How much does the largest pearl cost?
Hello! Today we’ll talk about what the most expensive pearls in the world are, make a rating of products with exclusive pearls, and name real prices. But first, a little about how it all began and how pearls were grouped in ancient times, highlighting elite samples. On the first maps, the coast of the Persian Gulf was called nothing less than the “Pearl Coast”. In past centuries, mother-of-pearl balls were mined mainly in the South Seas, but pearls from the Persian Gulf were considered the most expensive and valuable. For many centuries in a row, Persian pearls have had no equal in the world. Pendant with pearls Europeans called them the beautiful word “oriental” and believed that all pearls from the Gulf fell into this category. The Arabs had a different opinion, dividing Persian booty into several categories depending on external features. The largest ones fell under “race” groups. The middle ones called “zil” and “batn”. There was no name for ideal peas in Arabic, so a special Indian version, “jayun,” was chosen for them. All finds from the Gulf were distinguished by their rounded shape and smooth surface. It was a valuable and sought-after first-class product. Second-class pearls were distinguished by more modest sizes, irregular shapes and, depending on individual characteristics, were called “naim”, “badalya” or “futyava”. Silver brooch with pearls
Read also: How cave pearls are actually formed
The European pearl market: how it developed and what was in price
The work of a pearl appraiser was considered one of the most honorable. Like a sommelier, the masters analyzed the parameters of pearl peas and determined the cost.
pendant cross In those days, pearls of matte white color with a delicate pink tint were considered the most valuable. They were called “javahir”. Next came pearls of rich pink color “nabati”. Peas of blue, greenish-gray, and purple colors were valued. They didn’t come across that often, so they were considered a gift of fate. Large and rare beads were used mainly for inlaying bracelets, pendants and earrings. Medium and small peas were considered suitable for necklaces and decorating the outfits of representatives of the nobility, including in Russia. It is noteworthy that the famous Persian pearls were worn not by the emperor’s wife, but by the daughter of her favorite Count Orlov, Countess Anna Orlova-Chesmenskaya. necklace with pearls By the end of the 19th century, a special attitude towards the best pearls in the world and in the Romanov family had formed. The ruler’s wife, according to tradition, on her birthday presented each of her four daughters with a large pink pearl of the most valuable “javahir” variety. By the age of 18, the imperial daughters had enough pearls for a small pink necklace. Since its discovery, pearls have fascinated and delighted people with their natural beauty and radiance. It is not surprising that its best examples have become symbols of wealth, status and wisdom. Noble and influential people of the world considered it their duty to have the best pearls. Among them at one time was Cleopatra. To confirm her own power, the queen arranged the most expensive dinner in the history of mankind. To do this, she did not need to order hundreds of dishes and expensive wines. One trick made it priceless: Cleopatra dissolved the mother-of-pearl sphere in a glass of wine and drank its contents. The best pearls in the jewelry collection were owned by famous women of the world, including Chanel, Taylor and Boleyn. All of them owned the best specimens of wild pearls of impeccable shapes, colors and sizes. Silver earrings with pearls
Top 10 Famous Pearl Products and Finds
All of these pearls are gigantic in size or have an unusual appearance.
Artificial creation – “Beauty of the Ocean”
The Chinese produced the largest and most expensive “bead” in the world in 2010. They called the creation “Beauty of the Ocean.” The mother-of-pearl miracle made of fluorite weighs 6 tons and to this day has no competitors. The country’s craftsmen worked on the work of art for three years. The main feature of the pearl. besides the sizes. lies in its ability to emit light in the dark. Estimated cost: $139 million. This is currently the most expensive product on the pearl market. Gold plated ring with pearls
La Peregrina – the legacy of Elizabeth Taylor
The first owner of the unique La Peregrina was Philip II. At one time it was considered the largest in the world; its uniqueness was added by its impeccable bright white color and unusual “pear” shape. The pearl became the centerpiece of a necklace with diamond flowers and ruby accents. In 1969, the unique jewelry became the property of the legendary Elizabeth Taylor. Her husband bought the jewelry for her for 37 thousand dollars. Over time, the product went under the hammer for $11,8 million. Silver pendant with pearls
Baroda Necklace: history and cost
The double pearl necklace, originally from the Baroda region, once consisted of several strands of selected pearls of impeccable shape and size. The diameter of each bead is from 10 to 16 mm. An expensive diamond clasp from Cartier was used as decoration. More than 10 years ago, the piece was sold at auction for $7,1 million. Pearl necklace
Frozen pink mother-of-pearl “tear”
- orange;
- yellow;
- greenish;
- pink;
- purple;
- lavender.
silver bracelet with stones
A year later, the “beauty” was valued at $4,7 million. The owner never sold it.
Box with compartments for jewelry
Double necklace in different colors
Another work by jewelers is estimated at $3,7 million, and therefore claims to be the most expensive pearl jewelry in the world. We are talking about a double necklace of more than a hundred large pearls. The pearl polka dots are light cream in color with subtle pink and green tints. The necklace is decorated with a diamond clasp.
Gold pendant with pearls
“The Pearl of Allah” is a unique miracle of nature
Another unusual find, the creation of which man had nothing to do with, is a pearl of phenomenal size, discovered off the coast of the Philippines in the 30s. The irregularly shaped mother-of-pearl mass does not have the radiance characteristic of natural pearls, but is nevertheless estimated at $3,5 million. The diameter of the find is 24 cm, weight is just over 6 kg.
Silver classic stud earrings, studs with pearls
The Viscountess’s Treasure
Don’t know what color the rarest pearls are? Gray is one of them. Naturally, the decoration of 38 gray pearls ranging in size from 11,4 to 6,8 mm and a total length of 43,2 cm is incredibly expensive. The rectangular diamond clasp adds value.
In 2002, the product was sold at auction for $3 million. They were previously owned by Lady Pearson and then by Viscountess Cowdray.
Gold brooch with pearls
Pearl necklace with an unusual base
Exclusive designer work – a necklace made of five rows of natural pearls. The inner thread is 63 beads, the subsequent ones are 68 and 72, respectively. Subsequent rows are made of another 73 pearls with a diameter of 4,1 to 11,35 mm. The peculiarity of the product is the main thread for attaching beads of an unusual blue-yellow color.
Triple necklace with diamonds and emerald
A three-strand pearl necklace went under the hammer in New York for $1,4 million. To create it, 180 natural pearls with a diameter of 5 to 11 mm were used. An exclusive addition was a cabochon with diamonds and a large emerald.
Pierre Cartier’s $1 million estate
A product by Pierre Cartier closes the ranking of the most expensive pearls. In 1917, a jeweler was lucky to buy not only an office, but also a small pearl necklace for his wife for $100. Cartier’s business began with this purchase. For many years, he was engaged in the manufacture of designer pearl beads, the price of which in the period from 1910 to 1920 reached phenomenal proportions. The famous necklace that started it all with 55 inner row pearls and 73 pearls was sold for a million dollars.
Natural long pearl beads
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It is not for nothing that Phuket is called the “Pearl of the Andaman Sea”; it is here that several farms for growing sea pearls are located. I’ll tell you a little about the types of pearls and how they are grown in Thailand. And if you want, you can visit a pearl farm in Phuket and a store where they sell jewelry at low prices.
Cultured and natural pearls
Don’t think that cultured pearls are fake or fake. If a method of growing pearls had not been invented about a hundred years ago, now we would know what pearls are from books and exhibits in museums. It was at that time that uncontrolled mining of sea pearls was carried out, the reserves of which were gradually depleted. But new cultivation technologies have led to a revolution in the world of pearl trading. Today, almost all that is sold are cultured pearls, with only a small proportion of natural pearls on the market. Such rare natural pearls are easily recognized by their price and size. The pearls themselves are large, and prices start at 25000 baht per necklace.
Pearls have always been a privilege of the upper classes. Famous personalities, kings and queens always had pearl products in their collections; they decorated clothes and hats with them. It was customary to place a small pearl in a glass of wine to make sure that there was no poison in it. The word “pearl” comes from the Chinese language, and “nacre” has Romano-Germanic roots and means “mother of pearls”. The largest pearl was recovered from a shell in the last century in the Philippines and weighed more than 6 kilograms. Its shape was similar to a man wearing a turban, and therefore it was called the “Pearl of Allah.”
How does a pearl appear?
The formation of a pearl is a common protective reflex of a mollusk when a foreign body enters the shell. The mollusk is not able to get rid of the grain of sand itself, so it fights the irritating effect by enveloping the grain of sand with an even layer of nacre. The longer this process takes place, the larger the pearl formed and the thicker the layer of nacre. The growing layers consist of layers of calcium carbonate crystals separated by organic biopolymers. Therefore, unlike stones, pearls are alive. Unfortunately, it is impossible to control the process of formation of natural pearls, but experts have learned how to do this during cultivation.
In Thailand, not only pearls are grown, but also shellfish themselves. On farms, they carefully monitor the temperature, light and oxygen composition of the water, treat pearl mussels for parasites, and clean them of algae. Of course, not every mollusk can produce pearls, only certain types. For cultivation, pearl mussels aged 3-6 years are used. A small core made of coral or mother-of-pearl is placed inside, secured in mesh cells and lowered into sea water. The duration of pearl growth depends on the growing method, usually 2-8 years. There are three main varieties of pearls grown in Thailand: Akoya, Mabi and South Sea pearls. It differs in shape, size and amount of mother of pearl.
Currently, there are four main colors of pearls: white, black, gold and pink. But in fact, experts identify more than 250 colors. They depend only on the properties of the mollusk’s nacre; the pearls themselves are not subject to coloring. Modern technologies make it possible to change the color of nacre by coloring the secretion of the mollusk at the last stages of the cycle with special dyes. So colored pearls are no longer as expensive as they used to be.
Pearl prices in Thailand
The cost depends not only on whether the pearls are cultured or natural, but also on the method of cultivation: in sea or fresh water. Without going into technology, I will say that growing river pearls is much easier and more productive; you can get up to 7 pearls in one growth cycle (for sea mollusks – only 1 pearl per cycle), so it will be much cheaper. In Thailand, it can be found in threads and jewelry with silver and gold. Prices start from 600 baht for the simplest earrings with silver and from 1000-1500 baht for a necklace. Sea pearls are never presented in silver jewelry. It is difficult to say about prices, because they vary depending on the size of the pearls; you need to know that a necklace can cost 5000 baht, and earrings from 2000 baht. Prices for natural pearls can range from a couple of hundred dollars for a single pearl to several tens of thousands of dollars for a necklace. In terms of properties and brilliance, natural pearls are almost no different from cultured ones.
The prices I listed above only apply to pearls sold by jewelers. What you can see on the streets, markets, on the beach is a marriage that did not pass the jewelers’ test and was eliminated. Such products are not jewelry, they are low quality jewelry. The unevenness of the pearls themselves, inclusions and different calibers are visible to the naked eye. The seller of such products does not care at all about the safety of the jewelry, dumping the necklaces in a pile or displaying them on a hard surface that can scratch the mother-of-pearl, because they are not of particular value. Prices for such pearls start from 200-300 baht for studs with metal and from 800 baht for a necklace with medium-sized pearls. In markets and street stalls, in addition to defective pearls, they also sell fakes – plastic coated with pearls.
How to distinguish real pearls?
Just gently rub two pearls against each other; if you feel resistance, then the pearls are real. Beads made of coated plastic will slide on their surfaces. Sellers also offer to set the pearls on fire, thereby proving their naturalness.
When choosing pearl jewelry, you need to take into account several factors that influence the price: shape, color, surface perfection, pearl symmetry, size and shine. As I already wrote, freshwater pearls can be bought with silver and gold, and sea pearls – only with gold. Caring for pearl products requires compliance with certain rules. Do not forget that pearls are living stones that do not like excess direct sunlight, hard surfaces or exposure to chemicals. Therefore, wear pearl jewelry 10-15 minutes after using perfume. Pearls should be washed in warm soapy water and wiped dry with a soft towel. It is better to store items separately from other jewelry to avoid the possibility of scratches.
Where to buy pearls in Phuket?
No matter what pearl products you choose, I really hope they bring you joy and beauty! In Phuket, pearl jewelry can be bought in Gems Gallery, Pearl Art or Wang Thalang stores; order a free transfer to any jewelry factory by calling +66 84 905 6656 (WhatsApp, Viber). You will be taken to any store of your choice, shown the entire assortment of Phuket Island, among which you will definitely choose your best jewelry, which will remind you of a holiday in Thailand for many years.
