Pearls have been worn for thousands of years. Pearl popularity reached its peak during Roman times when women of the privileged class were richly adorned with pearls. Pearls found favour with Julius Caesar, and it is said Cleopatra dissolved a pearl in wine and drank it to prove her love to Marc Antony. The Roman general Vitellius is said to have financed an entire military campaign by selling just one of his mother’s pearl earrings.

Natural or real pearls are made by oysters and other mollusks. Cultured pearls also are grown by mollusks, but with human intervention; that is, an irritant introduced into the shells causes a pearl to grow. Imitation pearls are man-made with glass, plastic, or organic materials.

Because natural pearls are very rare, most pearls used in jewelry are either cultured or imitation pearls. Cultured pearls, because they are made by oysters or mollusks, usually are more expensive than imitation pearls. A cultured pearl's value is largely based on its size, usually stated in millimeters, and the quality of its nacre coating, which gives it luster.

Before the creation of cultured pearls in the early 1900s, natural pearls were rare and expensive, available only to Royalty and the very rich and well-connected. With the ability to culture pearls, the price of pearls has generally decreased and there are now many types that offer a far more economical purchase than could ever have been imagined.

By the early 1900s, three Japanese men had all independently discovered the secret of culturing pearls: Kokichi Mikimoto, Tokichi Nishikawa and Tatsuhei Mise. Eventually Kokichi Mikimoto bought out the rights of the other two and started a huge business of pearl culturing which to this day retains the name ‘Mikimoto’ as the premier brand of Japanese Saltwater cultured Akoya pearls. Mikimoto is reputed to have swallowed 2 pearls every day of his life from the age of twenty to maintain and improve his health. The Chinese have also used pearls medicinally for thousands of years.

If you own a set a of pearls, we suggest you look at the hot topic section of our site for some instruction on pearl maintenance and when to have them restrung.