tell you about pearl history
The Buddha called love he drop of honey at the edge of the razor blade??sweet stuff if you can just get to it. I tis a paradox that could equally apply to the quest throughout history for arguably the most prized of all gems ?the pearl.
In ancient times, pearls were believed to be gifts from the gods, transformed from drops of dew. Throughout history they have captivated the imagination like no other gem. Their beauty is celebrated in ancient texts, kingdoms have been wagered for their prestige and empires obsessed with their rare allure.
In this section, we invite you to immerse yourself in pearls – the legends and myths, their extraordinary place in history and their ethereal appeal – an appeal which remains as powerful today as it was when pearl divers first risked the dangers of the deep.
Pearls In Ancient History
Pearls have been prized for thousands of years. Their mysterious beauty is matched by the mystery of their provenance in ancient times. As pearls were traded through trade routes of the ancient world now lost in the mists of time, the origins of some of the most important pearls in history remain uncertain. What is certain, however, is that the most prized of all pearls were oceanic pearls.
Unlike freshwater pearls, oceanic (saltwater) pearls have properties from the sea that preserve their beauty for generations. Freshwater pearls tend to become chalky or milky over a relatively short time. And unlike their freshwater cousins, oceanic pearls are valued for their regular shape and superior size. But the factor in history that made oceanic pearls the most valued of all was their rarity. Early pearl fishers risked the many dangers of the deep to dive for the precious gems.
Today, wars may no longer be waged over pearl beds, but just as in ancient times, divers still face the perils of the deep in the quest for the perfect pearl.
Throughout history, the rarity and ethereal beauty of pearls has given rise to many myths and legends. In ancient times, Indians believed that pearls were created by a divine power that transformed drops of dew. In Persian mythology, pearls are created from the tears of the gods while another Persian name for pearls is hildren of light? revering the pearl as gifts from the gods. The Chinese believed that pearls were created by the power of moonlight.
As trading routes opened from the lands where pearls originated, the ancient legends also spread around the world. The Greeks adopted the legends of the Orient, believing that pearls were created from the dew of the moon, captured by the oysters swimming on the surface of the sea by night. They also believed that a lightning strike at night would create a pearl. Both the Greeks and later the Romans ascribed the Goddess of Love – Aphrodite or Venus – with the creation of the pearl.
In China, where pearl oysters have been gathered for thousands of years in freshwater rivers and the southern coasts, the character for ‘pearl’ appears for the first time in a dictionary written in 1000 BC.
The Old Testament of the Bible, the Talmud, the Koran and the Indian epic Mahabharata all praise the purity and perfect beauty of pearls.
Since ancient times, three pearl regions of the Orient have been famed for their fertility:
- the Gulf of Mannar (between Ceylon and South India
- the Persian Gulf
- the Red Sea
THE GULF OF MANNAR
The pearl beds of the Gulf of Mannar are mentioned in written records as early as the 6th century BC. For centuries, royal houses and warlords from India, Persia and Arabia fought to rule over the pearl beds and their prestigious bounty. On his extraordinary journeys of discovery, Marco Polo visited the Gulf in 1294, when up to 500 ships and boats would come at harvest season, carrying divers, merchants and adventurers, all in search of their fortune. Their levy was one tenth of their catch, payable to the king.
In 1510 when the Portuguese conquered the region, a new era of European colonisation began. The Portuguese were followed by the Dutch and, finally, in the late 18th century, India was claimed by the British Empire.
THE PERSIAN GULF
Until the discovery of oil and right into the 20th century, pearls were the main source of income for the entire gulf region for centuries. As recently as 1938, around 20% of the region’s population earned their livelihood through pearls.
The pearl beds of the Gulf were renowned throughout the ancient world and remained in the hands of Arabian and Persian princes until the sixteenth century when the Portuguese took control of the most important harbours.
Their rule lasted for a century before the Persians regained control. Pearls were traded mostly in the markets of Bahrain and Hormuz before the treasures were shipped by Indian merchants to the major pearl markets of Bombay.
Unlike South Sea pearls, the pearls from Persian Gulf oysters were tiny, generally from 2mm to 5mm in size, but sometimes reaching 10mm. They were often yellowish or brownish in colour. As the Gulf was a major source of pearls in the ancient world it is easy to understand why South Sea pearls when they occasionally emerged through ancient trade routes became so highly prized.
THE RED SEA
The third of the major pearl beds of the ancient world was famed for its pearls long before the birth of Christ. As early as the second millennium BC, the seafaring Phoenicians were trading as far away as India and first brought pearls home to the Mediterranean. The Greeks were captivated by the gems, adorning both the statues of their deities and themselves with the jewels.
The campaigns of Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) opened trade routes between the known world and the orient, and the pearl trade flourished. With the unprecedented expansion of the Roman Empire, the pearl beds of the Red Sea came under the control of the Romans after the fall of Alexandria in 30 BC. The Romans developed what can only be described as an obsession for pearls and during the 500 years of their empire, more pearls were traded and hoarded than in any other period of world history.
Perhaps the most famous pearls of antiquity were a pair of jewels worn in the ears of Cleopatra, each said to be as valuable as the province of Asia. To impress Marc Anthony with her wealth and power, she is said to have dissolved one of the pearls in a glass of wine before drinking it. Octavian, the future Emperor Augustus is believed to have plundered the second after defeating Cleopatra, cutting it in half to embellish a statue in the temple of Venus.
Julius Caesar issued pearl decrees allowing only for patrician ladies to wear pearls.
The notorious Roman Emperor Caligula wore shoes embroidered with pearls and bedecked his pets and horses with ropes of the precious gems.
Nero carried a pearl sceptre and had the interior of his litter lined with pearls.
Over 500 years the expansion of the Roman Empire continued to open trade routes to the east with pearls being one of the most highly valued commodities. It is said that the Romans traded so much gold for pearls that their trade balance was badly affected.
Following the fall of the Roman Empire, the fashion for pearls declined over the centuries. Roman riches were keenly plundered and hoarded by Goths and Vandals, with many treasures later turning up under the Franks who promoted the influence of the Christian Holy Church.
Through to the Middle Ages, the greatest pearl treasures were seen in religious art and iconry or owned by the Byzantine emperors.
Through a period of unrest and economic decline that preceded the Middle Ages, the people of Europe were filled with apocalyptic fear and the custom of donating their worldly possessions to the Church reached its peak. Many pearls were surrendered in the hope of divine salvation.
It was not until the 12th and 13th centuries when the crusaders returned from the Holy Land, growing the order of knights throughout Europe, that the fashion for pearls, neglected for centuries was revived. The crusaders returned to Europe with stories of the fabulous wealth of Indian and Persian princes and it is from these times that the tales of The Arabian Nights originate.
Pearls From The New World
The political stability and economic growth that enabled the Renaissance in Europe also led to a new age in pearls. Art and culture were no longer so strictly controlled by the church and pearls once again became a favourite fashion luxury. Venice and Genoa were famed for their pearl markets.
In addition to pearls so keenly traded from the Orient, freshwater pearls were also discovered in many areas of Europe and can still be seen on church vessels and crown jewels that survive from that period.
On the third of his legendary voyages, Christopher Columbus, discovered the pearl beds of the Americas and soon a thriving trade was established bringing pearls to Europe from the coast of what is now Venezuela, Panama and later the Gulf of California. The royal and noble houses of Europe including the Italian Medici, the Austrian Hapsburgs and the English Stuarts were among the biggest buyers.
The most famous pearl of this time is La Peregrina, The Pilgrim, which was owned by Phillip II of Spain. It was believed to have bought the freedom of the slave who discovered the gem in the Gulf of Panama. Today, La Peregrina is owned by Elizabeth Taylor. A gift from Richard Burton, through the centuries its owners have included Queen Mary Tudor and Napoleon Bonaparte.
Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603) amassed a wealth of pearls to rival the lavish collections of the Persian princes and Indian Maharajahs. She always wore at least seven ropes of pearls – the longest reaching her knees – and owned more than 3000 lavish gowns embroidered with pearls.
The fashion for pearls spread among the wealthier middle class throughout Europe and in many countries, including England, France, Germany and Italy. Pearl laws were passed aiming to curb the inflationary demand on pearl prices and the outflow of gold.
The passion for pearls continued to grow unabated and through the Baroque age, the Rococo period and the Napoleonic age became firmly established as an essential accessory in any wealthy and fashionable woman’s wardrobe.
Around 1845, French explorers returned to Europe with pearls from the South Sea, some dark in colour and larger than any pearls previously seen. Eugie, Empress of France, and wife of Napoleon, wore these dark pearls frequently, leading yet another fashion for pearls.
In the late 1800s, the world’s most prolific Pinctada maxima oyster beds were discovered off the coasts of northern Australia. For hundreds of years, these beds had been fished by early traders and venturers including the Chinese, Macassars and Indonesians, who are now all known to have had established trade links with Australia Aboriginal people. The discovery?of the beds by Europeans soon gave rise to a booming mother-of-pearl shell industry.
The isolated town of Broome became the world’s most important pearling port and by 1900 was supplying around 75% of the world’s demand for mother-of-pearl shell. Early in the 20th century the port was home to a fleet of 400 pearling luggers and more than 3000 pearlers from throughout Asia, principally from Japan.
Occasionally, the Pinctada maxima oysters yielded natural pearls – the largest and most voluptuous pearls the world had seen. Their discovery caused a sensation and the modern passion for South Sea pearls was ignited that continues to this day. For the first time, the Europeans brought to the pearl beds the ‘new’ technology of the industrial revolution. Diving systems, for example, meant that divers could reach depths not previously possible. This also meant that rare natural pearls were being discovered in growing quantities.
In terms of quality, size and quantity, their discovery led to an unprecedented era of pearls through the Victorian era in Europe. South Sea pearls were a popular highlight of the World Exhibition of Paris in 1900.
Around this same time in Japan, Kokichi Mikimoto was having his first success in producing cultured pearls ?a success that has influenced the history of pearls to this day.
About the Author
Dressed to Kill: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Patricia Morison (1946 Movie)
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