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The Essence of Pearls
2010-12-06 17:59
In his latest excursion into the world of jewels, Ron LeBlanc tells the fascinating story of the pearl
What do Angela Merkel and Lady Gaga have in common? or Hillary Clinton,
Madonna, Shakira and Michelle Obama? The answer I’m afraid, is not
bootie; rather, all these powerful divas, in their respective genres, wear
pearls to great effect. But what is it about pearls that stamp upon the wearer the patina of
power and grace?
The pearl is a predominant symbol in art: one only has to think of Vermeer’s
‘Girl with a Pearl Earring'; Bronzino’s ‘Portrait of Lucrezia
Panciatichi’; photographs of Coco Chanel and Jacqueline Kennedy; and
portraits of practically every queen and princess throughout history.
Who can forget the elegance of Audrey Hepburn in ‘Breakfast at
Tiffany's’ or Princess Grace of Monaco?
Islam perceives that the dwellers of paradise are amply bejewelled
in pearls, Hindus have their ‘Sacred Nine Pearls’ and the Latter Day
Saints have a text entitled the ‘Pearl of Great Price’. And not to be
metaphorically outgunned, Christians are ever careful not be ‘casting
pearls before swine’. In fact, I dare to suggest that the appropriate
attire to get through the ‘pearly gates’ might be a three strand pearl
necklace for the angels-in-waiting or a pair of cheeky black pearl
cufflinks for contrite little devils!
In my long career as a gemologist I have been a frequent witness to
the metamorphic effect of pearl. I think that pearl somehow reintroduces
the sense of the divine to the natural grandeur of women. While the
display of gold jewellery can be narrowly judged as the mere trappings
of artifice or the artist’s trick of gilding the lily, the wearer of
pearls is seen as integrated with her essential self and thereby
entirely authentic. In other words, pearls confirm for us that Michelle
Obama and Shakira are not chicks. That Angela Merkel and Lady Gaga are
not birds - they are quintessentially female and as such, possess the
requisite mixture of earthly power and unearthly grace.
I have always believed that we are granted understanding of our
world by the tools and language of our profession. As a gemologist I
know that an emerald is probably not authentic unless it has a flaw;
this is not a bad lesson to learn in the face of dealing with old
friends, new loves or business proposals.
Pearls have their own story. The shelled mollusc (mostly mussels and
oysters) deals with an irritant or parasite that has lodged itself in
the soft mantle inside its shell by secreting a type of iridescent
saliva called nacre. This mollusc applies layer after layer of nacre
around the offending particle which then hardens into a pearl. The shape
of the irritant is often the shape of the consequent pearl. Often the
shape is irregular or ‘baroque’. However, the natural round pearl is
very rare and can be worth millions.
Unfortunately, there is very little natural pearl left except for
diminished reserves in the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean and South
Seas. The natural pearl is far too difficult to find and too rare to
support any serious industry. You can search through three tons of
oysters and only find three or four pearls.
These days it is all about cultured pearls - and cultured simply
means farmed. Whether you are in China or Japan or in the oceans off
Australia, Tahiti, Indonesia or the Philippines, the industry is
predicated on Pearl Farms. The farmers insert a seed into the mollusc
which acts as an irritant and triggers the nacre process. As the type of
seed and temperature of the water varies, so too do the subsequent
sizes, shapes and colours of the pearls. The water in the South Seas is
warmer and therefore the molluscs are bigger; expensive black pearls
come from the colourfully-named Pinctada Margarita mussel and the finest
pearls come from Pinctada Maxima. The pearls inside the plate-sized
Maxima can grow to more than 14mm.
The growth in pearl farms in China and elsewhere has forced prices
lower which, though a great deal for the consumer, has compelled the
industry to innovate. One new initiative is to promote pearl powder as a
cosmetic, and Helena Rubinstein is one of the recent firms that have
partnered with pearl farmers to bring this application to the marketing
forefront. The pearl has a long and persistent history as a cosmetic.
The last Dowager Empress of China used pearl powder on her face and also
ingested it daily.
Pearls chart the path of exceptional women throughout history.
Richard Burton gave the famous ‘La Peregrine' pearl to attest his
undying love to Elizabeth Taylor; Cleopatra dissolved a pearl in vinegar
to show off her wealth to Mark Antony; and Venezuelan President
Betancourt gave a rare pearl necklace to Jackie Kennedy to cement a
relationship with the United States.
The evolution of the pearl reminds us that the challenge is to take
the burdens that are the unavoidable parts of every human journey, and
transform them with sweat and tears into something beautiful and divine.
To learn more about the glittering world of precious and semi-precious stones, please contact Ron directly at ron@madacana.com
Ron LeBlanc