Pearl

Birthstone:
June’s birthstone is the powerful and punky Pearl!  A pure unadulterated pleasure that has long been associated with the upper echelons and spanning all spheres of influence! Think Harry Styles with his solitary pearl earring to our Royals etceterah, etceterah!! Hugely covetable and are the true harbingers of style from twin sets to edgy sass!!! They certainly give you that healthy lustre for life!

Pearls of Wisdom: 
Pearls are often considered to be gemstones, though technically they are deemed organic gems, not being minerals and all that! The Pearl is a composite of the mineral Aragonite (Calcium Carbonate) and the organic compound conchiolin (a type of protein). This combination in called mother-of-pearl or nacre.

The ‘NACRED’ truth of how a pearl is born: 
A natural pearl begins its life inside an Oyster’s shell.  A gate-crasher in the form of a grain of sand intrudes and slips in between one of the two shells of the oyster and the mantle.  To protect itself, the oyster shrouds this irritation in layers of nacre.  The grain of sand then metamorphoses in an iridescent gem!  Et Voila!!!

Did you know that cultured pearls are made in the same way, just that the Pearl Farmer acts as the Sand Donor and embeds it into the Mollusc. This process was first created in 1905 by The Pearl King Mikimoto, revolutionising the pearl market and realising his dream to adorn the necks of all the women in the world.

Healing Properties:

Pearls evoke purity, power and prosperity! They also communicate wisdom and glamour whilst telegraphing reliability!! They need to be worn on naked skin to add to their lustre!!! Just need a willing peep to warm them up for you first!

A Note of Caution:
Pearls do not like scent nor soap and should be the last thing one puts on and the first one takes off! Oh, and they must be kept separately from other jewels in your casket as they can be scratched easily!

Potted History & Magical Myths:
Pearl power has spanned centuries!! The Ancient Egyptians and Romans prized pearls for their lustre and scarcity!! It was this allure that drew Julius Caesar to Blighty!! The Ancient Greeks believed that the mighty Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, was born out of the sea resplendently naked save for a string of pearls around her neck! Nudity and purity and all that!

Royals globally have a cache of these extraordinary, rare beauties from generations back!

“The best things in life are free. The second best are very, very expensive!!” 

Never a truer word was spouted from France’s pearly queen Coco Channel and with rarity comes desire and with desire comes hefty price tags!! And in 2018 a breath-taking $36m was achieved at Sotheby’s for Marie Antoinette’s Pearl and Diamond pendant! Rather a nice sop to the family, considering their ‘rellie’ had her head unceremoniously lopped off! One way to secure a piece of history!!