Pearls Through Time: a Brief History of the Beloved Gem
By Annaliese Terlesky
Looking at history through artwork, archaeology, various media, and fashion, we uncover overwhelming evidence of the dedicated, prolific ornamentation of the body with jewelry. In particular, pearls have captured the human eye for millenia, crossing cultural, regional, and temporal boundaries. In jewelry, art, and even medicine, humankind’s fascination with the pearl is clear: the imperfect, natural beauty of this timeless gem persists. Pearl fashion is indeed “cyclicar,” and we are currently seeing a resurgence of pearl jewelry in the fashion world today.
In 1901, archaeologists uncovered a necklace consisting of 216 pearls in the bronze sarcophagus of an Achaemenid princess, in the Khuzistan region of Iran. This necklace was dated to fourth century BCE, and remains the earliest archaeological evidence of pearls being used in jewelry, specifically for royal courts as a symbol of rank. In Greece, archaeologists uncovered the largest ancient pearl ever found: the Paphos pin, originally created in the third century BCE and found in the temple of Aphrodite at Paphos, on the island of Cyprus, and now housed in the British Museum, is fourteen millimeters wide and weighs nearly five grams. It’s no wonder this impressive pearl was brought to the temple of the goddess of beauty as a symbol of divinity, and why it’s now housed in one of the most visited museums on the planet.
In Rome, pearls reached the height of their popularity in the first century BCE, after a series of wars in which the Roman Empire successfully annexed Syria and was enriched by its great treasures. Pearls may have also been one of the reasons the Roman army invaded Britain in 55 BCE. Roman writers described pearls from regions crossing the globe, and particularly the two pearls Cleopatra wore. One of these large, valuable pearls ended up in the Pantheon in Rome, to serve as “pendants for the ears of Venus.” Roman ladies wore pearl earrings fashioned from gold and bronze, to which drilled pearls were attached.
After the fall of Rome, Byzantine jewelers, onto gold-leaf decorative objects, inlaid pearls from the Indian Ocean, lapis lazuli from Asia Minor, agates, rose quartz, emeralds, among many other precious gems and stones, onto ornamental decorative objects. In the Byzantine mosaic at San Vitale in Ravenna, Emperor Justinian wears a sacred pearl cap that denotes him as the spiritual leader of his people—again and again, pearls relay themes of divinity and royalty. Earrings from this period hung down to the shoulder and often included pearls that dangled amidst fine metals and other precious gems.
Pearls have also, throughout history, been revered for their assumed mystical and healing properties. Pearls were said, in multiple religious and medical practices, to cure a wide range of physical, mental, and emotional ailments. Beliefs in the pearl’s healing properties were held mostly in the Middle Ages, but remained until as recently as the 19th century.
During the Late Middle Ages, gems, including pearls, returned as a status symbol, particularly for those in royal courts—the wearing of jewels as adornment was even restricted as practice to only nobility. In this period, as European cities strengthened their ties to Eastern markets, pearls became much more abundant in the world of high fashion, as luxury goods gained a greater role in the life of rulers and their courts. Concurrently, jewelers improved their techniques and skills, and often used pearls to outline precious gems to highlight their colors. For women, whose hairstyles grew more elaborate, pearls were sometimes draped along coronals. Additionally, women began wearing strands of pearls around their necks, even several at once. As low neck dresses came to the forefront of contemporary fashion at this time, necklaces became a staple item of dress as well.
During the Renaissance, the nobility of Europe was eager to acquire luxury goods and display their wealth at any chance they could get. Thus, it was during this era that pearls and pearl jewelry became extremely popular throughout Europe, particularly saltwater pearls that were imported from the newly discovered and colonized Americas. Columbus himself traded various European goods to acquire the large swaths of pearls that the indigenous populations had collected for their own fashions, and brought back these pearls for the leaders of Europe to adorn themselves with. A pearl weighing nearly thirteen grams was discovered in the Gulf of Panama in 1515, nicknamed La Peregrina, and was immediately incorporated into the Spanish crown jewels for several centuries.
Hundreds of pounds of pearls arrived at the ports of Europe each year during the height of this imperialistic age. Both the men and women of royal courts sported pearls on their robes, hats, shoes, and jewelry. During Queen Elizabeth I’s reign, pearls were praised higher than any other gem, and she used pearls to demonstrate to her male contemporaries her power, wealth, and regal validity. Thousands of pearls were sewn onto her gowns, and she often wore many strands of pearls at once, one of which fell to her knees.
Classical mythology also had a visible influence on pendants made during this period, as these jewels and ornaments often depicted figures from Greek myths and the Old Testament. Pearls would be paired with beautiful enamel work, fine metals, and precious stones, and typical subjects included mermaids, sirens, and sea monsters. Today, the jewelry brand Cleopatra’s Bling creates earrings and necklaces very similar to these mythical pendants.
An Archbishop wrote in 850 that the pearl “signifies the hope of the Kingdom of Heaven, or charity and the sweetness of celestial life.” Again, the pearl is elevated to symbolism of the divine—its gleaming qualities demand a certain reverence. Today, in both fine jewelry and on sites such as Shein, pearl jewelry continues to capture our eye. Recently, Ian Charms and smaller similar brands have popularized the assemblage pearl necklaces that are worn casually, while public figures such as Harry Styles wear strands of pearls almost daily, with formal and casual attire alike. Brands such as Janky Jewels create much more gothic styles that appear at once historical and contemporary.
Pearls, it seems, are emerging from their previous limited symbolism of status and divinity, as they become more accessible and more catered to individual styles and aesthetics. Though they continue to captivate and remind us of their opulence and glamour throughout history, pearls grace the bodies and fashions of many more than just the elite of society. By wearing them, we claim their luxurious, timeless beauty, even when these pearls are made from plastic and assembled with neon colored mushroom beads; a newfound versatility and creativity means accessibility.
