Days of Your Pearls

Days of your pearls...

When I turned 21, I asked my father for a pearl necklace. Instead, he gave me pearl studs. I cried. There were mitigating circumstances. My parents had just divorced and many things otherwise tolerable made me cry. Being the sort of father who really didn't mean to make me sad, he then took me to visit the pearl dealer a friend of mine had recommended. And bought a strand of matched 7mm Mikimotos. Which you will see below, because I had them made into something else. What? Pearls are flexible like that.

And finally, the pearls of our 50's. It's possible to gain confidence with age. Pearl audacity may follow. Purple gray earrings in 22k, with diamonds, a present from my mother. An 8.5mm necklace, 8.5-9mm earrings with small diamond accents, the original necklace from my father now a 3-strand bracelet. And yes, I will wear all the white ones together for the right occasion. With impunity. Because I play the Grande Dame as often as I can carry it off. For work, however, just the necklace, with diamond studs. Took me into the New York Stock Exchange and back out alive in September 2008. As the stock market fell around us. A cameraman tried to interview me as I walked down Wall Street. I told him I had nothing to say. Seriously.

Matched Pearls

Perfectly matched pearls....

On New Year's Day 1903, Gardner invited the cream of Boston society to her new home, Fenway Court, which she had designed to resemble a 15th-century Venetian palace.

Legend has it that she greeted her quests sitting at the top of the stairs, her string of perfectly matched pearls cascading down the staircase. This event officially opened her home, museum and art to the public.

The Gardner's 2,500-piece collection consists of rare manuscripts and books, paintings, sculptures, textiles and ceramics from throughout Italy, Asia, China, France and America. Most famous among her paintings are those of Gardner by her great friend, John Singer Sargent, who is known to have said "Mrs. Gardner does more for my paintings than I ever could."

Kelly Burns in Audrey Hepburn Pearls

Beauty Kelly Brook re-enacts infamous scene from 60s "Breakfast at Tiffany's".

KELLY Brook oozes Audrey Hepburn's classic beauty in this picture.West End actress Kelly, posing complete with pearls and a cigarette holder, looks every inch the sophisticated screen siren as she re-enacts this infamous scene from Breakfast At Tiffany's.

In another, the model dons a blonde bob and spins in a meadow as Julie Andrews in The Sound Of Music.

But the 29-year-old makes a less convincing Harrison Ford, as she lashes a whip in Indiana Jones get-up.

See photo and complete article here.

93 Year Old Writer Cherishes Pearl Necklace Prize

by Ricardo Gándara

She's always been creative. Davis could not read or write — she was barely 4 — when she got her first taste of earning a profit with words.


Her parents wanted to enter a contest put on by a jewelry store in their hometown of Akron, Ohio. The challenge: Name a water nymph on a beach at sunrise holding a lustrous pearl.


"I looked at the picture and said, 'A virgin pearl?' Certainly, I knew what a pearl was but not the word virgin," she says.

Her spontaneous creativity earned second prize in the contest, a $15 add-a-pearl necklace that she still has in its original off-white, padded box. She wore the necklace as a child, as did her children. And she kept on working with words.

Pearls Too Precious to Wear

One Christmas when my mother was a girl, she received a string of pearls from her father. Since her parents were divorced-an unusual situation in the 1950s-she treasured the pearls as a sign of her father’s love. When he passed away her senior year in high school, the pearls took on even greater significance.

When I was growing up, my mother talked often about the pearls, but my sister and I never saw them. Mom kept them safe in their silk-lined velvet box tucked in her jewelry box. For dressy occasions, she wore other nice jewelry, but never the pearls. The pearls were too precious to wear.

What if the strand broke and even a single pearl was lost? What if the clasp broke and she lost them forever? She couldn’t risk it. Better to keep them cocooned in silky security.

When my mother offered to let me wear her pearls on my wedding day, I was deeply touched. This was more than “something old” or “something borrowed,” but a sign that she trusted me and loved me.

Famous People & Pearls

Queen Elizabeth I is said to be one of the best-known lovers of pearls and always wore seven ropes of pearls that reached to her knees.

Actress Elizabeth Taylor owns the largest and most important pearl in the world. It is called La Peregrina and is more than 400 years old. The white pear-shaped pearl originally arrived hanging on a delicate chain of small pearls. A gift from husband Richard Burton, it was originally given to queen-to-be Mary Tudor of England by her future husband, Prince Phillip of Spain.


Forty years after Chanel made the gems popular, Audrey Hepburn showcased her elegance and effortless style in pearls in the classic film "Breakfast at Tiffany's." The six-strand pearl and rhinestone necklace in the film is faux, but those imitation pearls cascaded gorgeously on Hepburn's graceful neck.

Princess Diana's ivory silk gown had a 25-foot train decorated with 10,000 pearls and sequins.

Pearls: "Michelle Style"

Comparisons with Jackie launched a thousand articles, blogs and websites. The dress! The hair! My goodness, even the pearls!

Even the pearls . . . already recognized as a Mrs. Obama signature. Though not the ladies-who-lunch little pearls. No, no. Michelle’s pearls, unlike Jackie’s, were women-who-rule pearls. Great big deal-with-me pearls. Pearls that were an integral part of an “image strategy,” as André Leon Talley, Vogue’s Editor-at- Large, called Michelle’s look.

“Why are people so interested in what I wear?” Jackie Kennedy once asked a friend.

Pearls for Girls Benefit Less Fortunate

Led by Grade 10 Nepean High School students Madeleine Beach and Emma Roszak, the Joan of Arc students made real pearl bracelets, necklaces and earrings, which will be sold through craft fairs and local businesses as a fundraiser through the Pearls for Girls program.

“In our core leadership program, we have to find an organization we believe in and have to do a community event to raise money or awareness to support the organization,” Madeleine says.

Emma explains that the pearl jewellery will support things like sanitary supplies and school uniforms to help the girls in Lesotho get an education.

Joan of Arc head girl, Rishika Aggarwal, says the Pearls for Girls jewellery bee was a great opportunity.

Video of Elizabeth Taylor Endorsing Black Pearls Perfume

by Richard Bassett
(YouTube Video)

Since the first video I posted here is no longer available, I've put on this tribute to Liz Taylor....lovely photos of her.

Both of these video clips are indicative of the work that Dame Elizabeth Taylor involved herself with in 1996 and 1987... with the enormously successful fragrances 'Black Pearls' (1996) and 'Passion' (1987).

This business adventure remained close to her heart throughout the years. She not only endorsed her fragrances, she created them as well. For Dame Elizabeth, it was not enough just to attach her name to a product, she had to become connected to it, personally.

And the result? Pure success.

This woman of heart and soul never just floated through life, she put her life experiences into the core of the issues that she has supported and became a household word in another more humanity oriented form from that of being a film actress.

She has had her own reputation to overcome in taking on these causes and only she was able to supersede the glamorous movie star Elizabeth Taylor image and become the incredible human service directed Elizabeth Taylor that she is today.

As she was her own competition, she excelled and continues to exceed.



Purchase and read more about and purchase Black Pearls Perfume.

Pearl Sales Benefit Girl Scouts

When you hear "Girl Scouts," visions of Thin Mints or Tagalongs probably start dancing in your head.

This week, though, they want you to envision pearls, as the first Juliette Low Leadership Society Pearl Sale benefiting Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma will be 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday at Junior League of Tulsa, 3633 S. Yale Ave.

In 1914, Low sold a strand of rare pearls to fund her fledging group that eventually became Girls Scouts of the USA. Now, our local Girl Scouts are replicating Low's deed — just on a grander scale.

Benefit for Pearl Hollan

A carnival and chili supper fundraiser will be held for 1-year-old Pearl Hollan from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, at the Fair Grove Elementary School.

The benefit will include live music, a bake sale, raffle and a silent auction. The carnival will feature clowns and games for the kids, funnel cakes, cotton candy and other carnival food.Santa will visit from 2 to 4 p.m., and the chili dinner is from 4 to 6 p.m.

Pearl is the daughter of Chris and Charity Hollan, Pleasant Hope, who has been diagnosed with Bilateral Kidney Cancer. Her mother is principal of Fair Grove Middle School.

"Pearl Girls" book: Encountering Grit & Experiencing Grace

Please celebrate with us at the release of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace (Moody Publishers, July 2009). Join us in prayer that this book would be a “Blest Seller” for the charities supported by the sales of this book.

Message from Margaret McSweeney and the Pearl Girls®:

The purpose of Pearl Girls® is two fold: 1) Connecting and 2) Collaborating for charity. The first project will be a collection of pearl stories from well known and unknown women about God's grace in their lives. All proceeds will benefit a safe house in the Chicago suburbs and women and children with AIDS in Africa.

Thank you for this opportunity to share some special time with you. Please browse through this family friendly site where you will find my new books and excerpts from my late mother's last book.

Read more about the "Pearl Girls" book here.

Pearls & Supermodels

KUALA LUMPUR: Glam and glitter will be the order of the day at the Ford Supermodel of the World Malaysia 2009 finale on Saturday with the winners strutting away with RM166,000 worth of pearl jewellery.

Rafflesia Pearl Centre will re-ward the male and female winners with RM50,000 worth of jewellery each, RM20,000 and RM10,000 for the first and second runners-up respectively in both the male and female categories.

All top 10 finalists will also walk away with fine pearls.
The contestants will wear Rafflesia jewellery on the catwalk.

“A good model must be able to carry jewellery well. She has to know how to draw attention to the pieces she’s wearing. The finale will be more glamourous with these pearls,” said the show’s executive producer, supermodel Amber Chia (pic), after a sponsorship presentation ceremony yesterday.

Read entire article here.

Lady Gaga Covers Face with Pearls

Lady Gaga Covers Face with Pearls

Gaga was also covered in white powder and in hundreds of white pearls. She also wore a white wig and strings of pearls hanging from one temple to another, all matching the all-white ensemble sprinkled with what looked like oversized pearls as well. She capped it all off with incredibly high platform boots.

“The only dash of color was Gaga’s bright pink lipstick – a special edition Mac creation named after the singer to raise funds for Aids research. The 23-year-old later gave a typically high-octane performance of her new song Future Love on top of a white piano. Lady Gaga arrived for the The Foundation for AIDS Research, amFAR, benefits gala in New York on the arm of Cyndi Lauper, who also modeled a special edition lippy,” the Mail says of Gaga’s unique look.

Cleopatra's pearl

by Dan Vergano
(USA TODAY )

Cleopatra's pearl

Cleopatra, fabled final Queen of Egypt, packed a pretty mean pearl cocktail, according to legend.

To win a bet, the story goes, Cleopatra quaffed a vinegar martini made with a dissolved pearl, "the largest in the whole of history," according to an ancient scribe. Doubted by scholars for centuries, Cleopatra's canny chemistry trick may have actually come off, suggests one researcher, based on her own experiments.

"There's usually a kernel of truth in these stories," says classicist Prudence Jones of Montclair (N.J.) State University. "I always prefer to give ancient sources the benefit of the doubt and not assume that something that sounds far-fetched is just fiction."

In the current Classical World journal, Jones details the history of the story. In it, Cleopatra won a wager with her befuddled Roman consort, Marc Antony, by consuming her pearl cocktail to create the costliest catering bill ever. Her 10 million sesterces (sesterces were the nickels of the ancient world) banquet bill, thanks to the destruction of the pearl, set a pretty early mark on extravagant consumption.

More about how Cleoopatra's pearl could have been dissolved.

Princess Diana's Pearl & Diamond Necklace at Auction

Princess Diana's Pearl & Diamond Necklace at Auction

The necklace is composed of 214 diamonds and seven South Sea pearls, all set in platinum, designed with input from Princess Diana, by the distinguished English firm, Garrard, the Crown Jewelers. Princess Diana wore the necklace June 3, 1997 to the Royal Albert Hall ballet. Following the ballet, she returned jewels to Garrard so earrings could be made to complement the necklace. The earrings were completed during the summer of 1997, only shortly before her tragic death.

Princess Diana Pearl Dress photo by Kari

NEW YORK, NY.- Guernsey’s Auction House has announced the historic addition of the magnificent Swan Lake Suite, including a diamond necklace worn by Princess Diana on her last official engagement. Formally known as the ‘Diana, Princess of Wales Swan Lake Suite,’ the stunning diamond and pearl necklace is the only known piece of jewelry worn by Diana that is ever likely to be available for sale.


More about Princess Diana's Pearl Dress

Pearls - Mrs. Obama's Favorite Adormment

Hats and opera gloves might have been dispensed with, but like first ladies of the past, pearls are Mrs. Obama's favorite adornment, only Michelle Obama admires pearls, both real and paste, of every size shape and color.

Pearls and other 'gems' make up her 'important', sometimes whimsical brooches, which like Jacqueline Kennedy, she sometimes wears in unusual ways.

But Michelle Obama like Mrs. Roosevelt also was fond of exotic and unusual jewels like jet or jade beads.

Read entire article and see lots of photos here.

Michelle Obama in Pearls

Michelle Obama in pearls addresses the USA military wives.

Michelle Obama speaks during the 'When Parents Deploy: Understanding the Experiences of Military Children and Spouses' luncheon at Georgetown University Conference Center on May 12, 2010 in Washington, DC.

My Love Affair with Pearls

Fortunately, in the last decade a huge South Sea pearl industry has sprung up in the Philippines. Traders from Mindanao sell huge quantities of South Sea Pearls and freshwater pearls at unbelievable prices. They cost less than costume jewelry in the States -- but here, the pearls are real. The cheaper varieties use pearls that aren't symmetrical, but they're beautiful just the same.

The vendors will customize any necklace according to your specifications. One of my sister's co-workers sent her a hundred British pounds to buy whatever pearl jewelry she could find; my sister returned to London with a classic single-strand choker, a double-strand necklace, a longer, flapper-style single strand necklace, a couple of double and triple-strand bracelets, and several pairs of earrings.

All of them were custom made with large, round South Sea pearls; I don't think anyone other than an expert jeweler would be able to tell that some of the pearls weren't perfectly round. My mother bought cute pearl necklaces for all her granddaughters (The Pea received hers and promptly declared, "I have pearls! I'm rich!". Yes you are, honey, even if that strand cost only $2.50).

Read more about "My Love Affair with Pearls" here.

Sarah Palin in Pearls

Sarah Palin in pearls...hey, I thought the look was great, others obviously didn't, but then have you noticed that some don't like anything this lady does?

Her three strand pearl necklace together with a couple of other pieces, like a silver cross went well with her dark blazer.

There's no need for conservative political women to stick to conservative pearl necklaces.

Pearls look great on anyone, anytime, anywhere...even with blue jeans. A young lady wore pearls on Saturday to the pearl knotting workshop in Iowa City. It was a great look.

See Sarah Palin in pearls here.

Michelle in Pearls

Michelle Obama attended the 2010 Women's Summit in Reno, Nevada on Tuesday wearing a coral colored sundress paired with a pearl necklace. She told the audience, "First, let me begin by apologizing because I have a cold that I caught from this wonderful husband of mine. So forgive my voice and my dryness and all that good stuff. And when I come around to shake hands, there will be somebody following with Purell.

See Michelle in pearls here.

Mysterious Cartier Pearls Linked to Catherine the Great

by Jared Paul Stern

A mysterious pearl necklace that may have once belonged to Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, will be auctioned off by Bonhams in New York in December. Automotive billionaire Horace Elgin Dodge purchased the necklace from Cartier in Paris in 1920 for his wife Anna Thomson Dodge at the astonishing price of $825,000 - about $8 million in today's dollars.

The original Cartier invoice states that the "five row pearl necklace, consisting of 389 pearls weighing 4305 grains" was accompanied by an "enamel clasp representing Catherine, Empress of Russia" and "two diamond alternate clasps." Several newspaper accounts from the '20s suggested that the pearls did indeed once belong to Catherine; Anna Thomson Dodge's heirs maintain that Horace bought the pearls from Cartier on that basis.

Black Dress, White Pearls Shine in First Lady's Portrait

First lady Michelle Obama is wearing a black, sleeveless dress and white pearls in her official portrait, which was unveiled Friday by the White House.

The first lady's photo was taken earlier this month by White House photographer Joyce N. Boghosian in the Blue Room of the White House.

Read entire article here.

Pearl's Harbour

Pearl's Harbour...

She was just 13 when both her parents died. Left out in the cold by fate, Pearl Jasra would later rediscover herself in Amritsar's slums. Today at 24, she plays mom to over 120 orphaned and destitute children, playing with them, teaching them, partying with them and praying with them.

But she conceals her woes carefully behind her pretty face. "I would have gone into depression had it not been for Kamini... she was more miserable than I was,'' she says, looking back to the time when she lost her parents. "It was then that I resolved not to let anyone pity me. I wanted to be a source of inspiration for others." A scrawny two-year-old then, Kamini, an orphan who used to accompany the domestic help working for Pearl's Christian mother Virginia Joycee and Hindu-Brahmin father Kanwal Kishore Jasra, is now nine and growing well.

That's history, though. These days, a cacophonous bunch of children, aged four to 15 years, troop in at about 3.30 pm to a five-room residence - Pearl's only legacy left behind by her parents who used to run Miranda Modern School, which no longer exists. With support from her environmentalist maternal uncle, Ernest Albert, who brought her up, Pearl teaches the kids life skills, alphabets, a little arithmetic and language.

Pearl A. Warner

Pearl A. "Ducky" Warner, 85, Pembine, formerly of Green Bay, passed away Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009, at a Green Bay hospital. She was born on Jan. 4, 1924, to Charles and Ella Mae (Pope) Rhodes. In 1946, she married Robert "Red" Warner; he preceded her in death on Aug. 30, 2008. Pearl was a bookkeeper for WG&R for 45 years prior to retiring. She was a member of First United Methodist Church, Green Bay, and Elks Ladies of the Green Bay Elks Lodge #259, where she served as bookkeeper for five years.

She is survived by one son and daughter-in-law, Mike and Susan Warner, Pembine, Wis.; one granddaughter, Christina Warner-Hermsen (Eric); one grandson, Jay Warner (partner, Jim Baltus); two great-grandchildren Hunter and Mariah Hermsen; one sister and brother-in-law, Evelyn and John Fiest, Green Bay; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

In addition to her parents and husband, Pearl was preceded in death by one grandson, Steven, and three sisters, Laverne Hine, Lucille Kehler and Luella Lindsley.

Queen's Pearls

by Kari
(Muscatine, Iowa)

Queen Elizabeth will give her annual Christmas speech on TV at 3PM, Christmas Day. Often she has worn her favorite three strands of pearls that go with everything. They were worn with yellow in her first broadcast in 1957 when she was only 31 and queen for five years, with light blue in another and magenta in another. Maybe seeing the queen in these traditional, expensive pearls gives her subjects comfort....or maybe they give her comfort.

In 2002, the year of the Golden Jubilee, the Queen wore turquoise and the reliable three stands of pearls once again.

In 2003, the Queen repeated a prayer from St Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits:

Teach us good Lord

To serve thee as thou deservest;

To give, and not to count the cost;

To fight, and not to heed the wounds;

To toil, and not to seek for rest.

To labour, and not to ask for any reward;

Save that of knowing that we do thy will.

"It is this knowledge," the Queen concluded, "which will help us all to enjoy the Festival of Christmas."

Seach KariPearls under "People" and "Places" for my review of the movie, "The Queen", about Queen Elizabeth, and for my visit to the Buckingham palace pearl shop.

Famous People & Pearls

The wearing of pearls is steeped in history and tradition. Style masters, celebrities and other famous women have influenced today's world of fashion. Pearls have proven themselves a safe political choice for former first lady Barbara Bush,(her pearls were not real) who often wore a three-strand short necklace, and current first style icon Michelle Obama, photographed in an oversized strand of pearls.

The Tiffany pearl bracelet, earrings, necklace and brooch given to Mary Todd Lincoln by President Abraham Lincoln on his first inauguration reside in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

Queen Elizabeth I is said to be one of the best-known lovers of pearls and always wore seven ropes of pearls that reached to her knees.

Read entire article heref.

Potential First Ladies Wear Pearls

by Samantha Critchell
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

NEW YORK — Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama are at opposite ends of the style spectrum. McCain is very proper in brightly colored dresses with matching jackets; Obama is more dramatic in bell sleeves with an occasional flash of cleavage.

"There's no way they could be sisters and exchange clothes," says image consultant Ginger Burr. They do, however, have a shared affinity for bead necklaces, particularly pearls - and the chunkier the better.

Obama, just named to Vanity Fair's International Best Dressed List alongside the likes of Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and Sarah Jessica Parker, wore a single strand of large, white pearls around her neck with a purple dress and funky black belt when her husband claimed the Democratic nomination.

Read entire article here.

Keira Knightley in Chanel Pearl Dress

Keira Knightley in Chanel Pearl Dress


There was some classic vintage belle sleeping inside the mind of Karl Lagerfeld, inspiring his designs for Chanel's Fall 2010 Couture collection. By day she steps out in fur-trimmed coats and 40s silhouettes, understated and elegant. As night falls she becomes more elaborate and exotic, glistening with sequins and jewels and rich embroidery. There's a fresh modernity to the simple red lips and wispy hair; but regardless of whether the outfit is understated or brimming with detail, the wrists are always dripping in bracelets and the boots are always a statement in themselves.


Chanel Necklace Oversized!

Chanel Lion with Pearl

Natural Pearls of Winifred Duchess of Portland's at Auction

Natural Pearls of Winifred Duchess of Portland's at Auction

A diamond and pearl brooch captured in a portrait by the leading 19th Century artist John Singer Sargent is among a collection of Duke of Portland family heirlooms that are to be sold at auction for an estimated £6 million.

They include the antique 1870 diamond and natural pearl brooch, with three drops, and an antique diamond festoon necklace from the same period.

The pearls in the Duchess’s brooch were comparable to the historic La Pe’le’grina or the Mancini Pearls and were some of the largest and most desirable drops to appear at auction in recent years.

The brooch, estimated to fetch up to £700,000, was said to be one of the Duchess’s favourites. Sargent’s full length portrait shows the pearls prominently displayed on her 17th century style costume.

The pearls are also seen in photographs of the Duchess in coronation robes and at the 1897 Devonshire House costume ball, a celebration of Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee.

Christie’s, the auctioneers, said natural pearls were highly sought after gems.

More about Natural Pearls of Winifred Duchess of Portland's at Auction.

Will Kate Middleton be a girl in pearls?

Will Kate Middleton be a girl in pearls?

It could be that with Princess Catherine we see the return of the pearl. The royal family traditionally wear them well, with Diana embracing the pearl choker as a favourite. Although the value of a large natural pearl is considerably higher than a precious stone, pearls aren't viewed as flamboyant or extravagant.

Many of the jewels that Kate might inherit from the royal collection will be heavy and cumbersome, having not been altered for half a century. If she is brave, she will work with a designer and remodel some royal jewels to her own taste.

Kate will be following a path trod by all other royal princesses trying to find their own jewellery style. Queen Mary, the wife of George V, who ascended to the throne in 1910, established a grandiose fashion in both dress and jewellery. After this diamond-encrusted period, the Queen Mother kept bejewelled regalia for what she termed “big dressing”, creating her own simpler style with pearls. During the Second World War she considered them more appropriate.

One thing is certain, whichever jewels make it down the aisle at Westminster Abbey in April there will be hundreds of diamonique and crystal lookalikes produced within days. Kate's reign of jewels will have begun.

Maharani Jind Kaur - Rebel Queen Wearing Pearls

Maharani Jind Kaur - Rebel Queen Wearing Pearls

She was the youngest wife of Maharajah Ranjit Singh and the mother of the last Sikh Emperor, Maharajah Duleep Singh. In 1845 she became Regent of Punjab for Duleep Singh. The Queen Mother (or Mai) of the last Sikh sovereign of the Punjab. She was renowned for her great beauty and personal charm along with her 'characteristic strength of a man' qualities which the British came to dislike.

Rani Jindan was the daughter of Sardar Manna Singh, an AulakhJatt Sikh| of the small village of Chachar, in the district of Gujranwala, now in Pakistan. It was reported that Maharaja Ranjit Singh was not interested in marrying a young bride, reportedly she would be his 17th wife. The tender years of Duleep Singh, is the reason why the Maharani did not become 'sati' on the funeral pyre of her husband along with some of the other wives.

In order to get rid of Manna Singh's constant requests, the Maharaja sent 'his arrow and sword' to her village to which Jind Kaur was symbolically married in 1835. Ranjit Singh had married nine of his wives with the usual rites and ceremonies of the institution of Anand Karaj (Sikh religious marriage ceremony) and the other seven with the less orthodox customs of 'Chaddar-Pauna', 'Karewa' or 'Tir-patka', a prevalent custom among the Jats of the Punjab.

This custom was born from the Sikh religion's rejection of the ancient ritual of 'Sati' or self-immolation of the widow on her husband's funeral pyre, a custom which was still prevalent within most of the families of the nobility and royalty of the Sikh Kingdoms. The Sikh custom allowed the eldest (or younger brother) of the deceased to symbolically marry the widow by placing a 'nath' or nose-ring in the nose of the widow whilst both seated under a white sheet held aloft by members of the family.

Shortly after the First Anglo-Sikh War saw the British gain hold of Punjab, and in 1846 she was deposed as Regent, forcibly separated from her only son and banished to Sheikhupura near Lahore.

More about Maharani Jind Kaur - Photo Wearing Pearls

More about Rebel Queen the movie

Pearls Given Away on Oprah

Pearls Given Away on Oprah

US chat show host Oprah Winfrey has presented 6,000 of her fans with a Kailis pearl necklace, sourced from Western Australia's North-West.

The $600 necklaces were given to audience members who attended the filming of an episode of the show in Sydney today.

The MG Kailis group managing director, Alex Kailis, who gifted the pearls, says most of them are from the Kimberley coast.

Mr Kailis says Oprah's visit will be great for tourism.

"This will draw people to Australia and it will create interest in south sea pearls and that will inevitably draw people to the Kimberley," he said.

Cate Blanchett in Pearl Gown

Cate Blanchett in Pearl Gown

The actress chose a softly colored lilac embroidered pearl gown from Givenchy Spring Couture with jewelry by Van Cleef & Arpels for the 2011 Oscars. The back contains accents of yellow pearls that wrap to the front of the neckline.

The dress is high fashion art and she looks stunning.

Inner Beauty Pearls

Inner beauty pearls produced by irritating trials...

Two prisoners looked out of the window. One saw the bars and the other saw the stars. I love pearls. They come in different array of colors like white, pink, blue or the rare ones which are the black pearls. They are magical and feminine, and the only gems which come from a living organism which is an oyster. But these lovely gems started as “irritants”. These irritants are mostly sand that gets inside the oyster shells. To protect itself, the oyster tries to cover these foreign bodies with layers of pearly substance known as “nacre” which gives the pearl a unique appearance and iridescent glow. As time goes by, these so called irritants become pearls.

In life , we meet people or trials that may irritate us, yet somehow they produce life enduring values like patience, love, long-suffering humility or faith.

Princess Diana's Pearly Wedding Dress on Display

Princess Diana's Pearly Wedding Dress on Display

An exhibit that celebrates the life of Princess Diana opens at the Grand Rapids Art Museum a week from Tuesday.

Among the many items in the display is the wedding gown she wore to marry Prince Charles. The gown was uncrated Monday afternoon.

There are six fabrics in the gown, 10,000 pearls and it has a 25 foot train. A worldwide television audience of one billion viewers watched the princess walk down the aisle in what some have called the dress of the century.

Were Jackie Kennedy's Pearls Real?

Were Jackie Kennedy's Pearls Real?

One of the stories I discuss in my book, "Rubies in the Orchard," is the story of Jackie Kennedy's pearls. When I was at the Franklin Mint, we paid $211,500 for three strands of fake pearls at the Jackie O auction in 1996 that she originally paid $35 for. These pearls were the icon of the icon - she wore them everywhere. I felt that owning the original pearls gave us credibility, not to mention a powerful story to sell the copies. By wearing those iconic pearls, women everywhere could own a symbol of American royalty. We ended up selling more than 130,000 copies at $200 a strand - for a gross of $26 million. Today, Jackie's original pearls are in the Smithsonian for all to enjoy.

Cartier's Love Affair with Persian Gulf Pearls

Cartier's Love Affair with Persian Gulf Pearls

The Cartiers is the revealing tale of a jewelry dynasty—four generations, from revolutionary France to the 1970s. At its heart are the three Cartier brothers whose motto was “Never copy, only create” and who made their family firm internationally famous in the early days of the twentieth century, thanks to their unique and complementary talents: Louis, the visionary designer who created the first men’s wristwatch to help an aviator friend tell the time without taking his hands off the controls of his flying machine; Pierre, the master dealmaker who bought the New York headquarters on Fifth Avenue for a double-stranded natural pearl necklace; and Jacques, the globe-trotting gemstone expert whose travels to India gave Cartier access to the world’s best rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, inspiring the celebrated Tutti Frutti jewelry.

Francesca Cartier Brickell, whose great-grandfather was the youngest of the brothers, has traveled the world researching her family’s history, tracking down those connected with her ancestors and discovering long-lost pieces of the puzzle along the way. Now she reveals never-before-told dramas, romances, intrigues, betrayals, and more.

The Cartiers also offers a behind-the-scenes look at the firm’s most iconic jewelry—the notoriously cursed Hope Diamond, the Romanov emeralds, the classic panther pieces—and the long line of stars from the worlds of fashion, film, and royalty who wore them, from Indian maharajas and Russian grand duchesses to Wallis Simpson, Coco Chanel, and Elizabeth Taylor.

Published in the two-hundredth anniversary year of the birth of the dynasty’s founder, Louis-François Cartier, this book is a magnificent, definitive, epic social history shown through the deeply personal lens of one legendary family.

"Jacques Cartier travelled to several places in the Gulf. Before arriving in Bahrain, they dropped anchor in Muscat followed by Dubai," said Rainero.

"During this trip to Bahrain, he had a prosperous meeting with the sheikhs and pearl experts. Jacques met with Mugbil Al Thukair and Yusuf bin Ahmed Kanoo, who welcomed and introduced him to the pearl diving tradition of Bahrain. Al Thukair and Kanoo were the only ones who spoke English at that time, and guided him towards the right people in the industry. During the trip, Jacques even paid a visit to Sheikh Issa bin Ali Al Khalifa while dressed in a traditional Arabic dress.

"As a result of this visit, some of Cartier's magnificent pearl jewellery were inspired and created."

Mastoloni pearls and Tyra Banks grace the cover of September’s Harper’s Bazaar

In a stunning and elegant seven-page fantasy sequence in September’s Harper’s Bazaar, supermodel Tyra Banks channels Michelle Obama while wearing exquisite and breathtaking pearls that only Mastoloni, one of America’s exclusive producers of fine pearl creations, could design.

From single strands of perfect pearl necklaces and bracelets to bold baroque double strands, Mastoloni’s craftsmanship has never looked so classy and luxurious than on Banks. Three fabulous Mastoloni designs grace the pages of Harper’s Bazaar, the American fashion bible, and the prospective First Lady and iconoclastic supermodel only complement some of Mastoloni’s finest creations.

Collection of Delightful Mother & Daughter Pearl Stories

England's Queen Elizabeth II wore pearls at her 1947 wedding. She gave daughter-in-law-to-be Diana Spencer the dangling pearl and diamond tiara, called the Cambridge Love Knot, for Diana's wedding to Prince Charles in 1981.

Thirty-five years ago, Suzie Legg of Wallback "was a young lady head over heels with my Prince Charming." In planning her perfect wedding, she asked her mother if she could wear her pearls on her wedding day. Her mother said no.

"For some reason, I took her answer in stride and didn't let it bother me," she remembered.

Then right before her father started to escort her down the aisle, he stopped and took something from his pocket. "Your mother and I want you to have these," he said, placing a beautiful strand of new pearls around her neck.

Queen Elizabeth, wearing a Three Strand Pearl Necklace, gives somber Christmas broadcast

by PAISLEY DODDS

LONDON (AP) — Britain's Queen Elizabeth II delivered a somber Christmas broadcast Thursday, acknowledging how the economic crisis has cast a shadow over the traditional festive season.

"Christmas is a time for celebration, but this year it is a more somber occasion for many," the 82-year-old monarch said in the prerecorded message from Buckingham Palace's Music Room.

In this year's address, she stood in front of a grand piano covered with photographs of Prince Charles, Princes William and Harry and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice played the piano for the queen earlier this month.

The queen wore a beige dress and a three-stringed pearl necklace — her favorite piece of jewelry given to her by her grandfather, George V — and a heart-shaped brooch inherited from Queen Mary. The brooch is set with part of the Cullinan diamond.

Marie Antoinette Pearls

by Kari
(Muscatine, Iowa)

Well, poor Marie Antoinette never got to wear her natural pearls again...but maybe YOU can. They'll be up for auction at Christie's in London on Wednesday, December 12, 2007.

Marie's necklace containing 33 natural pearls, diamonds and rubies is expected to bring 400,000 British Pounds. That's somewhere around a million US dollars.

Apparently, Marie Antoinette gave her pearl necklace to Lady Sutherland, Elizabeth Leveson-Gower, the wife of the British Ambassador in Paris, in hopes it would be returned to her once again after her escape from France.....which, of course, never happened.

Marie Antoinette was executed by guillotine on 16 October, 1793.

I have seen Marie Antoinette's death mask at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in London. The museum also claims to have the guillotine used for her execution. It can be seen at Madame Tussaud's which is one of London's most famous attractions.

Michelle Obama’s “Power Pearls”

by Jessica Wakeman
(mainstreet.com)

With such buzz around Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, it’s hard to believe that Bam could be upstaged. But, recently, his wife, Michelle Obama, has managed to turn some of the most judgmental heads with her picture-perfect fashion sense.

In the ultimate coup on June 8, the Style section of the New York Times wrote approvingly of Michelle’s shift dresses and preppy hairdo, titling their piece, "She Dresses to Win.” (Well, actually, maybe impressing Vogue would be the ultimate coup.)

A hallmark of Michelle’s look? One (or two!) strands of huge (fake?) pearls.

Pearls have always denoted a classy broad. Actress Audrey Hepburn wore a pearl choker for her iconic role as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and more recently Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl (CBS, TWX)and Carrie Bradshaw in the Sex and the City (TWC) film adorned themselves in pearls.

Pearl Legend Salvador Assael Passes Away

Pearl Legend Salvador Assael Passes Away

Salvador J. Assael, a legend in the pearl business, died April 1 after a brief illness. He was 89.

Assael’s family fled Italy in 1938, first moving to Paris, then to Portugal, and eventually to Cuba. A World War II veteran, Assael participated in the famed Battle of the Bulge, and won a Purple Heart from the U.S. government.

In 1972, he took over the family pearl business, and founded Assael International, which became a leading force in the pearl market. In 1973, he began producing Tahitian Black pearls. In June 1998, he became a Chevalier of the Order of Tahiti Nui, and was a founding member of the South Sea Pearl Consortium.

The Tahitian pearl market might never have existed were it not for Salvador Assael, "pearl king" of the South Seas. Assael got into the pearl business at the end of World War II. His father, a trader, had bought thousands of Swiss watches and suddenly had no GIs to sell them to. The younger Assael observed that the Japanese were desperate for watches but had no cash. So Assael bartered for pearls instead.

Tahiti now has about 570 pearl farms, many of them small, family-run operations. The largest is owned by Robert Wan, son of poor Cantonese immigrants. "Pearls are my passion," he says. Looking at an oyster shell full of gleaming Tahitians, one understands.

Jumping into the business, Assael made a fortune over the next few decades in Japanese and Australian pearls. In the early '70s a friend urged him to consider the far-flung atolls of the South Pacific. Few had tried cultivating the "black-lipped" oysters that thrive on the coral reefs there, and no one thought that pearls of any color but classic white would be marketable. But Assael gambled, and when the first crop of Tahitian pearls matured, he flew to New York with several magnificent strands. Harry Winston, the Fifth Avenue New York jeweler, was offered an exclusive and took it. Meanwhile, Assael created a storm of publicity with full-page magazine ads proclaiming "A new gem is born."

From the 18 strands that Salvador Assael brought to Harry Winston's jewelry store in 1976, the Tahitian pearl market has grown dramatically. Now, hundreds of thousands of black pearls are exported annually from Tahiti.

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1999/12/20/270541/index.htm : Read more about Assael and Tahitian pearls.

Pearl Necklace for Princess Charlene

Pearl Necklace for Princess Charlene

In close collaboration with HSH Princess Charlene, acclaimed jewellery house Tabbah designed and crafted the bespoke pieces worn at her marriage to HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, which took place in Monaco this weekend.

The necklace was designed as a bespoke piece born from a series of meetings between HSH Princess Charlene and Nagib Tabbah. The result is a unique piece crafted from rose gold set with diamonds and pearls, that has been named Infinite Cascade.

Nagib Tabbah comments: “the design of the necklace is imbued with fluid structure: ripples that at once wrap, as if to protect, the neck, while simultaneously cascading over the collar bone where the large pearls drop, their individual settings ensuring delicate sparkle and warm glow as they catch the light.”

See photo of Pearl Necklace for Princess Charlene