Legends about pearls

Pearls showed their power and full beauty to mankind 6 thousand years ago. They are the only organic gemstone and the only jewel whose origin is the subject of many myths and legends. Nowadays, pearls are mainly regarded as a symbol of feminine beauty and tenderness. However, pearls have already gained popularity in our ancient cultures.

The birth of pearls

In Hindu culture, pearls are associated with the moon and symbolize purity and love. Even one of the earliest myths about the origin of pearls comes from a Hindu book. The Supreme God Krishna descended into the ocean where he discovered the first pearl and gave it to his daughter on her wedding day. The pearls were to protect the bride from widowhood, to ensure a happy married life and fidelity. But pearls could also accelerate the laws of karma and strengthen love relationships.

Since time immemorial, pearls have been associated primarily with love. The Greeks and Romans believed that wearing pearls promoted partner cohesion and marital harmony, and that the memorable bond between Psyche and Cupid was portrayed as a string of pearls. However, the Romans also considered pearls to be a symbol of great wealth, wisdom, charm and good fortune. Ladies wore pearl necklaces to sleep and dream good dreams. Venus, the Roman goddess of sensuality, beauty and love, was said to have been born from a sea oyster like a pearl.  

Rumours of black and white pearls

There is also a Polynesian legend about pearls and love. In the culture of the time, pearls were always synonymous with purity and strength. Oro, the god of peace and fertility, offered a black pearl from an oyster as a token of his love to the princess of Bora Bora.

However, the birth of pearls is also associated with tears in many legends. Ancient legend considers pearls to be the tears of the gods. The Greeks believed that wearing pearls prevented newlyweds from shedding tears. Legend from Ceylon says that the tears of Adam and Eve created a lake that gave birth to black and white pearls. People believed the white and pink pearls were from Eve's tears. The rarer and more expensive black pearls came from Adam's tears.

The black pearl had a reputation for exceptional value and rarity. However, only royalty and nobility could afford to wear them. This is why the natural black pearl came to be known as the Queen's pearl and the Queen of pearls.

A decoction of pearls as an elixir of youth

Mongolian rulers drank a decoction of pearls because they believed it would strengthen their virility. In India, pearls were worn as talismans and Indian warriors adorned their protective shields with them to protect them from injury. The Chinese, on the other hand, attributed healing powers to pearls. They made a pearl drink from pearls, which they used for healing and even as an elixir of youth. The Chinese also said that black pearls symbolised wisdom and thought that pearls fell from the sky and were created by a dragon. They believed that in order to catch a pearl, one must first kill the dragon that holds the pearls firmly between its teeth.

The Japanese, on the other hand, believed that pearls were created from the tears of mythical creatures - mermaids, fairies and angels. The ancient Egyptians valued their pearls so much that they had themselves buried along with the pearls. And Queen Cleopatra? She supposedly dissolved a pearl from one of her earrings in a jar of vinegar and drank it. to prove to Mark Antony that she could absorb a nation's wealth in one gulp.

How do we perceive pearls today?

Pearls enhance a woman's beauty and keep her young. For the wearer, pearls help them to see themselves more clearly, so that they can keep improving. Pearls are said to calm the emotions and maintain the mental stability of the wearer. Pearls are also often associated with purity and innocence. They can protect the innocent and children. And they should never be worn with diamonds.