Images courtesy of Pearl Paradise
O
ne of the world's most beautiful natural wonders was
once considered the most luxurious commodity. Even in
1917, Pierre Cartier bought what is now used as the New
York Cartier store on Fifth Avenue with a matched double
strand of natural pearls. It wasn't until the 1950s when it
was thought that every woman should have her own strand
of pearls, and today, it's a jewelry box staple.
Nearly every culture around the world has held this remarkable
wonder in the highest esteem. Ancient kings and queens
were memorialized in art wearing strands of pearls to show
their wealth and power; no gem was considered remotely
comparable to the pearl.
The Romans and Egyptians had a particular fascination with
the pearl; in fact, to convince the Romans that Egypt was
wealthy beyond conquest, Cleopatra bet Marc Antony that
she could consume the entire wealth of a nation in one meal,
the most expensive dinner in the world! He accepted her
challenge and watched as she took a pearl from her pair of
HYLAND
