Editor's Note:
Mari Rodríguez Ichaso has been a contributor to Vanidades magazine for several decades.
Specialist in fashion, travel, gastronomy, art, architecture and entertainment.
Film producer.
Style columnist for CNN en Español.
The opinions expressed in this column are solely his own.
Read more opinion pieces at cnne.com/opinion.
(CNN Spanish) -
Good news, pearls are very fashionable again!
And they are not only worn by elegant ladies - who have always adored them - and successful politicians like the Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris, just like Margaret Thatcher, the famous "Iron Lady" of the United Kingdom, but young and very young women. "Cool", who find in them the perfect companion and the "look" of the moment.
It is also known that the reflections and the image of pearls beautify and rejuvenate with great elegance!
And (I love this!) Pearls - for centuries and centuries - have been the source of all kinds of romantic stories, as well as tragic moments, great legends and fascinating mysteries.
With its rare beauty, since the time of the Romans - who believed that pearls were the tears of the gods! - and the Greeks - who thought that they were formed in the sea when the gods released their energy and lightning and sparks fell. - pearls have seduced women as diverse as Queen Mary of the United Kingdom, Empress Eugenia de Montijo of France, Queen Elizabeth II of England, creator Coco Chanel, who adored pearls more than anyone, the iconic Jackie Kennedy Onassis , actress Audrey Hepburn (remember the look in her movie “Breakfast at Tiffany” and what woman wouldn't love to look like her ?!), designers Carolina Herrera and Paloma Picasso, Princess Grace of Monaco and her daughter, the also Princess Carolina of Monaco and… another princess!
Diana of Wales, among many others.
Pearls are valuable gems that are rarely found in wild oysters.
Doing research a few years ago in the archives of Tiffany & Co, I found that President Abraham Lincoln purchased a pearl necklace for his wife there.
Elizabeth Taylor was another pearl lover and owned countless pearl jewelry and necklaces, including La Peregrina with over 500 years of tragic history.
It is fascinating to remember that something so simple - which began to form inside mollusks at the bottom of the sea centuries ago - has become one of the most beautiful jewels in existence.
And a fantasy font for everyone!
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Checking out those granny pearls
Many of us have inherited pearls from our mothers and grandmothers - and they probably now have a much prettier, more 'pearly' luster than years ago.
And it is possible that the famous 'orient' that they reflect when in contact with our skin is more noticeable.
According to popular beliefs, each woman 'gives heat' to her pearls and these 'respond' with changes of tones and a very special shine.
I believe it because my grandmother's pearls looked royal on my mother and not on her sisters!
Gemologists who are experts in natural or cultured pearls - which we must remember are of organic origin - explain that the 'orient' of pearls is the effect produced by light in the different pearly layers that make up the pearl and the more pearly layers it has a pearl more beautiful its luster and its orient!
The world of pearls is fascinating because it is the only jewel of organic origin that does not need the hand of man to look beautiful.
From the moment they are removed from the oyster, natural pearls look as beautiful as when they are part of a necklace.
And on one occasion I saw some fresh from the sea in Japan - and instantly saw their beauty.
And what makes a pearl valuable?
According to experts from Tiffany & Co. we cannot see the value of a pearl with the naked eye, because we cannot see the thickness of the nacre (the most important thing to determine the quality) and it is required to use an X-ray machine to know how many layers of Mother of pearl has a pearl - very curious! - and the number of years the oyster spent under water, and the more layers it has, means that the mollusk spent more time in the sea.
A pearl of less value possibly spent as little as a year in the water - and its shortage of mother-of-pearl will make it break more easily.
For example, freshwater pearls spend up to 5 years under water.
Very few people know these details, and they are extremely interesting!
Just as the shape of the pearl determines its value a lot.
Years ago in New York I interviewed the magnate called "King of Pearls" - the famous jeweler Salvador Assael - (who was introduced to me by our friend Oscar de la Renta, for whom he had created pearl buttons for some beautiful suits that caused a sensation ) –And he explained to me that the round pearl is more valuable, but there may be very nice variants.
Brightness is also very important.
The more luster a pearl has, the more valuable it is.
And this is achieved thanks to the layers of mother of pearl and a smooth surface without impurities.
There are pearls of many colors, such as the Akoya pearl, of a beautiful pink hue, which are very popular.
There are others with gold and silver tones, typical of pearls that come from the Indian and Pacific oceans - while many of the famous Tahitian pearls have gray and black tones.
And the bigger the pearl, the finer and more rare!
The pearls that come from the South Seas are the largest and most dazzling of all.
They can reach up to 24 centimeters in diameter and are so valuable that they are set in platinum and diamonds to enhance their value.
Its origin?
Interestingly, most of the pearls sold today are cultivated, because the natural ones are almost extinct and there are very few in the world.
In the past, a parasite entered the oyster - something that was caused by nature without human intervention! - and when it felt 'irritated' it secreted nacre to wrap it, turning it into a body that did not bother it - and from this process so incredible were natural pearls!
Cultured pearls were born when more than a hundred years ago a Japanese named Mikimoto realized that by putting a small bead in the proper place on the oyster, it feels just as irritated, it secretes mother-of-pearl and forms a pearl!