It takes nature a long time to form a pearl,and humans a little longer to culture the pearl and turn it into the object of art that we all like and appreciate. Did you know however, that this love for pearls can be worth several million dollars? If you don’t believe us, take a look at the top 5 famous pearls of the world below:
5 Double Strand Necklace || Valued at $3.7 Million
A pearl necklace is already an object of exquisite art. How about a double strand necklace, then? Double the beauty, double the joy. This beautiful and expertly stranded 120 pearl necklace was sold in an auction held in 2012 at Christie’s. The amount shelled out by the buyer, was $3.7 million! The pearls used in it are of varying sizes, ranging from 6.50mm to 12.25mm in diameter. Not only the size, but the variegation varies from white to a rare light cream. These pearls were then stranded together to be clasped by a three carat diamond signed by Cartier. A true example of luxury lying in simplicity!
4 The Big Pink Pearl || Valued at $4.7 Million
Though we love pearls to be perfectly round, cultured and so on, there is something about an imperfect shape that nature decides to give. This pearl, now widely known as “the big Pink Pearl” is an example of such beauty in asymmetry. This abalone pearl that was found in 1990 by diver Wesley Rankin weighs 470 carats and has an iridescent pink color, earning its name. The nacre or mother of pearl, has multiple hues such as orange, silver, pink, green, blue and lavender. Rankin owns “Pacific Coast Pearls” in California. The value for this pearl in 1991 was $4.7 Million. You can only imagine where it stands now!
3 The Baroda Pearl Necklace || Valued at $7.1 Million
Kings know how to live in style and they know that style itself, never goes out of style. If you thought a two strand necklace is luxury enough, how about a seven strand necklace now? “SaathLahda” in Hindi is a term used to denote a seven strand necklace most commonly worn by royalty. The SaathLahda owned by the Maharaja of Baroda has 68 pearls painstakingly chosen for being the best. Not only are they varying in diameter from 10mm to 16mm, but each pearl matches the other on the opposite string in size, shape and colour. The seven strands were later reconstituted by experts to make a two strand necklace. The strands are joined by a cushion-cut diamond signed by Cartier. It was sold by Christie’s for a whopping $7.1 Million in 2007 to an anonymous buyer.
2 LaPeregrina Pearl || Valued at $11.8 Million
The beautiful La Pelegrina weighs 56 carats and is fully pear shaped, which is a rare occurrence. There are intriguing stories and historical events that lie behind it. As it happened in the mid-16th century, this beautiful pear shaped pearl was found by an African slave on the coast of a Spanish colony called Santa Margarita. At that time, King Philip the second gifted the pearl to Mary the first, for his proposal. After she passed away, the pearl was duly returned to the Crown of Spain. A hundred years later, the Battle of Vitoria occurred and the French were defeated. Napoleon’s brother, Joseph Bonaparte, was under obligation to leave the Spanish kingdom. As he left, he took some crown jewels with him, which included the La Peregrina Pearl. As time went on, Napoleon the third sold La Peregrina to James Hamilton who was the Duke of Abercorn. This happened in 1870. In 1969, the pearl was bought for $37,000 at Sotheby’s by the famous actor Richard Burton as a gift for his wife, Elizabeth Taylor. Many years later in 2011, it was sold by Christie’s for $11.8 Million. The necklace for the pearl has equally spaced floral patterns with a ruby centrepiece embellishment. A sheer beauty, isn’t it?
1 Beauty of Ocean Pearl || Valued at $139 Million
You have certainly heard of the great wall of China, but how about the great Ball of China? Confused? Well, prepare to be surprised instead. The Beauty of Ocean pearl is the world’s biggest and heaviest pearl. Needless to say, it is also the world’s most expensive pearl. It weighs six tons and stands five feet tall. The wonderful thing about this pearl is that it can glow in the dark. Imagine a huge green ball of light in the night! If you think that would be a good addition to your bedroom, be prepared to shell $139 Million! The green glow is due to the fact that the pearl is composed mostly of fluorite and was ground from it’s raw shape into the current shape over a painstaking period of three years. No amount of staring at this great example of natural and man made art can fill your eyes. This is a true Beauty of Ocean indeed!
