Thursday, June 2, 2011

June Birthstone : Pearl

From one of the humblest of life forms, the mollusk, comes the pearl -- a gem of unsurpassed beauty and elegance.  Known as the 'Queen of Gems', June's birthstone possesses a distinctly feminine charm and mystique.  With a hardness level of four, a pearl glows rather than sparkles, like the soft gleam of moonlight.  It was probably the first gem to be universally appreciated by mankind for its beauty and rarity.


Although natural pearls are extremely rare, they occur throughout the world, wherever oysters or mussels are found, in both salt and fresh water.  Unlike crystalline gemstones, which typically must be cut and polished to be fully appreciated, pearls need no help to bring out their quiet, powerfully seductive allure.

Eastern cultures believe that pearls symbolize purity and spiritual transformation. Simply wearing a pearl reminds the wearer to be honest, pure, wise, and to walk with the utmost dignity. Different colours of pearls have different meanings.  White pearls symbolize purity, innocence, faith, and honesty. Gold or black pearls symbolize success, prosperity and riches. Rose or pink pearls work well with the heart Chakra, while all pearls work with the solar plexus Chakra, beneficial for digestion and immunity.

Queen Elizabeth 1 was always painted wearing pearls

I love pearls and when the acclaimed exhibit 'Pearls: A Natural History' was at the Royal Ontario Museum in 2004, I went down to see it.  I even purchased the 232 page book published to accompany the exhibition.  Read a news release from the time for more details....

No comments:

Post a Comment