June – Pearl

Throughout history pearls have been a constant feature in many aspects, from important portraits of royalty to literature and even in a bet made between the famous Marc Antony and Cleopatra. This is not unexpected, due to their great natural beauty and appealing shape. Fine pearls have been considered as objects of beauty for thousands of years and since have become to represent a gemstone which is very valuable and highly prized by man. Its sheer occurrence itself is a something of a phenomenon.

Pearls are formed in molluscs, especially oysters and mussels, when anything enters the mollusc and it is deemed an irritant. The irritant could even be a few grains of sand or grit. The irritant is then encapsulated by many fine layers of iridescent nacre, also known as aragonite, secreted by the soft tissue called ‘the mantle’ next to the hinge of the mollusc. These layers build up to form a solid pearl with an iridescent lustre known as the ‘orient of the pearl’. This is now a natural pearl. Natural pearls are extremely rare and thus the method of culturing pearls is widely used today, so instead of waiting for an irritant to enter the mollusk, man simply introduces one. Cultured pearls come in a variety of colours, with South Sea pearls from Australia and China being a fine silvery white and a warm yellow, whilst Tahitian pearls from Tahiti occurring in a myriad of greens.

Pearls are meant to enhance the virtues of modesty, chastity and purity within the wearer.