether it is your birthstone, or you just love pearls, enjoy wearing them every day. You can wear pearls with jeans and a t-shirt or an evening dress: “Pearls are always appropriate.” as Jackie Kennedy said.

Till we chat again, loving-kindness.

Shirley Rose

Images from Pinterest.