| Because pearls were so highly regarded, a number of European countries actually passed laws forbidding anyone but the nobility to wear them. |
| Cleopatra reportedly dissolved a single pearl in a glass of wine and drank it, simply to win a wager with Mark Antony that she could consume the wealth of an entire nation in just one meal. |
| “Perfected by nature, and requiring no art to enhance their beauty, pearls were naturally the earliest gems known to man” (Kunz, The Book of Pearls, 1908). |
| It is the oldest known gem, and for centuries it was considered the most valuable. |
| Throughout history, the pearl, with its warm inner glow and shimmering iridescence, has been one of the most highly prized and sought-after gems. |
| Long known as the "Queen of Gems," pearls possess a history and allure far beyond what today's wearer may recognize. |
| The birth of a pearl is truly a miraculous event. Unlike gemstones or precious metals that must be mined from the earth, pearls are grown by live oysters far below the surface of the sea. Gemstones must be cut and polished to bring out their beauty. But pearls need no such treatment to reveal their loveliness. They are born from oysters complete -- with a shimmering iridescence, luster and soft inner glow unlike any other gem on earth. |
| In 1916, the famed French jeweler Jacques Cartier bought his landmark store on New York's famous Fifth Avenue -- by trading two pearl necklaces for the valuable property. |
| The Cartier Building |
| 52nd st. and 5th Ave, NY, NY |
| The legend of Venus/Aphrodite (Goddess of love, beauty and pleasure), who came out of the sea with water droplets turning into pearls, implies that pearls hold all the “charms” of the love goddess. |
| We chose the pearl as our symbol for the similarities among us. (The pearl and the women) |
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| The bible makes numerous references to pearls. For instance, the entrance to heaven is known as “the Pearly Gates.” |
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| In the Koran, it states that a good Muslim, upon entering the Kingdom of Heaven, "is crowned with pearls of incomparable luster, and is attended by beautiful maidens resembling hidden pearls." |
| The Ancient Hebrews believed that pearls had been used by God to decorate the Garden of Eden |