History of Pearls

From a Dutch Painting to My Workbench

There was a message I received once that I still remember clearly.

A customer sent me an image of Girl with a Pearl Earring — Vermeer’s quiet, luminous girl turning her head over her shoulder — and asked, “Could you make a pair of earrings exactly like this?” In that moment, she pulled my thoughts back to another era: candlelight on polished floors, heavy gowns, and the way a single pearl earring could light up an entire portrait.

In the end, I chose a pair of Australian South Sea baroque pearls for her and set them as studs. When she finally put them on, she looked absolutely radiant. And I couldn’t help thinking: this is what pearls have been doing for people for hundreds of years — from a girl in a Dutch painting to someone standing in front of a mirror today.

1. The First Pearls: Surprises from the Water

The history of pearls begins long before “jewelry” was even a word. Imagine someone, thousands of years ago, opening a shell for food and finding a tiny, glowing sphere inside. No cutting, no polishing — just a ready-made gem.

Archaeologists have found very early pearls in the Gulf region and along ancient trade routes, which tells us people were treasuring pearls as far back as Neolithic times.

Across cultures, one thing was the same: pearls felt different. They came from living water, they looked like small moons, and they didn’t look like any other stone.

• In ancient China, pearls were believed to protect against fire and even fire-breathing dragons.
• In Europe, they symbolized purity and modesty, which is why so many portraits of queens show long strands of glowing white pearls.

2. Pearls, Power, and Stories That Refuse to Die

For a long time, pearls were the most exclusive gem in the world. Diamonds could be cut and improved; pearls either appeared in a shell… or they didn’t. That rarity turned them into a kind of secret “passcode” for power.

• In ancient Rome, laws tried to limit pearl jewelry to the highest classes.
• In the Middle East and India, pearls were woven into crowns, sword hilts, and ceremonial clothing.

And then there are the stories.

The most famous one is probably Cleopatra’s “pearl cocktail” — the legend that she dissolved a priceless pearl in vinegar to win a bet about hosting the most expensive dinner in history. Whether every detail is true or not almost doesn’t matter; the story survived because it captured how impossible pearls felt at the time.

Whenever I see a baroque pearl with a dramatic shape, I secretly wonder what kind of legend it could have started if it had appeared in another era.

3. Natural Pearls and the Age of “Pearl Rushes”

Before the 20th century, every pearl was natural. Oysters and mussels created them by accident, as a response to an irritation inside the shell. That meant divers had to search thousands of shells to find a single beautiful pearl.

This scarcity led to waves of intense harvesting:

• In the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean, pearl diving was a major trade for centuries.
• In the 1800s, parts of the United States saw “pearl rushes” along rivers like the Mississippi and its tributaries — people hunted freshwater mussels hoping to find fortune inside.

Of course, nature paid the price. In many regions, mussel and oyster populations collapsed under the pressure of overfishing.

4. The Quiet Revolution: Cultured Pearls

The biggest plot twist in the history of pearls came with a simple idea:

What if we help the mollusk start the pearl, instead of just waiting for accidents?

In Japan and China, people had already experimented with encouraging “half pearls” on shell surfaces as early as the Song Dynasty. But it was in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that modern cultured pearls were truly born, especially through innovators like Kokichi Mikimoto in Japan.

The method, simplified:

1. A skilled technician gently opens the oyster or mussel.
2. A tiny bead or piece of tissue is inserted as a “starter”.
3. The animal is returned to clean water and slowly builds layer after layer of nacre.

This changed everything:

• Pearls became more accessible, no longer limited to royal families.
• Farmers could select for shape, size, and luster.
• Natural pearls didn’t disappear, but they became incredibly rare — and extremely expensive.

And about twenty years after Japan’s cultured pearl industry began expanding rapidly, the techniques gradually traveled to China. In 1972, the first batches of pearl-culturing mussels from our region were sold at the old Shanxia Lake pearl market. But that, as we like to say in the studio, is another story for another evening at the workbench.

5. A Quick Tour of Today’s Pearl World

Today, most pearls on the market are cultured pearls, but their personalities are very different.

• Akoya pearls – Usually from Japan and China, known for their classic round shapes and mirror-like luster. These are the “little moons” you imagine in a traditional strand.
• South Sea pearls – Grown mainly in Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Big, thick-nacred pearls with a soft glow, often in white or golden tones.
• Tahitian pearls – From French Polynesia, famous for their naturally dark body colors: charcoal, peacock green, deep eggplant.
• Freshwater pearls – Primarily from lakes and rivers in China, incredibly diverse in shapes, sizes, and colors, and the most playful field for baroque and creative designs.

For a designer or a small studio, this variety is a gift. You can tell a completely different story just by changing the type of pearl you pick. 

6. Pearls in a Warming World

The next chapter in pearl history is being written right now — and it’s not only romantic.

Pearl farms and the last wild mussel populations are sensitive to:

• water temperature
• pollution
• changing salinity
• extreme weather

Reports from researchers and people inside the industry show that wild freshwater mussels in some regions are now critically endangered, and even cultured pearl farms are feeling the impact of climate change and water quality issues.

In the last twenty years, we’ve seen this with our own eyes. As seawater warms and storm patterns shift, many saltwater farms struggle with reduced yields. To keep up, some areas have tried to expand farming and raise more oysters — but that can make quality less predictable.

At the same time, attention has turned more and more toward freshwater pearls, because lakes and ponds offer more control: water depth, temperature, and even certain elements in the water can be adjusted more precisely.

That’s one reason why freshwater pearls have stepped onto the world’s stage in such a strong way — not as “second choice”, but as a flexible, sustainable canvas for new designs.

7. Why This History Matters When You Hold One Pearl

So what does all of this mean for someone who just wants a beautiful pair of earrings?

It means that every pearl is a small timeline in your hand:

• a memory of ancient divers and forgotten rivers,
• a trace of the scientists and farmers who learned to work with nature instead of against it,
• and, hopefully, a reminder that clear water and healthy lakes are not guaranteed — they’re something we have to keep choosing.

In our studio, we try to honor that history in small, practical ways: choosing better sources, respecting the material, and designing pieces that feel timeless enough to be worn for years, not just for one trend cycle.

I like to think that when you clip on a pair of pearl earrings from our bench, you’re not just wearing a piece of jewelry — you’re wearing a tiny, glowing chapter of a very long story.

Pearl History FAQ

When did people start wearing pearls?

Archaeological finds suggest that humans have treasured natural pearls for thousands of years, with early examples discovered along ancient trade routes and coastal settlements.

What is the difference between natural and cultured pearls?

Natural pearls form by accident in the wild, while cultured pearls are created when farmers gently introduce a “starter” into the mollusk, guiding the process in a controlled environment.

Are freshwater pearls real pearls?

Yes. Freshwater pearls are real pearls grown in lakes and rivers, primarily in China. They are known for their variety of shapes and colors and play a major role in modern pearl jewelry.