Baroque pearls: description and origin

Little is known that a perfectly round pearl is an exception to the rule. Bizarre, irregular shapes are more characteristic of natural pearls, which are called baroque, from the word "baroque". Read more about this pearl, its properties and types, about caring for it in our article.

Lovers and connoisseurs of pearls know that, in addition to spherical beads, natural mother of pearl can take a variety of forms - drop-shaped, asymmetric, oval, with various irregularities, pear-shaped, ellipse shape and others. Just such pearls of original, bizarre forms are usually called baroque. The name is derived from the style in art - Baroque, literally translated from Italian as "strange", "bizarre", "having a penchant for excesses." However, the translation of the word “baroque” from Portuguese, which means “unpolished”, “not processed”, is more suitable for this type of pearl.

By type of origin, baroque pearls are:

• natural marine;
• natural river, freshwater;
• natural, cultivated on a special farm;
• artificial.

Naturally forming pearls is a unique natural process in which a speck or a grain of sand enters a mollusk shell. Trying to get rid of a foreign object, the mollusk covers it with nacreous layers, and in 12 months a pearl grows as small as 2-2.5 millimeters. It is noted that the growth rate depends on the age of the oyster - in the shell of a young mollusk the process of pearl growth is faster than in old ones.But also for the growth rate, seawater is more favorable than fresh. Most often, baroque pearls are found in the warm, southern seas.

The correct shape of the rounded pearl suggests that its formation took place in the central part of the shell. Baroque pearls are formed at the shell walls in contact with the mollusk itself. The size of natural baroque nacre is usually small, but large specimens can also be found that are appreciated by jewelers and can cost more than perfectly spherical pearls. Competent jewelers see flowers, petals, figures of animals and birds in the silhouettes of baroque pearls, their imagination is limitless and helps to create unique creations from them.

The color scheme of baroque mother of pearl is wide and varied. These are all milky shades, boiling white and light beige tones, pearls of the color of coffee with milk, pink, yellow, blue, golden, grayish-blue and even black.

Gems and historical figures are inextricably linked with each other, expensive jewelry emphasize the status of its owner. Among the famous jewelry of the powers that be, several jewelry made of baroque pearls are known. They are given their own names and, in the end, the stones and pearls themselves become more famous than their owners. Thus, the legend of the love of the Roman politician Mark Anthony and Cleopatra of Egypt, says that in order to prove her feelings, she removed her precious earrings from baroque pearls in the form of a pear and dissolved them in the wine that the Roman drank. Later, according to legend, these pearls shone on the statue of Venus, decorating the goddess of love.

A large teardrop-shaped pearl of the Baroque "Peregrina", found off the Panama coast in the middle of the XVI century, first granted freedom to the slave who found her. Then it was presented to Philip II, the autocrat of Spain, who presented the “Peregrine” to the august Englishwoman Maria Tudor as a wedding presentation. Not for nothing that “Peregrina” means “pilgrim”, because after that the pearl visited Bonaparte, is imprinted on the portrait of the Spanish queen, the French Marquise family also possessed it, having bought it from Napoleon III who needed money. The Marquis’s wife was distracted, which served to create a pearl necklace.

In the XX century (1969), a necklace with “Peregrina” was put up for auction at a British auction, where the husband purchases it for his wife, Queen of Hollywood, E. Taylor. She wore the jewelry as a brooch and once her dog almost ate a pearl. After that, the decoration with the “pilgrim” turned into a Cartier decoration. After the death of the great actress, a jewel with a pearl was auctioned for almost $ 12 million.

Another rare baroque egg-shaped pearl called “Regent” weighing about 80 carats belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte. Having bought it for a huge amount, Napoleon presented it to his wife, and until 1887 she was in their possession. Then he bought the famous Faberge pearl and transported the jewel to Russia. However, the financial difficulties of the young Soviet country prevented the pearl from staying with us, and together with other jewelry it falls to the West. The largest today is the baroque pearl of Hope (named after the name of its owner), its diameter is 5.1 cm, and the shape is pear-shaped. Now every visitor to the London Museum of Natural History can admire it.

Being a mineral of natural origin, pearls conceal many healing and mystical properties. The purpose of wearing pearls is exclusively feminine, men almost never wear mother of pearl.

Baroque pearls positively affect the nervous system of its owner. His psycho-emotional state is stabilizing, fears and doubts go away. Many believe that pearls are able to protect their owner from nervous disorders.

The mind and memory of those wearing baroque mother of pearl become lighter. Specialists in healing stones assure that pearls can cure sclerosis, improve the functioning of internal organs, especially the kidneys and liver. It is recommended to wear jewelry made of Baroque pearls for those who have problems with both high and low pressure. When wearing socks, pearls should be closely monitored - darkened pearls appear from the negative mood or illnesses of its owner.

With pearls, including baroque, girlish beauty and chastity are associated, often they decorated the bride on their wedding day. But in each country, pearls are attributed their special properties. In India, they are worn to attract wealth, in China, pearls give kindness and mercy to the owner, the Greeks with his help protect the family hearth. It is believed that sparkling mother of pearl eliminates loneliness, protects the house from thieves, gives good luck to businessmen.

Since nacre is formed in the water element, it is recommended to wear it to representatives of this group of zodiac signs. This mineral is more suitable for people with a strong character, for a person with a weak unstable character, pearls bring distraction.

It is generally accepted that baroque pearls are ideal material for beginner jewelers who only acquire the skills of exquisite craftsmanship. This is partly true, but if a good master sees a large baroque pearl of a successful form, he will certainly embody his artistic plan in it. A jewelry with such a unique pearl will definitely become exclusive, because two baroque pearls of the same shape and color do not exist in nature.

Usually, baroque pearls in jewelry are complemented with other precious stones and metals, they are complemented by jewelry made from traditional round pearls. Elongated, drop-shaped or pear-shaped baroque pearls are in demand for creating pendants, earrings, brooches. It is customary to make rings, pendants, brooches, crown tiaras or necklaces from pearls resembling the silhouettes of plants, animals, birds or face profiles.

The high popularity of baroque pearl products stimulates dishonest manufacturers to create artificial imitation of it. You should carefully consider the jewelry in detail and from all sides, not succumbing to the entreaties of the seller about its naturalness. There are some nuances to distinguish fake baroque pearls from natural ones.

• A seam or line of gluing on a bead. Often the irregular shape is achieved by negligent sellers by gluing several parts of mother of pearl.
• Coating layer. Mother of pearl can be imitated with special paints. However, artificial paint looks dull, dark and without shine compared to natural mother of pearl.
• The surface of each pearl should be rough, uneven. And also some test the naturalness of pearls "by little tooth" - they are quite soft and leave dents.
• Glass scattering. A handful of pearls are scattered on a glass surface, artificial peas will roll, and natural ones will bounce slightly.
• Show to an experienced independent jeweler who will probably determine the authenticity of the pearl.

Like any jewelry, Baroque pearls require careful and careful care.In this case, he will delight his owner with a beautiful appearance for a long time. Here are some tips for caring for baroque pearls.

• Do not apply perfumes, eau de toilette directly to the pearl jewelry. After a pause of 12-15 minutes after applying cosmetic products, perfumes or deodorant to the skin, you can wear pearls.
• Avoid contact of natural mother of pearl with various chemicals.
• Protect from direct sunlight and overheating. In summer, pearls should be worn only in the evening.
• Store in a box upholstered with soft natural fabric or in a bag, separate from solid gems and jewelry that have sharp edges.
• Clean occasionally with a soft natural cloth the dirt that has appeared.
• Do not wear it in rooms that are too humid or hot, such as a pool or sauna.

Human skin has an ideal PH level for pearls, so you need to wear it on your body as often as possible, observing all safety precautions. Then the pearl jewelry will become an object of admiration for others and will be passed on to more than one future generation.

See how to distinguish artificial pearls from natural pearls in the next video.