Pearls - the queen of gems.  We don't know who the earliest people were to wear pearls, but they are featured in ancient writings of India, China, Egypt and Rome.  The Romans and Egyptians prized pearls above all other gems.  When Cleopatra wanted to convince Rome that Egypt had wealth that put it beyond conquest, she wagered Marc Antony that she could serve the most expensive meal in history.  She crushed a large pearl in a goblet of wine and drank it down.  Marc Antony conceded.

In ancient times nearly all pearls came from the Persian Gulf, freshwater rivers in China and along the Japanese coast.  When Europe began to colonize the Americas, they found the Native Americans wearing pearls.

KINDS OF PEARLS

Before the creation of cultured pearls in the early 1900s, pearls were reserved mainly for the rich and noble.  The advent of the cultured pearl made them more widely affordable.

Cultured Pearl:  A tiny irritant, usually a piece of mussel shell, is implanted in the oyster's tissue - or "mother of pearl".  The pearl is then formed around this irritant.  Cultured pearls are not imitation - they are "real" pearls.

Saltwater cultured pearls usually come from the Akoya pearl oyster.  As they take longer to develop, they are more expensive.

Freshwater cultured pearls usually come from a freshwater mussel.

South Sea cultured pearls are produced by much larger oysters which produce much larger pearls.  They come from the South Seas - Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines.  The color of the South Sea pearls is determined by the different oyster types.  White is produced by Silver Lipped pearl oysters.  Golden pearls are produced by the Golden Lipped oyster.  Black pearls are produced by the Black Lipped oyster in Tahiti and Okinawa.  It can take a dozen years to harvest enough black pearls that match in size and shape to produce one necklace.

Conch Pearl:  Conch pearls are natural pearls from the Queen Conch of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.

Keshi Pearl:  Keshi pearls are found in French Polynesia, Philippines, Indonesia, Japan and Australia.  They are by-products of pearl cultivation.  Tiny organisms accidentally grow inside the nucleus and create pearls.

Rice Pearl:  Rice pearls are long or short like a grain of rice.

Button Pearl:   Flat on one or both sides.

Potato Pearl:  An off-shaped round.

Coin Pearl:  Round and flat like a coin.

Baroque Pearl:  Irregularly shaped round pearl.

Biwa Pearl:  Long, flat, stick-shaped pearls.

There are new dying techniques today that allow pearls to be every color under the rainbow.

CARING FOR PEARLS

Pearls are vulnerable to perfume, hairspray and perspiration.  After wearing them, wipe them with a damp (not wet) cloth.  Do not dip pearls in water as it can weaken the silk thread they are strung with.  They can be scratched by other gemstones or sharp objects.