Folklore of the Pearl, June's Birthstone

Cultured or freshwater pearls are considered to offer the power of love, money, protection, and luck.

Pearls are thought to give wisdom through experience, to quicken the laws of karma and to cement engagements and love relationships. They are thought to keep children safe.

The Greeks believed that wearing pearls would promote marital bliss and prevent newlywed women from crying.

Ancient Greek mythology taught that pearls were the hardened “tears of joy” that came from the eyes of Aphrodite, their “goddess of love” (much later known to the Romans as Venus) as she was born, rising out of the seas on the giant half shell of a magnificent oyster.  They also believed that wearing pearls would promote marital bliss and prevent newlywed women from crying.

Arabian legend tells us that pearls were formed when oysters were seductively lured up from the depths of the ocean floor by the beautiful moon where they then swallowed moonlit dewdrops that became pearls.

Throughout Asia, pearls were revered as dewdrops from heaven that solidified when they fell into the sea. They were caught by shellfish under the first rays of the rising sun, during a period of a full moon.

Ancient Chinese folklore taught that pearls grew inside the brains of mighty dragons and that they fell from the sky when they fought.

For ages, many Christian scholars referred to the pearl as a symbolic “archetype” representation of Christ, coming into the world under the most humble and lowly of circumstances to bring luminescent light and joy into the world.

Only those with royal status once wore pearl jewelry.  These gems have adorned crowns, clothing, and temples, and were said to be a favorite of Cleopatra.

(Information shared from Bernadine Fine Art Jewelry and The Pearl Outlet.)