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10 Interesting Facts about Pearls You didn’t know Existed

by Fashionlady
Interesting Facts about Pearls You didn’t know Existed

This entire week I have been sharing facts and figures about Hyderabad pearl shops and taking this opportunity I am back again with 10 interesting facts about pearls you didn’t know existed.

Perfected by nature and requiring no art to enhance their beauty, pearls were naturally the earliest gems known to man

Did you know?

For many years and also even today many people believe that natural pearls are created when oysters rise to the surface of water during dawn and collect dew drops in their opened shells, that later turned into pearls. Then from 15th till 17th century, people believed that pearls were nothing but oysters’ eggs. Then it was only during 18th century that pearls were created because of the intrusion of a parasite into the oyster.

Here are top 10 interesting facts about pearls you didn’t know existed. Continue reading!

Fact 1

Pearls are the only gemstones in the world to have been extracted from living animals. While some oysters die after pearl extraction, there are mussels which remain alive even after the removal of pearls. And the collection of pearls has been around for over 4000 years.

Fact 2

Cultured pearls that are harvested from mollusks can be re-instilled to create pearls without killing the oysters.

Fact 3

The saltwater pearls, also known as the Akoya pearls are extracted from oysters, where as the freshwater pearls are collected from mussels. And not to forget, all the mollusks are capable of creating pearls.

Fact 4

These gemstones derive their distinctive colors from the inner elements of the shells, which range from white and ivory to pink, black, purple and even gold.

Fact 5

While cultured pearls are commonplace, the natural pearls usually awaited tsunamis, water pollution to be extracted from oysters.

Fact 6

Each and every pearl is unique with distinctive characteristics. And every pearl has imperfections.

Fact 7

The oldest pearl jewelry ever discovered was found in the sarcophagus of a Persian Princess who died in 520 BC.

Fact 8

Cleopatra had a bet with her lover Marc Antony if she could spend a small fortune on a single meal and the Egyptian queen won after dissolving one of her pearl earrings in a cocktail.

Legend has it that in order to flaunt her opulence, Cleopatra VII made a bet with her lover that she was capable of spending 10 million sesterces (ancient Roman coins) over a single meal. And to win the bet, all she had to do is to dissolve one of her pearl earrings in her cocktail and drink it.

Fact 9

Periculture is the term usually referred for cultured pearl farming.

Fact 10

In 1916, Jacques Cartier, one of the world’s renowned jewelers was able to purchase his 5th Avenue store by trading only two pearl necklaces in exchange for that plot.

So those were the top 10 interesting facts about pearls you didn’t know existed. Hope you enjoyed!

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