Following in Cleopatra's footsteps

You probably already heard of the story of Cleopatra VII (69 B.C. - 30 B.C.) and her most extravagant feast. To show off her wealth and power, she challenged Marc Antony, the Roman leader, that she could host the most expensive meal in history. The feast she had arranged was extraordinary in its finale. Cleopatra removed one of her pearl earrings and tossed it in a goblet of wine vinegar.

© British Museum, William Kent,
Cleopatra dropping the pearl into the wine

Jackie O's treasures

The World went crazy about famous pearls these days! Two strands of Jacqueline Kennedy's faux pearls and a pair of her simulated pearl and diamond ear-clips went up for auction this Monday, just two months after the London's exposition of MM's famous pearl choker.

© Bonhams 

Pearls in Art: Woman with a Pearl Necklace

We all saw the "Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Johannes Vermeer, but did you know that this is not the only canvas by Vermeer that introduces pearls as the object of fascination?

In fact, there are many other paintings from the Master that incorporate pearls into the scene: Woman with a Pearl Necklace, Woman with a Lute, The Concert, A Lady Writing, Girl with a Red Hat, A Study of a Young Woman, A Portrait of A Young Woman, Mistress and Her Maid, or Lady Writing a Letter with Her Maid, just to name few.

Johannes Vermeer, Woman with a Pearl Necklace, 1664, Berlin Museum

The Woman with a Pearl Necklace has its main focus on pearls. A young noble woman is standing next to the window, but it is not the exterior world that occupies her mind. She looks into a small mirror on the wall and admires herself wearing a strand of pearls. She gently ties two yellow ribbons attached to her necklace, a  movement that reflects her innocent self-satisfaction. The daylight is softly sparkling up her pearls, giving the girl even more pleasure from looking at them. Her mind seems to be lost in contempt as she admires her appearance enhanced by the beauty of pearls. She feels complete and true to herself. 350 years later and we still feel the same about our necklaces, don't we?

Pearls in Art: Girl with a Pearl Earring

One of the most famous paintings featuring pearl jewellery has been created in 1665 by Johannes Vermeer. It is sometimes referred to as the “Mona Lisa of the North”. Why the paining of an unknown girl has been so captivating to generations of art lovers?

It is probably because the girl is drawing the viewer into the scene as she looks over her shoulder hoping to see who is standing behind her. The capturing of this brief moment, where the girl fixed her eyes on us, gently gaping her sensual lips, is masterfully accentuated by small but significant play of light, be it her shiny eyes, glossy lips, or the shimmery pearl…

The pearl, a few brush strokes, is the focal point of the paining. It accentuates the movement of the girl’s head and evokes the evanescence of the captured moment.  

The painting can be viewed in Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis in The Hague. A more scientific interpretation of the painting can be found here.

Sources: Wikipedia and Maurithuis

Marilyn's Pearls

What is more appealing than a beautiful woman wearing beautiful jewellery is? In celebration of the London’s Bond Street Culture & Heritage Week, Mikimoto is displaying one of its most famous jewels- a strand of pearls that once belonged to Marilyn Monroe.

Royal Poise

Only two months ago, one of the pearl treasures of China changed its proud owner. The Emperor's Eastern Pearl Court Necklace (Chaozhu), incorporating 108 flawless natural freshwater pearls, gold, coral, and other gemstones, was sold for a staggering price of US$ 8.7 million at Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong. Truly a world breaking record! 134 cm long and with pearls measuring from 9.6 to 10.65 mm, this necklace belonged to the emperor Yongzheng from the 18th century Qing Dynasty. 

© Sotheby's

The pearl court necklace, incorporating a Buddhist rosary design, had been introduced as a part of the official ceremonial dress by the Qing Dynasty in 1636.

Pearls in Art

This beautiful painting by William McGregor Paxton (1869-1941) entitled "The string of pearls" was created in 1908. It is owned by a private collector.

I really like the way she looks at her necklace. I guess we can all relate to her admiration for the beauty of pearls!

Source: Good Art, 2004

Pearl Facts: the B-shaped necklace

Most of us know and some of us love Ugly Betty Suarez. Her breathtaking lack of a sense of style and wonderful abundance of a sense of humor amuse us since 2006 (for the US version of the series that is!). We all know her pearl choker decorated with a pearly letter “B” in the center. B, of course, is for Betty. But is it really?

Marie Antoinette's Pearls

Here is a short YouTube video about Marie-Antoinette’s pearl necklace that failed to sell at Christie's auction house in London three years ago. It was withdrawn from sale after failing to reach the guide price of 400,000 pounds (458 620 euros or 631 200 dollars).

The necklace was entrusted to Lady Sutherland, the wife of the British ambassador to Paris, before the Queen of France was beheaded by guillotine in 1793. It is beautifully made of pearls, diamonds, and rubies.

Sorry, it's in German, but who cares as long as we can see the necklace! :o)