Gemstone encyclopedia
Pearl — meaning, history and vintage jewelry
Pearls are organic, formed as layers of nacre inside a mollusk. They are very soft, 2.5 to 4.5 on the Mohs scale, and acid sensitive, so they need the gentlest care of anything we sell. Natural pearls, formed without human intervention, dominate jewelry before the 1920s; cultured pearls take over after that. Telling them apart reliably requires x-ray, which is why we only call a pearl natural when a report says so.
What pearl is
Value in pearls comes from luster first: the depth and sharpness of the reflection on the surface. Then nacre thickness, surface cleanliness, shape, color and size. A pearl with thin nacre looks flat no matter how round it is.
Antique seed pearls, tiny and often strung on horsehair or silk, appear in Georgian and Victorian mourning and sentimental jewelry. They are fragile and frequently need conservation rather than restoration.
Color and hardness
- Species
- Organic, nacre formed by a mollusk
- Color
- White, cream, gray, black and rose, green or blue overtones
- Mohs hardness
- 2.5 to 4.5
- What that means in wear
- The softest material in regular jewelry use, and chemically vulnerable. Nacre is dissolved by acids, including perfume and perspiration.
How to care for pearl
This is one of our delicate stones. Pearls, opal, emerald, turquoise, coral, moonstone and tanzanite must never go near an ultrasonic or steam cleaner, and they should be kept away from perfume, cosmetics and household chemicals.
- Never use ultrasonic or steam cleaning on pearls.
- Put pearls on last and take them off first, so perfume, hairspray and lotion never touch them.
- Wipe with a soft damp cloth after wear and let them dry before storing flat, away from harder stones.
- Have strands restrung periodically, with knots between pearls.
Our full house rules, including what the one year warranty does and does not cover, are in the care & warranty guide.
History and symbolism
Pearls were the great status gem of Europe until the twentieth century, when Japanese culturing made them widely available and collapsed the natural pearl market. That crash is why so many pre 1920s pearls survive in significant settings.
Purity, and in the nineteenth century also grief: a single pearl often stood for a tear in mourning jewelry.
Pearl in vintage and antique jewelry
Georgian and Victorian seed pearl mourning and sentimental jewelry; Edwardian platinum garlands with natural pearls and diamonds; Art Deco long sautoirs; mid century cultured pearl strands with gold clasps.
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Pearl pieces in our collection
Every curated vintage, antique and estate piece is one of a kind and checked by our jewelry specialists in the Netherlands. If nothing is right today, we will look for it.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I know whether a pearl is natural or cultured?
- Only x-ray radiography settles it, by showing the internal growth structure. We describe a pearl as natural only when a laboratory report supports it, and otherwise say cultured or not specified.
- Why do pearls need such gentle care?
- Nacre is soft and dissolves in acid. Perfume, hairspray, cosmetics and even perspiration will dull the surface over time, and ultrasonic cleaning can damage both the nacre and the silk.
- How often should a pearl strand be restrung?
- Roughly every year or two with regular wear, sooner if the silk looks stretched or discolored, with knots between pearls so a break costs you one pearl and not the strand.
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