The Rare Natural Pearls

Natural Pearls all have a lifetime, some lose their luster in ten years.... some in fifty years.....but the Pearl of soul, of beauty, those Pearls live for ever.

The question today, is not how to invest in rare Natural Pearls, but "are there any left to buy? "

No, you will not have to go diving in the Persian Gulf either, find everything you need to know by diving in here.......

Of all the sparkling gemstones on the earth, it is the Natural Wild Pearls of the sea that I myself, find the most illusive. Perfect at birth, it needs no improvements, just the enhancement of its natural beauty with other jewels worthy of it.

Formed for the same reason that cultured pearls are formed: A foreign object, usually a parasitic organism, gets lodged inside the mollusk. Contrary to popular belief, it is never a grain of sand....
To protect itself from the intruder, the animal coats the irritant with layers of nacre, also known as mother-of-pearl, the same substance it uses for shell building.

If you're hopelessly addicted to the sheer beauty of these lustrous natural sea-gems, then you may like to consider investing in Georgian jewelry, as you might just be lucky enough to find one or two natural pearls, clinging for life amongst Antique Jewelry of the Georgian period, long before Mikimoto arrived on the scene.

Perhaps you simply want to know how to care for real pearls well, your home, because you will find the most concise information specifically about Natural Pearls anywhere in the world, here at Antique Jewelry Investor.

My love affair with Natural Pearls, began early, when I was a school-girl. "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck, was one of the set text for the year, (more years ago than I care to admit) and my love for natural pearls just kept growing. Natural pearls are very rare today, and when I get the chance to hold one in my hand, I cannot stop gazing at it, I feel very privileged.

Elizabeth Taylor is well known for her great love of jewelry. Over the years she has amassed one of the world's foremost collections.

Included in her line of jewels are a 33-carat Krupp Diamond ring, a diamond tiara, a La Peregrina pearl, a yellow heart-shaped diamond necklace, the Duchess of Windsor diamond brooch, and a gift from Burton, the staggering 69.42-carat pear-shaped diamond, newly named the Taylor-Burton Diamond, a 29-carat diamond ring, and the Grand Duchess of Russia emeralds.

Taylor is an Antique Jewelry Investor, in the true sense, she believes that she is merely the custodian of these precious gems and she is duty bound to protect and love these beautiful pieces.

Among Elizabeth Taylors famous jewelry collection, are Natural Pearls, and although Liz is usually associated with huge diamonds, another gift from Burton was "La Peregrina" (the pilgrim) one of the largest and most historic Natural Pearls in existence.

Believed to have been found around Panama, in the Caribbean by a slave diving for pearls who was granted his freedom when his owner saw the value of this pearl.

According to the story, the pearl then became part of the Spanish Treasury. It was worn by Mary Queen of Scots on her Wedding day, as a gift from her husband King Phillip 11 of Spain.

This pearl can be seen in many paintings by the famous artist Velasquez of Phillip 1V’s wives.

La Peregrina then left to belong to become the possession of Joseph Bonaparte, who sold it to the Marquis of Abercorn of England to help ease some serious financial problems. (Excerpt from an article published on Wednesday 12 July, 2006.)

La Peregrina is a pear shaped drop weighing 203.84 grains.

For a close up of the famous "La Peregrina" it appears as a drop (about the size of a medium sized olive) from the necklace Taylor is wearing on the Antique Jewelry Investor homepage. Not surprsingly, she often wears her own jewelry in movies.

And then there's Audrey Hepburn who was also crazy about pearls. Of all the gemstones, natural pearls have retained their appeal and escalated in value by phenominal amounts down through the centuries.

Understandably, a trade with this much at stake, has kept its' secrets for thousands of years and does not yield up its wisdom just for the taking.

My own personal studies and experience have provided some of the connoisseur's tools but by no means are they all.

Some of the information about natural pearls, you're about to read was gleaned from the best judges and buyers of gemstones in the world and for their knowledge I am extremely grateful and from the pearlers themselves who left their stories in old books, some of which are no longer in print.

Diving in those days was filled with danger. In the quest to find the perfect natural Pearl many have lost their lives.

Pitting their strength against the sea and its perils. Torres Straits "skin" divers, for instance, were considered to be the best divers in the world, being able to "stay down" for two or three minutes.

The history of the trade has been no rose garden.

These cool flames have come to us with a hot price. It's a fabulous history though, about a fabulous business, founded on bloodstained drama, incident after incident, rouges and even murderers. (in fact, lots of them!)

Today people prefer to use scientific rather than romantic terms to describe them. They talk about their "symmetry" rather than shape, their "surface" rather than their complexion.

In truth, the romantic terms are more accurate because they are evocative and more precisely describe what you see and feel when looking at Natural Pearls

For those who already invest in gold and diamond Antique Jewelry unfortunately not many of us will ever get close to seeing Natural Pearls. They are either sold singularly as a collector's item, or set as centerpieces in unique jewelry.

Very few matched strands of Natural Pearls even exist.

Those that do often sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Yachtsman and financier Cartier purchased the landmark Cartier store on Fifth Avenue in New York for $100 cash and a double strand of matched Natural Pearls valued at $1 million. (freely rendered from answers.com)

Besides x-ray examination the best tests, that I've found that will help to identify between natural and cultured making identifcation fairly easy can be found here.

No need to saw your Natural Pearls in two to find out if they really are natural pearl though!

One of the most important things is to trust your own eye and secondly, if you see it and you can afford it, then grab it!

Whatever you do, don't hide your pearls away in your jewelry boxes though - take them out tonight and flaunt them! Pearls like opals need special attention when it comes to jewelry storage. All varieties of pearls require moisture and therefore storing pearls in a safety deposit box over long periods of time is not recommended.

One of the best ways to care for your pearls and keep them in good condition is actually to wear them from time to time. Your skin's natural oils will help to keep them lustrous.

From the beginning, long before Kokichi Mikimoto established cultured pearls

people were interested in farming and cultivating oysters.

Perfectly round orients are an extreme rarity and most are not round, not white or perfectly matched!

Naturals sea gems, referred to as "orients" by insider's in the trade are expensive, very expensive.

This is due to a number of factors that include, rarity, beauty, supply and demand. And when the demand exceeds supply then the price goes up.

It's no wonder they're called the gem of queens. And the best quality in the world are found in the Persian Gulf.

Archeological discoveries indicate that the Persian Gulf contained the world’s oldest, largest and rarest pearl beds ever known.

No place else did oysters grow more natural pearls with such high quality and radiance and nowhere else on earth has it been possible for pearl divers to dive more places than in the warm shallow waters of the Persian Gulf, sprinkled with its many fresh water springs.

This unique mix of fresh and saltwater that surrounds Bahrain, is one of the secrets behind the special luster and brilliance of the Gulf pearls.

The two largest natural saltwater pearls in the world are the 'Pearl of Allah' and the 'Arco Valley Pearl'.

With the coming together of the opposites literally, the most beautiful and largest Natural Pearls are born.

When two cultures come together, East and West, you find a pearl of another kind, The 'Pearl of the Orient', the island of Penang in Malaysia is a gateway to the East has also has a strong Indian presence.

If you are thinking of collecting one of the hottest styles in antique jewelry right now, nothing will compare to hunting for Antique Indian Jewelry on location.

Penang happens to be the gateway to south east asia and you can find out all about this oriental pearl here. (opens new window)

Forget about oil, once for ounce, Natural Pearls are one of the most valuable things on earth, so sought after and expensive that Julius Caesar barred women below a certain rank from even wearing them!

Unlike diamond grading system, there is no universal grading system so it will reward you to know the eight key elements used in grading these gems when assessing their value.

Baroda Pearls

Until Kokichi Mikimoto, successfully established the cultured varieties in the early 1900s enabling them to be easily matched (before that, it could take up to 10 years to find enough matching to make a strand) did these gems of the ocean become within the reach of most people.

You might be surprised to know they have not been the exclusive ornament of women. Men have been absolutely smitten by these glowing orbs for centuries and wear them too!

Men at their best and men at their worst stalk the pages of this fabulous trade. Kings, princes, rajahs (text link) from all corners of the earth have courted them tirelessly throughout the History of Jewelry.

Among the greatest and most famous collections of jewels in the world are the Baroda Pearls, previously owned by the former Mahratta Gaekwar of Baroda in India.

Vadodara or Baroda, was formerly the capital city of Gaekwar State, and is situated on the banks of Vishwamitri River, located southeast of Ahmedabad.

The Baroda Pearls is the historic two-strand Natural Pearl necklace of sixty-eight graduated pearls, measuring approximately 9.47-16.04 mm, with a diamond clasp by Cartier.

The Pearls along with with a pair of earrings, brooch and a ring en suite, set a world auction record of $7,096,000 in April, 2007, in New York.

The Maharajah was the most influential of the all the Indian princes. The Maharajah of Baroda exemplified a princely state of mind, attracted not only to pearls but also to precious gemstones and Gold in India.

His court tunic was spun of gold, with only one family in his state allowed to weave its threads.

The family's fingernails were grown long and then notched like the teeth of a comb, all the better to caress the golden threads to perfection.

Among his most precious treasures were a collection of tapestries made entirely of pearls, into which were woven ornate designs of rubies and emeralds.

From the east to the west, royalty, celebrities, Indian princes and famous people love to wear pearls! And here's some news you won't find anywhere in the English press. I've had it translated from the Arabic newspaper, Dar Alalhayat by an arabic linguist.

At a recent auction arranged by Christie's auction house in Dubai, Um-Khalthoum (b. 1904-1975), known as "the star of the east" the most famous female singer in the Arabic world, her Pearl necklace sold on the 29th April 2008, for $1.4 million USD, ten times its' original value! It was a gift from Sheik Zaid ben Sultan, founder of the United Arab Emirates.

If the sound of Christie's is all a bit much, well, just give a prayer of thanks to Mr Mikimoto, think Coco Chanel, little black dresses and cultured.

There's a wealth of beautiful Cultured Pearl Jewelry to be found in estate, vintage and Art Deco Jewelry

Investment worthy, hard assets that you can wear (with that little black dress) while they quietly increase in value as you enjoy wearing them. Another style of jewelry which provides a good return on investment is glamorous Antique Costume Jewelry also known as Retro.

Passionate about the black and golden gypsies of the South Seas? The name, Paspaley, will bring you some of the most beautiful South Seas Jewelry in the world today.

Sea gems require your special care. Tips on caring for pearls can be found here.

Some people are born with an eye for a pearl. Even experience in the trade is not enough though. Some people have what others cannot learn the gift of knowing.

They are born with it as some people are born with a gift for music or art or touching the heart of a man or woman. "A novice has much to learn but that he cannot learn".

The skin of of these cool flames glows rather than gleams and its' qualities are far more subtle than the cold surface of faceted gemstones.

The famous painter, John Singer Sargent (b.1856) who painted wealthy belle Époque beauties, certainly had an eye for them. He used seven brushstrokes, each stroke using pigment of a different color to create a realistic painting of a single round white jewel.

An earlier artist with an eye for them, was the seventeenth-century Dutch master, Johannes Vermeer whose absolute masterwork, 'Girl With A Pearl Earring' captures the precise realism of the gem.

The actual body color or hue is no part of the connoisseurship equation, according to Richard W. Wise, world authority on precious gemstones. No particular hue or color is more beautiful than another. What Richard terms Simpatico or compatibility with the skin of the wearer is what's important.

You Judge Natural Pearls Like A Beautiful Woman

Old timers would look primarily at their shape, symmetry, skin, and complexion. Complexion is a pearls' lustre. And then you must look for lasting quality.

Some pearls have a short life, others last forever. But first and last you look for beauty.

Nobody can tell you what beauty is.

A woman can be flawless, immaculate and have no soul. Such a woman is not beautiful. So it is with a pearl. It is in its' soul wherein its' value lies.

The surface is not perfectly smooth. Under magnification, you will see it is delicately rippled. The light, striking on these infinitesimal ripples refracts into a play of colors.

The oyster secretes the nacre which makes up the Pearl in layers, like the inside of an onion and the reflection from the buried surfaces through the outer transparent layers adds to the beauty of the stone.

The quality of the nacre depends on the position inside the shell. The choicest gems are mostly found in the soft parts of the oyster.

It has no intrinsic color in itself. The iridescence comes from the light striking up at different angles from the rippled layers.

Perfectly Matched Natural Pearls

Any jeweler's boy can match for size and shape. This is mathematics. Jewelry investor's will do well to note that matching sea gems is not a science, it is an art.

Consequently, you must match so that all in the string age at the same rate. That is not easy if one pearl, for example changes color before the rest it decreases the value of the necklace.

The Shape of Pearls

The odd shapes which are called baroque pearls and the freak shapes, at one time not worth a connoisseurs while are now much sort after and even these natural Pearls command very high prices. They are even said to be more costly than investing in gold.

The luster and its' delicate play of colors, depends upon the perfection of its surface.

While other precious stones receive careful treatments from the lapidary and owe much to his art. It owes nothing to man; an absolute gift of mother nature.

From the brilliance of diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds you turn to a string of natural Pearls with a sense of relief and the eye rests upon it in quite repose and its' soft white gleam.Their purity and chaste beauty make them especially suitable for wedding jewelry.

But because of the rarity and extremely high price of orients, Mikimoto cultured pearls or a strand of freshwater pearl jewelry is the choice for many brides-to-be. Who wouldn't want a long, looped strand of gorgeous pearls such as the actresses wear on the red carpet, or a traditional choker fit for a queen?

Jewelry artists who create Handmade Wedding Jewelry will often incorporate pearls into the piece because of their connection to purity.

Latitude, metereology, sea conditions, nature of plankton of the surrounding area, soil of the ocean floor, genetic originality of its' mother and the health of the oyster, all play a part in the quality of Natural Pearls.

Have you Seen the Jewel-of-the-Month yet?

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