Origin of name
The 16-inch cultured Akoyal pearl necklace,
consisting of a single strand of 44 Mikimoto pearls from Japan, gets its
name from its one time owner Marilyn Monroe, the most beloved star in
the history of Hollywood, whose beauty, charisma and lasting appeal,
propelled her into the status of an international celebrity and icon,
becoming one of the most famous and most adored women in history. The
celebrated necklace was a gift from her second husband Joe DiMaggio, the
base ball legend, who purchased the necklace from Mikimoto, in Japan,
while on their honeymoon in 1954. The necklace is now part of the
valuable collection of pearls and pearl jewelry belonging to Mikimoto
(America) Co, Ltd. and had been exhibited in many countries around the
world, as part of the worldwide traveling exhibition sponsored by the
American Museum of Natural History, New York, in collaboration with the
Field Museum, Chicago.
Characteristics of
the pearl necklace
At the time Marilyn Monroe received the pearl
necklace as a honeymoon gift from her husband Joe DiMaggio, a
single-stranded white pearl necklace was the height of the fashion, in
the United States as well as in Europe. Apart from the fact that the
Marilyn Monroe Pearl Necklace is a single-stranded 16-inch cultured
Akoya pearl necklace, made up of 44 Mikimoto pearls, other detailed
characteristics such as average size, shape, luster, surface quality,
color, overtones etc. of the pearls are not known. The necklace is still
preserved in its original oval box in which it was presented to Marilyn
by Dimaggio in 1954, and displayed in this same box, whenever it
was exhibited to the public at the "Pearls - A Natural History"
traveling exhibition co-sponsored by the AMNH, New York and the Field
Museum, Chicago.
Marilyn Monroe Pearl Necklace
The shape of the pearls are undoubtedly spherical as
seen from the photographs of the necklace. Akoya cultured pearls
produced by the pearl oyster Pinctada fucata martensi, known as the
Akoya oyster, are renowned for producing consistently round or
near-round pearls, making it easier to find matching pearls for strands
and bracelets. Yet one may need a large number of pearls, when matching
for both shape and size, and still larger numbers when matching for
color. overtones, luster, and surface characteristics. Thus an Akoya
pearl necklace with perfectly matched pearls in respect of all important
qualities can still be a rarity, fetching a correspondingly higher
price.
The color of the Akoya pearls in the necklace appear
white, which is a common color of Akoya pearls, the other common color
being cream. The overtone colors of the pearls are not known, but normal
overtone colors in Akoya pearls are rose, silver or cream. The luster
and surface qualities of the pearls are also not known, key
characteristics that are used by Mikimoto in the grading of their
pearls.
Classification of
pearl necklaces according to the length of the strand. The Marilyn
Monroe Pearl Necklace is a choker
Mikimoto pearl necklaces are divided into six
categories depending on the length of the strand.
| S/N |
Length of strand in inches |
Category |
| 1 |
10"-13" |
Collar |
| 2 |
14"-16" |
Choker |
| 3 |
18"-20" |
Princess |
| 4 |
20"-24" |
Matinee |
| 5 |
28"-34" |
Opera |
|
6 |
>37' |
Rope |
The choice of a pearl necklace will depend on the
woman's age, body composition and the neck size. However, an average
length of 18" to 24" would suit many women. The "Marilynn Monroe Pearl
Necklace" having a length of 16" falls under the category of a "Choker"
under this classification. The choker is the most popular length,
suitable for both formal and casual occasions. The princess at around
18" is the longer version of the choker, and the Matinee at around 22"
is the usual length for daytime wear. The most common length for formal
wear, that may sometimes consist of two strands, is about 28" - 34" and
known as "Opera."
Mikimoto's
pearl grading system
Mikimoto's pearl grading system as applied to pearls
produced by the company, such as Akoya pearls, South Sea pearls and the
black Tahitian pearls, is based on two important characteristics of
pearls that determine their quality and value. These are the luster and
surface quality of the pearl.
Luster
Luster refers to the reflective quality or brilliance
of the pearls surface, and is a measure of the quality and quantity of
light that reflects from the surface, and just under the surface of the
pearl. Luster of a pearl depends on both the quality and quantity of
nacre deposited. A thick layer of nacre deposited as even layers produce
the best luster, and this depends on how long the pearl was allowed to
develop within the oyster. The durability of luster also depends on the
thickness of the nacre, a thick nacre producing a better and more
durable luster. Thus the time allowed for nacre to develop in a cultured
pearl is crucial for its future quality and value.
Surface quality
Pearls are creations of nature, and therefore flaws
and blemishes on their surface are common place, and a proof of their
genuineness. However, pearls are considered to be more valuable, when
the surface imperfections are minimal. Thus based on the quantity of
blemishes on the surface, we can have grades of pearls such as
blemish free, minimally blemished, very slightly blemished, and slightly
blemished. Surface quality in the Mikimoto grading system is equivalent
to "complexion," one of the five virtues used in the Paspaley
grading system.
Based on luster and surface quality Mikimoto
recognizes four main grades of pearls. These are AAA, AA, A+ and A, from
the highest to the lowest grade. Each main grade is divided into a
sub-grade, giving four sub-grades AAA1, AA1, A+1, and A1, where the No.1
represents a slightly more blemished surface.
Summary of the Mikimoto
Grading System
| Main Grade |
Luster |
Surface
quality |
Sub-
Grades |
| AAA |
Exceptional
mirror-like reflection
|
Blemish-free surface |
AAA |
| Minimally blemished surface |
AAA1 |
| AA |
Superb clear reflection |
Very slightly blemished |
AA |
| Slightly blemished |
AA1 |
| A+ |
Very good, clear
reflection |
Very slightly blemished |
A+ |
| Slightly blemished |
A+1 |
| A |
Good clear
reflection |
Very slightly
blemished |
A |
| Slightly
blemished |
A1 |
It is not known under which grade and sub-grade the
pearls of the Marilyn Monroe pearl necklace fall, but given the fact
that only 5% of the cultured pearls produced in Japan, qualify to be
categorized under Mikimoto Pearls, used exclusively for the production
of their high quality pearl jewelry, the Marilyn Monroe pearls
undoubtedly possess a substantial quality grading, which when taken
together with the unique provenance of the necklace, make it an
invaluable and most famous piece of jewelry, that would be the envy of
all collectors, who would go to any length to take possession of. Little
wonder that Marilyn Monroe's other valuable possession, the diamond and
platinum eternity wedding band set with 36 baguette cut diamonds, sold
for $772,500 at a Christie's auction in 1999, which was 15 times greater
than the pre-sale estimate of $50,000. Historical provenance usually
enhances the value of jewels and jewelry, but this is one rare example
where provenance has a value far exceeding that of the article itself,
sometimes referred to as the sentimental power of Marilyn Monroe.
What are Hanadama
Pearls ?
The term "Hanadama"
refers to a superlative grade of pearls
"Hanadama," which in the Japanese language means
"spherical flower," is a name introduced by Kokichi Mikimoto himself,
the founder of the cultured akoya pearling industry in Japan, to
indicate the percentage of highest quality and most highly valued akoya
pearls harvested by the world's best known pearl companies. "Hanadama"
denotes a superlative grade of pearls, the highest quality that can
ever be achieved in cultured akoya pearls, and may represent less than
1% of the total annual production, which explains both the scarcity and
high values of their strands.
"Hanadama"
certification done by Pearl Science Laboratory of Japan
A "lot" of pearls or strand of pearls can be certified
to be "Hanadama" only by a competent scientific laboratory based on
random tests to determine the depth of nacre, the luster and
imperfection grade of the pearls. In Japan, "Hanadama" certification is
done by the Pearl Science Laboratory of Japan, based in Tokyo. Only
strands of pearls that are accompanied by an original "Hanadama"
certificate can be considered to be "Hanadama."
Methods of
examining the pearls
The pearls are examined in the Pearl Science
Laboratory by the following methods :-
1) Magnification
2) Spectro Photometric Reflectance
3) Inner inspection by optical fibre
4) Soft X-ray
The Imperfection grade known as "Kizu" in Japanese, is determined by magnifying
the pearl's surface and checking for blemishes and inclusions.
Characteristic growth marks of pearl layers are also recognized by
magnification. All
pearls have some degree of imperfection, being creations of nature, even
though such imperfections may not be visible to the naked eye.
Therefore, the Peal Science Laboratory of Japan, have not left provision
for a "perfectly flawless" imperfection grade, as such a grade does not
simply exist in nature. The "Hanadama" certificate provides for three
levels of imperfection :- very slightly, slightly and some, the minimum
imperfection grade being "very slightly."
The depth or thickness of nacre layers is determined
by inner inspection using
optical fibers and soft X-ray apparatus. The "Hanadama"
certificate indicates the thickness of pearl layers on a linear scale
starting with a minimum of 0.1 mm and increasing by regular intervals of
0.1 mm, as 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6 etc.
Luster is determined by spectrophotometric
reflectance and using
the TERI-value analysis. The results of the TERI-value analysis is
indicated by four grades :- very strong, strong, medium and weak.
Conditions
necessary to be satisfied for "Hanadama" certification
For a pearl strand to be certified as "Hanadama" it
should have the following characteristics :-
1) The Imperfection Grade or "Kizu" must be the
lowest - "very slightly" - for all randomly
tested pearls.
2) The nacre depth or thickness should be equal to or greater than 0.40 mm for all
randomly tested pearls.
3) The TERI-value grade for the luster must be "very
strong" for all
randomly tested pearls.
Due to the stringent conditions laid down by the
Pearl Science Laboratory, it is not surprising to find that out of the
pearl strands submitted annually for "Hanadama" certification, only
approximately 50% meet the required criteria for certification, and
others are rejected. Thus when purchasing a "Hanadama" certified Akoya
pearl necklace, one can rest assured that he or she is undoubtedly
purchasing the world's finest pearls. Hanadama certification is a
guarantee for top quality Akoya pearls, equivalent to the triple A grade
- AAA - of the Mikimoto grading system.
History of the pearl
necklace
A short biography of
Kokichi Mikimoto
Birth and early
childhood
Kokichi Mikimoto who is considered to be the father
of the modern cultured pearl industry, was born in Toba City, in Shima
Province, the present-day Mie prefecture, in Japan, in 1858, and was the
eldest son of a noodle restaurant owner. He was forced to leave school
at the age of 13, and sold vegetables to support his family. His
fascination for pearls started in his childhood, when he often visited
the shores of Ise, and saw the pearl divers unloading their treasures.
Farming of pearl
oysters and research into the culturing of pearls by seeding
In the year 1888, at the age of 30 years, Mikimoto secured a loan, and
together with his wife Ume, started his first pearl oyster farm at the
Shinmei inlet on Ago bay in the Mie prefecture. Even though he had never
had the training of a scientist, he was convinced that pearl oysters
could be induced to create pearls, by creating the same conditions that
led to the formation of a chance pearl under natural conditions. This
led to a period of intensive experimentation, studying the formation of
natural pearls, seeding thousands of oysters with different
seeding material, providing suitable conditions for the post-seeding
growth of the oysters, etc. that lasted almost five years, with repeated
failures that almost pushed Mikimoto to the brink of bankruptcy.
Creation of the
world's first hemispherical pearl in 1893, and obtaining a patent for
their production in 1896. Opening of first Mikimoto store in 1899.
The final breakthrough came on July 11, 1893, when in
the company of his wife, he raised one of the bamboo oyster baskets out
of the water, and opened one of the oysters, and to his amazement and great relief found a
shining hemispherical pearl. Spurred by this success, he continued
to develop the technique of culturing hemispherical pearls known as "mabe"
and was granted a patent for their production in 1896. The pearl oyster
species cultivated by Mikimoto was Pinctada martensii. Ago Bay had an
area of approximately 1,000 acres, and Mikimoto cultivated around a
million oysters in the bay, that produced a harvest of 30,000 to 50,000
"mabe" pearls annually. In 1897 he
introduced these "mabe" pearls to the world, at a marine products
exposition in Norway, and clinched a deal for the export of these
cultured pearls. In 1899, Mikimoto opened the first pearl store in
Japan, in the fashionable Ginza district of Tokyo selling cultured "mabe"
pearls and natural seed pearls.
Mikimoto
successfully cultures a spherical pearl in 1905, but the method is not
commercially viable. Nishikawa and Mise return to Japan from Australia.
Mikimoto continued his research into the culturing of
pearls, with particular emphasis on culturing a spherical pearl. However
it took him another 12 years of perseverance and hard work to culture
the first spherical pearls, that were in every respect similar to the
highest quality natural pearls. That was in the year 1905, but the
technique was not commercially viable. Around this time two Japanese, a
biologist Tokishi Nishikawa and a carpenter Tatsuhei Mise, had returned
to Japan, after spending time in Broome, Western Australia, where
Japanese pearl divers were employed for harvesting South Sea pearl
oysters, Pinctada maxima, from their natural oyster beds off the coast
of Western Australia. Broome was internationally renowned at that time
as the center of the mother-of-pearl production. The first attempts to
grow cultured pearls in Western Australia were made in the 1890s, by a
pioneer of the pearling industry G. S. Streeter, who grew cultured
pearls in Roebuck Bay in Broome, but proved to be economically unviable.
Research continued into the culturing of pearls in Western Australia, in
which a British marine biologist William Saville-Kent was also involved.
Tokishi Nishikawa and Tatsuhei Mise had worked with the British marine
biologist, and learnt the techniques of culturing spherical pearls. The
West Australian Government was not keen in encouraging research
activities on the culturing of pearls, as the mother-of-pearl industry
was well established and bringing in large returns to the government. In
fact the government introduced legislation that prohibited the
production, selling and possession of cultured pearls.
Mikimoto
adopts Mise-Nishikawa method in successfully culturing spherical pearls
After returning to Japan Mise and Nishikawa applied
for a patent for producing spherical pearls in Japan, using William
Saville Kent's method, which was granted in 1907, and came to be known
as the "Mise-Nishikawa" method. In this method a piece of the oyster
epithelial membrane (lip of mantle tissue) is inserted with the nucleus
of shell into the oysters body or mantle which causes the tissue to form
a pearl sack. The sack produces nacre, which coats the nucleus producing
a pearl. Mikimoto who had been working independently in Japan trying to
culture a spherical pearl, and had been partially successful, finally
adopted the Mise-Nishikawa method in 1916 and successfully cultured
spherical pearls, a method that proved to be commercially viable. This
was the greatest breakthrough in the history of the Japan's cultured
pearl industry, that enabled the expansion of the industry, and it was
reported that by 1935 there were 350 pearl farms in Japan, producing 10
million cultured pearls annually.
Mikimoto
opens the first overseas store in London in 1913, and a farm for growing
black-lipped pearl oysters in Okinawa in 1914
Based on his own partial success in culturing pearls
Mikimoto had already expanded into the overseas market by opening the
first overseas stores in London in 1913. After his initial successes in
culturing spherical pearls, Mikimoto, who had always been enchanted by
the beauty and mysterious glow of the pearls produced by the
black-lipped and silver-lipped oysters, decided in 1914 to open a farm
for the black-lipped pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera on Ishigaki
Island in Okinawa. However it was not until 1931 that he was first able
to produce a giant pearl measuring 10 mm in diameter.
Consumer
resistance for cultured pearls in the 1930s and steps taken by Mikimoto
to overcome them
The expansion of the cultured pearl industry in
Japan, with a rapid increase in the number of farms, resulted in
overproduction of cultured pearls by 1935, which in turn had a drastic
effect on the prices which fell sharply. In an effort to counteract
falling prices, Mikimoto promoted Japanese cultured pearls in the United
States and Europe, and as a publicity stunt burnt tons of low quality
pearls in 1932, to drive home the point that Mikimoto deals only with
high quality cultured pearls. After initial consumer resistance caused
by the mistaken notion that cultured pearls were not real, which was
largely overcome by intensive promotional exercises and education of the
consumer, coupled by the fact that cultured pearls were more affordable
than the scarce natural pearls, eventually convinced people to accept
cultured pearls as authentic. However, vested interests continued to
level allegations against Mikimoto, that his pearls were only cheap
imitations of the real natural pearls, despite scientific reports to the
contrary. Mikimoto took upon himself the task of refuting such
allegations, and took advantage of every opportunity to personally
promote his pearls, by taking part in international exhibitions.
Kokichi Mikimoto
Mikimoto
personally promotes cultured pearls by taking part in international
exhibitions
In 1926, he took part in the Philadelphia World
Exposition, in which he displayed a replica of a five-storey pagoda
covered with cultured pearls. In 1933, he took part in the Chicago World
Fair, and exhibited a model of George Washington's residence covered
with cultured pearls. At the Paris Exposition held in 1937, he displayed
the "Wheel of Arrows" (Yaguruma), covered with cultured pearls. Again in
1939, Mikimoto took part in the New York World Fair, where he displayed
a replica of the "Liberty Bell" covered with pearls. Mikimoto's efforts
in promoting cultured pearls was a given a big boost in 1930, when he
was invited to the Imperial Palace of Japan and honored as one of the
top ten Japanese inventors. The public relations exercises he carried
out by taking part personally in international exhibitions and
displaying his different pearl creations soon paid off, and cultured
pearls were accepted as authentic, and quickly became very popular.
Mikimoto
becomes the first Japanese brand to attain an international presence and
recognition
After World War II, Mikimoto further expanded his
business, by opening a series of Mikimoto stores in the main cities of
the United States, such as New York, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles and
San Francisco, and also other cities such as Paris in France, Shanghai
in China and Mumbai in India. Thus Mikimoto became the first Japanese
brand to attain an international presence and recognition.
Kokichi Mikimoto
Mikimoto's
death in 1954
Kokichi Mikimoto died on September 21, 1954, at the
age of 96. Just before his death he was awarded the Order of Merit by
the Japanese Government. After his death he was posthumously awarded the
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure.
Mikimoto's
dream realized
Shortly after Mikimoto succeeded in culturing a
perfectly round pearl, he said, "I would like to adorn the necks of all
the women of the world with pearls." What prompted him to make such a
challenging statement that appeared unachievable at that moment was that
previously wearing pearls was the exclusive preserve of women of the
royalty, aristocratic families, and the elite in society. Adorning with
pearls was a status symbol, a costly practice of the well-to-do in
society, given the exorbitant prices of natural pearls. By expressing a
desire to adorn the necks of all women of the world with pearls,
Mikimoto was prophesying the future, the day when pearls would be
cultured with ease, and become affordable to all sections of society. As
predicted Mikimoto was able to culture many varieties of pearls, such as
Akoya, South Sea, and Black Tahitian pearls, and present them to women
around the globe at affordable prices, before his death in 1954.
The successors of Mikimoto have continued to build on
the achievements of Kokichi Mikimoto, and today the company has matured
into a truly international chain of stores, selling the highest quality
products for which Mikimoto had been famous since their inception in
1899, and setting standards worthy of emulation by all other international pearl dealers.
Pinctada martensii -
Classification
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Mollusca
Class -
Bivalvia
Order -
Pterioida
Family -
Pteriidae
Genus -
Pinctada
Species - martensii
Alternative species names - fucata, imbricata,
radiata
Common names - Akoya pearl oyster
Gulf pearl oyster
Atlantic pearl oyster
Ceylon pearl oyster
The fucata/martensii/radiata/imbricata
species complex
The four species of Pinctada, Pinctada martensii (Akoya-gai
pearl oyster), Pinctada fucata (Akoya pearl oyster), Pinctada radiata
(Gulf pearl oyster) and Pinctada imbricata (Atlantic pearl oyster)
although classified as different species previously, have now been found
to belong to the same species, as they have the same genetic profile and
similar morphological characteristics. The four species fucata/martensii/radiata/imbricata
are known as a species complex, which represent components of a
cosmopolitan, globally distributed species, with specific locally
adapted traits. Cross breeding between the four species produces fertile
offspring, showing that the four different species, actually belong to
one and the same species. In the mid-1990s after the mass scale deaths
of Pinctada martensii in the Japanese pearl farms, Pinctada imbricata
was introduced into the Japanese waters to save the perliculture
industry. Another species that was used to recoup the industry was the
Chinese Akoya pearl oyster, Pinctada chemnitzii, also related to the
species complex. Thus the pearl oysters used for the production of Akoya
pearls in Japan today are hybrids of martensii and imbricata, and
martensii and chemnitzii.
Pinctada species used
in perliculture today
The Genus Pinctada under the family Pteriidae and
order Pterioida have a large number of pearl oyster species, but only
around four or five species have great commercial value, and are used in
Perliculture today. The table below gives the natural range of these
oyster species and the type of pearls produced by them. Pinctada radiata
is still given as a separate species even though it is closely related
to Pinctada fucata/martensii/imbricata species complex.
Pinctada
species of commercial value and their distribution
|
S/N |
Pinctada species |
Common name |
Distribution |
Type of pearls produced |
|
1 |
Pinctada radiata |
Gulf-pearl oyster |
Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Mannar |
Silvery white, cream, and light pink pearls; also occasionally yellow,
brown, and violet |
|
2 |
Pinctada margaritifera |
Black-lip oyster |
Persian Gulf, Australia, Fiji, Tahiti, Myanmar, Baja California |
Black South Sea pearls or Tahitian pearls |
|
3 |
Pinctada maxima |
White-lip oyster, Gold-lip oyster |
Myanmar,
Indonesia, Philippines, Australia, Fiji, Tahiti |
White and Golden South Sea pearls |
|
4 |
Pinctada fucata (martensii, imbricata) |
Akoya pearl oyster, Atlantic pearl oyster |
Japan, China, Korea Venezuela, Colombia, Bermuda, Persian Gulf,
Australia |
Mohar oriental pearls,
Akoya cultured pearls |
|
5 |
Pinctada albina |
Smaller Australian oyster or
Shark Bay pearl oyster |
Australia, Philippines, China, Vietnam, Korea, Micronesia |
yellow and small pearls Species used for culturing blister pearls |
Cultivation of Akoya
pearls
The Akoya cultured pearl production cycle consists of
four main steps. These are :- 1) Raising or breeding of oysters in farms
2) Seeding 3) husbandry or grow out period 4) Harvesting
1) Breeding of pearl
oysters
The pearl oyster species previously bred for
culturing Akoya pearl oysters was Pinctada martensii, native to the
southeast Pacific coast of Japan and extending north to the southern
coast of Korea. Pinctada martensii commonly known as Akoya-gai had been
used for over a century in Japan for the culturing of Akoya pearls,
starting from the days of the pearl pioneer Kokichi Mikimoto in 1890.
But in the mid-1990s a devastating viral disease wiped out whole
populations of Pinctada martensii, spelling disaster for the Japanese
pearl culture industry. To recoup the pearl industry, the Japanese
imported several related species of Pinctada, that were resistant to the
viral disease, and one of them was Pinctada chemnitzi from China. Today
the species used for the cultured pearl industry, both in Japan and
China, is a hybrid of Pinctada martensii and Pinctada chemnitzi.
The Pictada species is a protandric hermaphrodite,
the bivalve mollusks being bisexual, but in its development behaving
first as a male and later in life as a female. Therefore in a given
population the younger and smaller oysters are males and the older and
larger oysters are females. However the approximate ratio of male to
female in a given population is 1 : 1. Fertilization is external, taking
place in the surrounding water after the male and female oysters have
released their sperms and eggs into the water. The fertilized eggs hatch
into free-swimming larvae which develop into spats in about 20-25
days, Under natural conditions the spats settle on the reef and attach
themselves to the coral reef or rocks by their byssal threads, an
attachment that is retained throughout the life of the oysters. Under
farm-bred conditions the spats are transferred at a certain stage of
their growth to net baskets, which are submerged in the sea, and
nurtured with great care until they reach maturity in 1-2 years. Growth
of all stages of oysters, whether larvae, juveniles or adults are
affected by three important environmental factors. These are 1) water
temperature 2) availability of nutrients 3) salinity. The presence of
these factors in optimal conditions whether in natural or farm-bred
environment, encourages the growth of phytoplankton, which is the main
source of food for the growing oysters. Thus in farm-bred conditions the
three factors are maintained in optimal conditions, until the juveniles
grow into adults.
2) Seeding of oysters
The oysters that have reached maturity are now ready
to be implanted with the nucleus. Insertion of the nucleus into the
oyster is a very delicate process and carried out with the utmost care,
in order to reduce the stress placed on the oysters to a minimum. The
nucleus used for seeding the oysters are obtained from the shell of the
Pig-Toe (Amblema plicata) freshwater mussel found in the beds of the Mississippi River in
the United States. Incidentally, it has to be mentioned, that for any
type of pearl culturing in the world, whether Akoya, South Sea, or Black
Tahitian, the only type of nucleus. that has been found by scientists to
be most suitable, are the ones obtained from the shells of different
freshwater mussel species found in the Ohio and Mississippi River
basins. The value of U.S. mussel shell exports to Japan to serve the
cultured pearl industry stood at around $50 million annually in the
1990s. It has been found that the pig-toe shell has genetic properties
similar to the Akoya oyster, and this reduces the chance of the nucleus
being rejected by the oyster. Each of the mature oysters is implanted
with a nucleus created from the pig-toe shell in the shape of a round
bead, and a small piece of mantle tissue from a sacrificial oyster.
3) The husbandry
period or growout period
The seeded oysters are then returned to their marine
environment, placed in wire-mesh baskets and hung from long floating
rafts. The wire-mesh baskets while protecting the oysters from their
natural enemies, help to monitor their growth and keep the oysters in
good health, by regularly cleaning their surface to remove marine
growths that can harbor parasites and diseases. The waters in the
husbandry area are monitored constantly, and the rafts moved if
necessary to avoid extreme temperature changes, red tides and other
situations that can endanger the well-being of the oysters. The
husbandry period during which the oyster as well as the pearl grows in
size, lasts from 2 to 3 years, depending on the size and the quality of
the pearl desired. A longer husbandry period ensures the formation of a
thicker nacre and a better quality pearl. The thickness of the nacre is
crucial for some important properties of the pearl, such as luster,
iridescence or orient, and overtones, that will eventually determine its
quality and value.
4) Harvesting
After careful nurturing of the seeded oysters for 2-3
years, the wire-mesh baskets are lifted from their marine environment
and brought ashore. The oysters are then opened one by one and the
cultured pearl is retrieved from inside the oyster. This is a most
exciting period for the staff of the farm who had been working
tirelessly for 2-3 years in carefully nurturing the seeded oysters. The
fruits of their hard labor will be revealed to them only during the
harvesting exercise, and give them a sense of relief and happiness, to
know that the oyster had responded in kind to the careful and gentle
treatment meted out to them during the long husbandry period of 2-3
years. Post harvest procedures such as cleaning, mild tumbling if
necessary, sorting and grading will then follow.
Marilyn Monroe's
marriage to Joe DiMaggio in 1954
In the year 1951, Joe DiMaggio, the baseball legend,
saw a picture of Marilyn Monroe with two Chicago White Sox players. The
picture so captivated him that he fell in love with Marilyn even before
he had opportunity of meeting her in person. He waited patiently until
after his retirement from baseball in 1952, and then sought a date with
her, which she agreed to after initial reluctance. The couple fell in
love and began dating regularly for the next two years, until on January
12, 1954, Joe proposed to Marilyn and she accepted. Two days later on
January 14, 1954, Joe and Marilyn went to the San Francisco's City Hall,
to get married in a secret ceremony, to which they had invited only six
guests. The news of the impending marriage had been leaked to the press,
and the ceremony which was meant to be a low key one, with only six
invited guests, turned out to be a sensational one, with more than a
hundred adoring fans, journalists and photographers in attendance. The
couple were dressed in a simple fashion for the occasion, with Marilyn
wearing a simple chocolate gown, and Joe a simple blue suit and sporting
the same tie that he wore on their first date.
Marilyn Monroe
Joe DiMaggio's gifts
to Marilyn Monroe on the occasion of their wedding and honeymoon
On the occasion of the wedding Joe presented to
Marilyn a diamond and platinum "eternity ring" a fiery and sparkling
ring that served both as an engagement and wedding ring. The ring was
set with 36 baguette cut diamonds. This ring was one of the only two
pieces of authentic high class jewelry that Marilyn Monroe ever owned
during her colorful and short screen career.
Shortly after their wedding the couple went on a
honeymoon trip to Japan. It was during this trip that Joe DiMaggio
purchased the 16 inch single-strand Akoya pearl necklace from Mikimoto
in Japan, and presented it to Marilyn as a honeymoon gift. Around this
time a single stranded pearl necklace was the height of the fashion
among ladies both in the United States and Europe. The Akoya pearl
necklace was the only other piece of authentic high class jewelry that
was owned by Marilyn Monroe. All other jewelry owned by Marilyn Monroe
was just cheap costume jewelry. Perhaps, the reason why she did not care
to own or wear expensive high class jewelry, was her self confidence
that flowed from the extraordinary beauty that nature had endowed her
with, which required no artificial enhancement and made the wearing of
high class jewelry superfluous and unnecessary.
Causes that led to
the divorce of Marilyn and Joe just nine months after their marriage
Marilyn's marriage to DiMaggio unfortunately lasted
only nine months, in spite of the fact they courted each other for
almost two years and were deeply in love with each other. Before their
marriage, when the press confronted her, after getting to know of their
relationship, she said, "I don't know if I'm in love with him yet, but I
know I like him more than any man I've ever met." Strains were
placed on their relationship almost immediately after their marriage,
when they went to Japan on their honeymoon, when Marilyn took time to
perform for the servicemen stationed in Korea. Marilyn's presence almost
caused a riot among the troops, and Joe was clearly uncomfortable with
thousands of men ogling his new bride. Joe became jealous of his wife,
as Marilyn's fame as an actress and sex symbol skyrocketed. Joe and
Marilyn were desperate to settle down and lead a normal family life, but
Marilyn was lured by fame, as she was in the prime of her career, and
had nurtured ambitions of reaching greater heights. DiMaggio also
attended the studios at times when Marilyn was due for shooting and
appeared to be disgusted witnessing some of the scenes that were shot.
Thus Marilyn's busy acting career appeared to be placing a lot of strain
on their relationship, and reached a breaking point only 274 days after
their wedding, when she announced she would seek a divorce. On October
27, 1954, Marilyn and Joe were divorced, which both of them attributed
to a conflict of careers.
Marilyn's third
marriage to Arthur Miller and their subsequent divorce
Marilyn took a short break from Hollywood in 1955,
and moved to New York City, where she enrolled in Lee Strasberg's
Actor's Studio, to study acting, with the intention of pursuing serious
acting. She started her own motion picture company in 1956, under the
name Marilyn Monroe Productions, which produced two films, "Bus Stop"
and "The Prince and the Showgirl" in which she demonstrated her talent
and versatility as an actress. Marilyn married her third husband
playwright Arthur Miller on June 29, 1956. They both traveled to England
for the shooting of "The Prince and the Showgirl" in which she
co-starred with Sir Laurence Olivier. On their return from England it
was discovered that Marilyn Monroe was pregnant, but unfortunately her
pregnancy was ectopic and was aborted to save her life. A second
pregnancy also ended up in a miscarriage. These misfortunes in her
personal life perhaps caused serious mental worries, from which she
sought solace by taking to alcohol and drugs. Her addiction to alcohol
and drugs had a serious impact on her married life, and led to her
marriage with Arthur Miller being broken up, a divorce being granted on
January 24, 1961.
Joe DiMaggio makes up
with Marilyn Monroe at her time of need in February 1961
Marilyn's mental instability led to her admission to
the psychiatric ward of the Payne-Whitney Clinic in Manhattan, on
February 4, 1961. Joe DiMaggio who heard about her illness rushed to the
hospital, and after six days got her transferred to the Payne-Whitney
Psychiatric Clinic, at the New York Presbyterian Hospital. Her condition
improved dramatically and she was out of hospital on March 5, 1961. She
then joined Joe DiMaggio in Florida, where he was batting coach for his
old team, the New York Yankees. Their close association again fired
rumors of a remarriage, and in fact it was reported later that Joe quit
his job with a military post-exchange supplier on August 1, 1962, in
order to return to California, and ask Marilyn to remarry him.
Joe DiMaggio meets president Ronald Regan in 1981
Marilyn Monroe sings
Happy Birthday Mr. President at a televised birthday party for President
John F. Kennedy
In May of 1962, Marilyn was invited to a televised
birthday party for President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden,
at which she sang Happy Birthday, Mr. President. She wore a full length
evening sheath dress of flesh-colored souffle gauze for the occasion,
designed by Jean Louis, and covered with 6,000 rhinestone beads and
sequins, which subsequently fetched a record $1, 267,500 at the auction
of Marilyn Monroe's personal items. President John F. Kennedy was so
taken up with her rendition of "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" that she
thanked her by saying, "I can now retire from politics after having had
"Happy Birthday" sung to me in such a sweet, wholesome way."
Marilyn Monroe's
untimely death in 1962, and Joe DiMaggio's symbolic expression of his
undying love for Marilyn
On August 5, 1962, the news that shocked the entire
world, came out from Brentwood, California, where Marilyn Monroe had a
home. The heart-throb of millions of fans around the world was no more.
The shocking news of her death and the grief that it generated was felt
all around the world, transcending international boundaries, and all
other man made barriers such as language, ethnicity, color, creed etc.
Truly she was an international citizen adored by millions around the
world.
Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her bedroom at age
36 from an overdose of barbiturates. Her body was discovered by her
housekeeper Mrs. Eunice Murray, who was assigned to her care by her
psychiatrist, Dr. Ralph Greenson. Her death which appeared to be a case
of suicide, sparked off endless conspiracy theories, which led to a
formal investigation in 1982 by the Los Angeles County District
Attorney, who came up with the verdict that there was no evidence of
foul play. Joe DiMaggio who had planned to remarry Marilyn Monroe was
devastated, and claimed her body and arranged for her funeral. For the
next 20 years, Joe DiMaggio had a dozen red roses delivered three times
a week to her crypt, symbolic of his undying love for the woman who
first entered his life.
The fate of the
Marilyn Monroe Pearl Necklace
Marilyn left her personal belongings to her acting
coach and mentor, Lee Strasberg, who ran an acting school in New York
City. The Strasberg family kept Marilyn's items archived for almost 40
years, before they were auctioned at Rockefeller Center in 1999. She
gave her 16-inch Mikimoto Pearl Necklace containing 44 Mikimoto pearls,
to Paula Strasberg, wife of Lee Strasberg. Paula Strasberg gave the
necklace to her daughter Susan Strasberg, from whom Mikimoto acquired
the necklace in 1998. The Marilyn Monroe Pearl Necklace still preserved
in its original oval jewelry box is now part of the valuable collection
of pearls belonging to the Mikimoto Company, and has been
exhibited around the world as part of "Pearls- a Natural History"
traveling exhibition.
Marilyn Monroe was
bedecked with jewels during promotional campaigns
Even though Marilyn Monroe did not see the need to
own first class jewelry during her colorful acting career, the jewelry
manufacturers, and companies producing other merchandise, saw
great potential in her beauty and charm and her worldwide popularity, to
push their products in the international markets. Marilyn Monroe was
without doubt the ultimate symbol of glamour, and the personification of
beauty and stardom. Her name and image thus became a priceless brand,
whose potential was recognized by companies everywhere to add value to
their campaigns and products. Jewelry manufacturers bedecked Marilyn
with the most expensive of jewelry, set with diamonds, pearls and other
expensive gemstones, that was given to her on loan during public
appearances and promotions.
During one such promotional campaign for the
movie "Gentleman Prefer Blondes" Marilyn Monroe wore the
famous 24.04-carat, pear shaped yellow diamond, the "Moon of Baroda" as
a pendant to a necklace. The diamond which originally weighed 25.95
carats, belonged to the royal family of Baroda, in northwestern India,
and was said to have been looted by Nadir Shah the mighty conqueror of
Iran in 1739, but later returned to Baroda, where it remained for
almost 200 years with the royal family, until 1943, when it was
purchased Meyer Rosenbaum of Detroit. The "Moon of Baroda" was auctioned
by Christie's in 1991, and Marilyn Monroe wearing the diamond in 1954
for the promotional campaign, added to the colorful history of the
diamond. The strategy of celebrities wearing jewelry set with diamonds
and other precious stones, loaned to them by their manufacturers, at
international events such as the Oscars, as a means of promoting the
sale of such jewelry, has now become a well established practice.
Marilyn's advertising
potential exploited even after her death
Marilyn's advertising potential was exploited to the full
before her death, and even after her death the commercial value of her
image has not diminished. On the contrary her popularity has surged
after her death, and so do the strength of her personality as an
advertising symbol. Some of the great names in the international trade
such as Mercedes Benz in the United States, Levi's jeans in Japan,
Chrysler in Germany, and Nestle in the United Kingdom, had used
Marilyn's face in their promotional campaigns. Others that have used
Marilyn's image for large-scale international promotions include
American Express, Visa and Iberia Airlines.
Mikimoto
uses Marilyn Monroe's image for their promotional campaign
Mikimoto also made use of Marilyn's image for their
promotional campaigns. Mikimoto released in the United States and Japan,
limited edition pearl necklaces, produced in memory of Marilyn Monroe,
and designed after her own Mikimoto Pearl Necklace given as a gift by
Joe DiMaggio, which is now the valued possession of the company.
You are welcome to discuss this post/related topics with Dr Shihaan and other experts from around the world in our FORUMS (forums.internetstones.com)
Related :-
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Paspaley Pearl
2)
Survival Pearl
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References :-
1) Akoya Pearls -
www.pearl-guide.com
2) Hanadama Akoya Pearls -
www.pearl-guide.com
3) Japanese Akoya Pearls -
www.pearl-guide.com
4) Hanadama Pearls - From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
5) Mikimoto Kokichi - From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
6) Kokichi Mikimoto -
www.pearl-guide.com
7) Kokichi Mikimoto, History -
www.mikimotoamerica.com
8) Birth of a Pearl -
www.mikimotoamerica.com
9) Qualities of a Pearl -
www.mikimotoamerica.com
10) The Mikimoto Grading System -
www.mikimotoamerica.com
11) Pearls : A Natural History - website of the Royal
Ontario Museum
12) Marilyn Monroe - Diamonds are a Girl's Best
Friend -
www.diamondsourceva.com/Education/CelebrityDiamonds
13) Marilyn Monroe Biography - From Wikipedia, the
free encyclopedia
14) Pinctada martensii -
www.pearlguide.com
15) Marilyn Monroe Official Website -
www.marilynmonroe.com
