Which famous historical figures have been associated with pearl jewelry?

Pearls have held a special place in history – from pearl jewelry to pearl medicine. Since Roman times, pearls have symbolized affluence and status. Anne Boleyn, Henry the 8th's second bride reigned for only 3 years. She may not have been considered a great beauty, but she was indeed fashion forward for her time and a great lover of pearl jewelry. In quite a few of her portraits, Anne Boleyn can be seen wearing a pearl necklace with a golden B in the middle. This piece of pearl jewelry has actually made a comeback in recent years since the actress America Ferrera who plays Betty Suarez on the hit TV program "Ugly Betty" has been wearing a similar pearl necklace on the show.



Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile, was a celebrated enchanter no man could resist. Her love affair with Mark Antony is one of history's most famous tales of love. According to legendary stories, Cleopatra and her lover made a bet over whether she could serve the priciest dinner ever. At the dinner table, Cleopatra made sure that the plates and glasses were empty. Then, she took off one of her exquisite pearl earrings and left it in her goblet to dissolve. Pearl jewelry was so costly at that point in history that she won the bet of course.



Queen Elizabeth the second was one of the famed women to have worn pearl jewelry to her wedding. In fact, pearl jewelry has become a very popular choice of bridal jewelry, harking all the way back to Greek and Roman times when they believed that pearl bridal jewelry was practically a guarantee for a blissful marriage. The connection between pearls and the religions of Christianity and Islam is also perhaps part of the value placed on pearls and their connection with wedding ceremonies. In Christianity, Jesus likens the Kingdom of Heaven to a pearl in the New Testament. In Islam, the Koran places pearls in high regard, describing pearls as the gems adorned by the ones that have reached paradise.

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