Pearls have always been associated with the upper classes and luxury. Marie Antoinette, the former Queen of France, was a great lover of ostentation and owned one of the most expensive necklaces in history, with a pearl set on diamonds.
In 2018, this pearl was sold for 32 million dollars during an auction, a value that increased because it belonged to a historical figure. However, there are some other factors that cause the price of pearls to be high.
One of them is that The value of a pearl differs greatly depending on whether it is natural or artificial.The first ones are formed when a small piece gets into the shell of a mollusk, such as oysters or mussels.
The mollusk produces a nacre made of the same material as the shell to protect itself from the invading element. Finally, the pearl is formed. The same process occurs artificially, although a human team is required to introduce the foreign object.
Pearl culture time can last between 3 and 9 yearsand not in all cases the result will be the desired one.
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The most expensive pearls in the world, black pearls from Tahiti and the South Sea, are artificial and require a laborious process. However, they can reach sizes of between 15 and 16 millimeters, which translates into a higher value.
Another factor that increases the price of South Sea pearls is known as luster, a combination of surface shine and internal (iridescent) shine. This is the central point of their high price, as it is considered the soul of a pearl.
Interestingly, the most valuable pearls are found in the regions where the first natural pearls were found, more than 4,000 years ago, in Japan and Australia. In these areas, South Sea pearls, freshwater pearls, Golden pearls and Akoya pearls appear.
The first cultivated pearls were actually found in China, in the year 500 AD. However, their collection was not professionalised until 1893, thanks to the work of the Japanese KÅkichi Mikimoto, the grandfather of cultured pearls.
In the video above you can see How the famous pearls of the South are producedsome of the most expensive in the world.
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