Studio Life

1. The pearl is the only gem created by a living body - the oyster.


2. The meaning of the word pearl in Latin is “unique,” since no two pearls are identical (even if it does not always seem that way).


3. Natural pearls are created when a marine parasite enters an oyster. The oyster employs a defense mechanism and emits a protective layer known as Nacre, or mother-of-pearl, which envelops the parasite for years until it becomes a smooth ball that no longer irritates it.

4. Botticelli's famous Birth of Venus depicts the birth of the goddess of beauty and love in Roman mythology as an allegory to the creation of the pearl: through the forces of nature and the foam of the waves, a mature, ripe and tender woman emerged from the shell. Pearls have always symbolized perfection, purity and natural beauty.


5. If a real pearl is submerged in an acidic liquid like wine or vinegar, it will dissolve. The reason is that the main ingredients that make up the pearl are aragonite and calcite, which are some of the components creating limestone. Cleopatra, known for her ostentatious lifestyle, is said to have melted one of her precious pearl earrings in a drink only to win a bet.


6. The scarcity of the pearl (only 1 in 10,000 oysters) and the intricate work of pearl diving have produced two types of cultured pearl, which mimic the formation process by artificially introducing a foreign body into the oyster. Freshwater cultivation is the most common form, while cultivating in sea water is a harder and therefore costlier process. Pearls come in all colors, and their shade depends on the type of host oyster and the water in which it is grows. A pearl’s value is determined by its origin, scarcity, shape, color and luster.

7. At the beginning of the previous century, when pearls were considered a rare natural treasure, pearls were tied together in delicate knots in order to prevent pearl necklaces from unraveling and the pearls being lost. The knots were also designed to prevent friction between the pearls, since they are made of delicate organic matter. The practice of these knots is being preserved to this day.

8. "La Peregrina" is one of the most famous pearls in the world. It is about 500 years old and has a pear shape. Among its former owners are the King of Spain, Napoleon Bonaparte and Elizabeth Taylor.


9. Cartier's famous flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York was acquired by Jacques Cartier in 1917 for 100$ and one natural pearl necklace, valued at 1,000,000$.

10. One of the signature marks of fashion designer Coco Chanel is a long, double layered necklace of white pearls. Chanel believed that every woman needed a little black dress and a good pearl necklace. Other notable fashion icons remembered for their pearl necklaces include Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, Princess Diana and Jackie Kennedy.

11. Dutch painter Jan Vermeer had a complicated relationship with pearl jewelry. They appeared, in different variations, in 18 of his 36 works, including the most famous pearl in the history of art, worn by The Girl with a Pearl Earring.