2023-02-01
Pearls have been an integral part of elegant jewellery for many hundreds of years. They are also firmly rooted in culture, with the pearl appearing not only in the famous painting, "Girl with a pearl earing" by Johannes Vermeer, but in many other paintings, prints or even mosaics. What do you need to know about pearls?
Natural pearls are formed in nature, without human intervention. They are found in the shells of perching marine bivalves. The formation of such a pearl is a rare phenomenon, which is why customers will find cultured pearls in most jewellery shops.
Cultured pearls are created as a result of deliberate human intervention inside molluscs. A foreign body is introduced into the interior of the mollusc, the mollusc perceives it as an irritating interference and surrounds it with layers of mother-of-pearl. Thus, the pearl embryo is a creation artificially introduced into the shell, while the layer covering it is a natural creation.
Interestingly, there are several shades of pearls. The most prized are the so-called pink pearls. However, there are also colours: in shades of blue, green, gold, brown or even black.
In addition, pearls can be divided according to their occurrence into freshwater and sea pearls. Both cultured and natural pearls can be formed in the sea or in freshwater.
Irregularly shaped pearls are called baroque pearls and are most often freshwater pearls. During the Baroque period, jewellers created whole miniature compositions from them.
Although the theme of the July auction will be coloured stones, the catalogue will feature pearl necklaces and earrings. An interesting highlight is a beautiful pair of baroque pearl earrings (white and yellow gold, pearls, sapphires, diamond rauts, length: 5.5 cm). The auction will run from 7-10 July.
