Pearls are called the “first gems” because they preceded the invention of lapidary techniques. Unlike gemstones or precious metals that form from volcanic activity, sediments and\or minerals within the earth, pearls are grown by a living organism: an oyster. Gemstones must be cut and polished by man to bring out their beauty. But pearls are “born finished” with a shimmering iridescence, luster and soft inner glow. Throughout antiquity Pearls have been highly prized.

Did you know that Cleopatra once dissolved a pearl in wine and drank it to win a wager with Mark Antony? She said she could consume the wealth of an entire nation in just one meal.

Or, did you know that, in 1916, French jeweler Jacques Cartier bought his landmark store on Fifth Avenue in New York by trading two pearl necklaces for the property? 

During the European expansion into the New World, pearls were discovered in Central American waters. Unfortunately, greed and lust resulted in the depletion of virtually all the American pearl oyster populations by the 17th century.

The nucleating (cultivating) of pearls was attempted for hundreds of years before Kokichi Mikimoto achieved success in 1905.  In the 1920's, Japanese cultured pearls were introduced into the jewelry market for the first time. Until then, only natural pearls were available, and only the rich and famous could afford them.

Following WWII, the Japanese were required to provide their cultivation technology as part of war reparations. This helped to launch the South Sea pearl industry that exists today and makes it possible for us average folks to own pearls.

Today, millions of oysters are nucleated every year. But only a small number live to produce fine quality cultured pearls. Only 50 percent survive and grow a pearl, and of those, only 20 percent are marketable. Less than 5 percent of cultured pearls harvested each year are considered to be fine gem quality.