As a little girl I used to parade around in my mother's pearls. They became a symbol of divine beauty to my life. As timeless as a Vera Wang gown or a Coco Chanel Suit; to me, they represent strength, luxury and loveliness. Magnificent in their luminosity and iridescence, pearls are the only gems perfect in themselves. They have perfected a true art form; with natural beauty unaided by cutting, faceting or polishing. The most valued of all gems for centuries, they have been the preferred symbol of wealth, rank and authority or kings, queens and emperors around the world. This is why I studied the history or art in college.
"Pearls of Wisdom" has become a traditional accolade for pearls because of the ancient esteems that marveled them. Over two-thousand years ago they were loved by Egypt's romantic queen Cleopatra and her main man, Julius Caesar. Legend has it that Caesar went so far as to invade Britain in 55 BC in search of Pearls for his powerfully beautiful woman. In Ravenna, pearls of imperial rulers are celebrated in the famous sixth-century Byzantine mosaics of Emperor Justinian and his Empress Theodora. After discovering a wealth abundance of them in the Americas in the 1500, the pearls were imported to Europe where they quickly became a symbol of wealth, rank and authority among Europe's rulers; including the most famous, Queen Elizabeth I of England. She is seen in her 17th century portraits draped in pearl lavish from head to toe. From the sexy, seductive Egyptian queen of the Nile to Elizabeth of Valois Dukes of Burgundy and the Statue of Venus in the Pantheon. Between Elizabeth Tudor of England and Marie Antoinette and the Bourbon's of France. Catherine Medici of Italy and Queen Victoria of the Stuarts. Gloria Vanderbilt, Laura Rockefeller, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Princess Diana, and Elizabeth Taylor were all famous socialites displaying their pearls at important celebrations. No wonder these 'wise gems' make us feel energized in strength, power and ultimate beauty. It's no wonder my mother's pearls make me feel so lovely...
