Pearls of Wisdom: A History

    Intellectual Property of Olivia Stuard Jewelry

Enjoy the history!

     This is Part 1 of our history on pearls; stay tuned because later in the week, we will post Part 2, which includes tips on purchasing authentic pearls.

     Pearls have such a rich history because they were the oldest known “gem” according to some historians. It wasn’t until about the 16^th century that we learned how to cut and facet gem stones. One of the reasons Julius Caesar invaded Britain in 55 BC was to obtain freshwater pearls.  Since ancient times the pearl has been a symbol of unblemished perfection, a symbol of the moon with mystical powers. In classical Rome, only persons above a certain rank were allowed to wear pearl jewelry. In Latin, the word for pearl literally means “unique”, attesting to the fact that no two pearls are identical. The word “pearl” appeared in the English language in the 14^th Century. Pearls during the 13^th and 14^th century were very fashionable in Europe as personal ornaments, however, again only a certain rank of individuals could wear them. Teachers and lawyers, for example, could not.

     Incas and Aztecs prized pearls for their beauty and magical powers. Spanish explorers found natives in possession of rich pearl fisheries. For many years, European cities like Seville and Cadiz became known as the land where pearls came from.

     Native Americans of the Atlantic coastal areas and the Mississippi River were the first to collect and use U.S. freshwater mussel pearls and shells. Throughout history certain cultures have placed little or no value on pearls and have instead valued luminescent Mother of Pearl from mollusk shells. Before the 19^th Century Japanese shell divers who found pearls did not bother to keep them, focusing instead on Mother of Pearl. Polynesian children are said at one time to have used pearls as marbles.

     During Renaissance Europe, established trade routes made pearls more available than ever before. New trade centers in Lisbon and Seville overflowed with pearls from India, the Persian Gulf and the Caribbean.

     By the dawn of the 20^th Century people in Europe and the U.S. began wearing pearls for less formal occasions – a fashion that continues today. Japanese cultured pearls first reached European and U.S. markets in the 1950s. A handful of designers, most notably Gabrielle Coco Chanel, embraced them. Cultured pearls did not become as popular until the 1950s.

The Olivia Stuard Story

This blog is for Olivia Stuard Jewelry of Southern California.  We have two shops on etsy:  MinimalDaintyJewelry:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/MinimalDaintyJewelry?ref=hdr_shop_menu

and OliviaStuardTreasure:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/OliviaStuardTreasure?ref=hdr_shop_menu

we also have our own website as well:  http://www.oliviastuard.com

We are a small business located in Southern California.  We specialize in vintage and antiques, vintage jewelry, and we also hand-make our own pieces of jewelry as well.  MDJ on etsy is a shop completely devoted to our handmade minimal designs.  Our other shop, OliviaStuardTreasure, is our older shop and includes all of our antiques, vintage treasures, and some of our handmade designs, especially our handmade jade pieces.

This blog is here to tell a little bit about our process and also to serve as a place where we can post articles that include helpful information about some of our products, materials, and other interesting things.

A note about our business:  We are committed to quality of any and every kind.  Each one of our handmade pieces is crafted by our senior artisan who has been designing and making jewelry for people for almost thirty years.  A lot of our pieces feature gemstones, pearls, jade, sterling silver, and gold.  All of it is top grade certified and genuine.  We never make anything unless our materials have this quality rating.  Our employees are a family:  they not only earn fair treatment and wages, but are considered close friends and are valued deeply.  We’re committed to running a business that is dedicated to quality, not simply quantity.  In a sea of trending, forever-cheapening minutia, we try to stand out by simply producing things that are unique, hand-picked or crafted, and that are actually going to last. Our goal is to spread beautiful quality pieces that people love and wear for a lifetime.

Please feel free to contact us anytime.  We welcome polite conversation and interest of any kind.  Thanks for stopping by!