In Matthew, the kingdom of heaven is compared
to a single rare and costly pearl for which a man
would sell all he has. The delicate, lustrous
beauty of the pearl has captured the imagination
of men and women since the dawn of time. Early
cultures worshiped it as a symbol of the moon
goddess, a token of perfection. This exquisite
gem is formed when an irritant becomes trapped
inside the shell of a mollusk, most often an
oyster. To protect itself, the animal forms a
coating of nacre around the intrusive object, and
this eventually may become a pearl. The gem
ranges in color from pale white, to rosy pink, to
gray or black. In the classical world, the finest
pearls came from the Persian Gulf and the Indian
Ocean, sometimes traveling for years to reach
the palaces of Greece and Rome. Cleopatra, the
queen of Egypt, is said to have dissolved an
enormous pearl in wine, which she then drank to
impress her lover Marc Antony with her
extravagance. In the courts of Renaissance
Europe, status was often measured through the
size and beauty of one's pearls. Over thousands
of years, pearls are one of the few jewelry items
to remain continuously in fashion. It is easy to
see why. They delight the eye and flatter the
wearer, a true gift from nature.
The garnet was highly prized in the Classical
world. Its rich color, the reddish purple
associated with royalty, made it especially sought
after for jewelry. The garnet was also favored in
the jewelry of the European Dark Ages and
Medieval period. The famous Sutton Hoo
Treasure found in England contains over 4,000
cut and faceted garnets. As with many gems, the
finest varieties come from India, which was true
in Antiquity as well as today. According to
Talmudic legend, the only source of light on
Noah's Ark was a single large garnet.
Therapeutically, garnet is believed to keep the
wearer free from wounds and to promote good
health in general. It is especially useful for
preventing skin disorders and giving a glowing
complexion.
- (FJ.4898)
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