Pearl Necklaces Not Meant Just From The Past

Pearls in fashion have been around for thousands of years. Once upon a time only nobility were allowed to wear pearls, because they were such a status symbol. Famous painters paid homage to pearl necklaces and the lovely women who wore them through the centuries.

An archaeologist opening a sarcophagus looking for a mummy also found a pearl necklace. The three strands contained two hundred and sixteen perfect pearls in wonderful condition. Dating back three thousand years, this shows that pearls as fashion have been a statement for a very long time. The necklace is now on display in Europe.

From generation to generation, pearl necklaces, like all heirlooms, leave their mark on history and touch so many lives. The La Peregrina, a pearl set in a necklace and the biggest of its kind found in the 1500s, became a part of the Spanish crown jewels before being gifted to Mary Tudor of England. At her death it went back to Spain, only to eventually make its way to America, and then go back over the pond.

It wasn’t until the sixties that the La Peregrina or ‘the wanderer’ or ‘the pilgrim’ found a forever-home in the vault of a famous starlet. Known for a passion for all things expensive, and for pearl necklaces, the woman accepted the big pearl as a gift from her husband. They immediately set it in a necklace of rubies and diamonds, displaying it as a centerpiece. The wandering pearl had finally found its home.

Famous painters have always been known for portraying the era in which they live in explicit detail or vague expressionist creative works. One famous painter painted scenes of a girl pouring milk, a lady receiving a letter from a servant, a girl playing a lute. Given the time of his paintings, the mid 1600s, one of his paintings natural pertained to pearl necklaces. A lovely lady in a yellow mantle stares into a mirror, enraptured with the pearl necklace she holds up for show to no one but her own reflection.

A pearl necklace can contain both cultured and natural pearls. Cultured pearls have had some help from people in order to grow, while natural pearls are found naturally in pearl growing oysters. Pearls are either from saltwater or freshwater mollusks, either clams, oysters or even snails. Saltwater pearls are the type more likely to be cultivated by man and are known for being rounder and smoother than the often irregular shaped freshwater pearls.

Pearls can be of many sizes, shapes and colours. Button pearls are flat on one side and slightly rounded on the other, like dome shaped buttons. More ideal for pearl necklaces are the pearls from Japan, known as either Akoya or Kasumi pearls. Pearls are also given the attribute of luster, as not all pearls are ‘nacreous’ or iridescent. Coin pearls are a current trend of cultivated pearls, and help to make very unique necklaces.

As old as pearls are, they are so adaptable to current trends. They look as good in old antique settings as they do in contemporary ones. Whether looped with a ribbon or twined with copper, set with almost clear line so they look like a dream across the skin, they look elegant. Paired with the best of designer dresses or worn as an accent for jeans, pearl necklaces are gorgeous and make a woman feel like a queen.

Pearl necklaces have been used in fashion for at least a couple of thousand years. A three strand pearl necklace was found in the bronzed sarcophagus of a mummy, and contained two hundred and sixteen well kept pearls.