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Origin of Name
Seed pearl jewelry
were symbolic of purity and innocence and presented to a girl on her
18th birthday, as her first formal piece of jewelry
The Mary Lucile Stevens Seed Pearl Parure (pah-rur)
is a full parure of seed pearl jewelry, once owned by Mary Lucile
Stevens, who received it as a gift from her mother on the occasion of
her 18th birthday in 1836. Seed pearl jewelry became popular in the last
quarter of the 18th-century during the late Georgian period, and this
popularity was maintained throughout the 19th-century, during the
Victorian period, reaching its climax in the mid 1800s. In the United
Kingdom, the Victorians developed a special liking for the appearance of
the delicate almost lace-like seed pearl jewelry pieces. Symbolism and
sentimentality were taken to an extreme during this period, with
gemstone varieties, jewelry motifs and designs assigned special symbolic
meanings. Pearls were believed to represent tears, amethyst devotion,
diamond constancy, emerald hope, and ruby passion. The symbolic
meanings attached to some of the motifs were, ivy for friendship,
fidelity or marriage, daisy for innocence, bluebells for constancy,
forget-me-nots for remembrance, mistletoe for a kiss, dogs for fidelity,
butterfly for soul, doves for domesticity, lizards and salamanders for
passionate love, snakes and serpents for eternity and commitment, etc.
In the language of symbolism, seed pearl jewelry was also associated
with purity and innocence. It was in this context that seed pearl
jewelry during this period was often presented to a girl on her 18th
birthday as her first formal piece of jewelry, or to a bride before her
wedding.
The seed pearl parure
given as an 18th birthday gift to Mary Lucile Stevens in 1836, was
preserved as a family heirloom until 1984, when her male descendants
donated it to the Smithsonian Institution
Thus, the Mary Lucile Stevens Seed Pearl Parure, in
keeping with the traditions of the period, was given as a gift to Mary
Lucile Stevens by her mother on her 18th birthday in 1836. Since then
the pearl parure was preserved as a family heirloom and passed down
succeeding generations of the family, always given as a gift to a
daughter in the family on her 18th birthday, a mid 19th-century
tradition preserved and strictly adhered to by the family. The pearl
parure eventually came into the possession of a female member of the
family in the mid 20th-century, who perhaps did not have a daughter to
whom it could be bequeathed. The invaluable family heirloom was thus
inherited by her sons, who in their wisdom decided, that the best place
the priceless treasure would be preserved for posterity, would be the
treasure house of the National Museum of Natural History, of the
Smithsonian Institution. Accordingly, the descendants of Marie Lucile
Stevens donated her seed pearl parure to the Smithsonian Institution in
1984, where it it is now put on display in the Museum's "Treasure
House."
Characteristics of the Seed Pearl
Parure
The Components of the
Parure
The Mary Lucile Stevens seed pearl parure, is a full
parure consisting of a necklace, two bracelets, a pair of earrings,
brooches and corsage ornament. The design of the jewelry is very
delicate and ornate and consisted of foliage and flower motifs. The
single blade, simple leaf motif, with a curved apex and the midrib,
margin and veins, clearly depicted , is the repeated theme of this
complete parure, incorporated in all the components, except the pair of
earrings, based on a floral motif.
The Design and
Features of the Pair of Bracelets
The centerpiece of each bracelet displayed at the top
of the velvet lined leather case, is the leaf motif with the curved
apex, midrib, margin and veins, clearly depicted by strands of seed
pearls sewn into the design, carved out of thin sheets of mother of
pearl, with white horse hair. Since the design is too delicate, with
spaces between the veins, it is possible that the backing for the design
was provided by some precious metal. Between the central leaf motif and
the clasp on either side, is another leaf-like motif, smaller than the
central motif. All three leaf-like motifs and the clasp on either side,
are joined together by two strands of seed pearls and a metallic chain
in the center, completing the design of the bracelet. The two bracelets
are exactly identical to one another, and meant to be worn on each hand.
Mary Lucile Stevens Seed Pearl Parure
©
Smithsonian
The Design and
Features of the Necklace
The same leaf motif, with curved apex, midrib, margin
and veins, is repeated on the necklace, whose centerpiece is occupied by
the largest leaf motif in the entire parure, lined by seed pearls. On
either side of the central large leaf motif are three smaller leaf
motifs, all lined by seed pearls. A slightly different motif is depicted
at one end of the necklace, occupied by the clasp, while the other end
of the necklace is free on any motifs, having only the locking device of
the clasp. The seven leaf motifs on the necklace, and the two ends of
the necklace, are joined together by two long strands of seed pearls,
and a central metallic chain, as in the case of the bracelets. The seed
pearl necklace is the longest piece in the parure, and occupies the
entire length of the lower side of the leather case and its two
sides.
The Design and
features of the Pair of Earrings, Pair of brooches and the Corsage
Ornament
The central space of the display case, between the
upper pair of bracelets and the lower necklace, is occupied by the pair
of brooches, the pair of earrings and the corsage ornament. The corsage
ornament occupies the center of this space, and a single earring and
brooch are placed symmetrically on either side of it.
The Pair of Earrings
The earrings are pendant earrings, the pendant part
being suspended from the ear stud by a hook and ring device. The motif
of the pendant is a floral motif, with a central larger seed pearl
surrounded by smaller seed pearls to form a rosette-like structure,
which arises from the axil of two leaves or bracts, also studded with
seed pearls. The ear stud also appears to be designed as a rosette
or bunch of seed pearls.
The Pair of Brooches
The pair of brooches, placed on either end of the
central space, are also designed as leaf motifs with the curved apex and
margin, but without the midrib and veins. The space inside the margin of
the leaf motif is completely filled with seed pearls. The identical pair
of brooches were meant to be worn on the shoulders of the wearer.
The Corsage Ornament
The corsage ornament, usually worn on the chest of
the wearer, is also made up of a single leaf motif, with the curved
apex, margin, midrib and veins, with strands of seed pearls sewn onto
the design. The size of this single leaf motif, is almost equivalent to
the second largest leaf motif on the necklace, immediately after the
largest leaf motif occupying the center of the necklace.
History of the usage
of seed pearls in jewelry
What is a seed pearl
?
CIGJO
Definition of a pearl
CIBJO, the French acronym for the International
Jewelry Confederation, the body that sets the standards for the
international gem and jewelry trade, defines a seed pearl as a small
salt or freshwater natural pearl which is generally under 2 mm in
diameter. This definition of seed pearl lays emphasis only on the size
of the pearl in terms of its dimensions.
JVC
Inc. Definition of a pearl
According to the Jewelers Vigilance Canada Inc.
guidelines for the sale and marketing of diamonds, colored gemstones and
pearls, revised in 2003, a seed pearl is defined as a nacreous cyst
pearl that is under 2 mm in diameter. A cyst pearl is a pearl that has
been formed within the living tissue of a mollusk, and was not in
contact with the mollusk's shell. This definition too emphasizes the
size of the pearl in terms of its dimensions, with the added
qualification that it should be a nacreous cyst pearl, that excludes
non-nacreous pearls and blister or mabe pearls.
Definition combining
the size of the pearl both in terms of dimensions and weight
Chapter 13 of the Book of the Pearl written by Kunz
and Stevenson and published in 1908, is titled "The Value & Commerce of
Pearls." A table appearing in this chapter on page 328 relates the
weight of round pearls in grains to their diameter in millimeters and
inches, from a lower range of 1/16 of a grain to an upper range of
500 grains. This table can also be used to convert diameter in
millimeters or inches to weight in grains. According to this table a
diameter of 2.09 mm (approx. 2.00 mm) is equivalent to one- quarter
(1/4) of a grain.
Table relating weight
of pearls in grains to diameter in millimeters and inches from the Book
of the Pearl, by Kunz & Stevenson
Thus, in the above definitions of seed pearls, the
weight in grains equivalent to the diameter cut off point of 2 mm, below
which the pearls are known as seed pearls, can also be incorporated. The
seed pearl can thus be defined as a saltwater or freshwater, nacreous
cyst pearl, whose size is less than 2 mm in diameter, and weight less
than one-quarter of a grain (1/4 grain).
In the photograph below, extracted from Kunz &
Stevenson's book, "The Book of the Pearl," published in 1908, the actual
sizes of pearls ranging from 1/8 grain to 160 grains are clearly
depicted. According to the definition of seed pearls, only the first two
pearls at the top in the first vertical row, whose weights are 1/8 grain
and 1/4 grain respectively, qualify to be labelled as seed pearls. The
photograph clearly shows how the size of the pearls gradually increase
as the weight of the pearl increases. This photograph is published for
the benefit of the reader, as it gives a clear picture of what exactly a
seed pearl is in comparison to pearls of other sizes.
Actual Sizes of Pearls from 1/8 Grain to 160 Grains
Extracted from the Chapter : Structure & Forms of
Pearls in Kunz & Stevenson's book, The Book Of The Pearl, published in
1908
Sources of Seed
Pearls
Ceylon (Sri Lanka),
India, Persia and Arab countries of the Gulf were the main source of
seed pearls in the world since ancient times
The greatest pearl producer since ancient times had
been the pearl oyster species Pinctada radiata (previously known as
Margaritifera vulgaris), whose natural home had been the Gulf of Mannar,
the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea and had sustained the great pearl
fisheries of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), India, Persia, and the Arab nations
with a shore line on the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. Most of the
pearls produced by Pinctada radiata were seed pearls, although they also
produced pearls of medium size, rarely exceeding 12-14 grains in
weight, or 7.5-8.0 mm in diameter. Seed pearls were either formed singly
or in clusters in the internal tissues of the oyster, such as the mantle
or the gonads. Thus, the main source of seed pearls in the world in the
past, had been Ceylon, India, Persia and the Arab nations of the Persian
Gulf. According to Kunz, the quantity of seed pearls obtained in the
Ceylon pearl fishery exceeds that of any other fishery in any part of
the world.
Ceylon Pearl Oyster- Pinctada radiata
These pearls become the property of wealthy Chetties and
Moormen (descendants of Arab settlers) from southern India, and Ceylon, as they had purchased the
oysters that contained them at the auctions conducted by the British
colonial authorities. The pearls are separated from the oysters by a
process of putrefaction and washing. The separated pearls are either
drilled by experienced pearl drillers in Ceylon, or taken to the pearl
markets of India, such as in Bombay or Madras, cities under the
administration of the British colonial authorities, or Hyderabad in the
domain of the Nizam of Hyderabad, where they are sold to pearl dealers,
who in turn sell them to the pearl jewelry manufacturers. The seed
pearls are drilled and converted into beads, by experienced drillers in
these cities, who then strung them into strands using horse hair or silk
thread. Large quantities of seed pearl strands or un-stranded beads were
exported to the jewelry producing centers of Europe and America in the
18th and 19th centuries. Seed pearls from the Persian Gulf too reached
the pearl markets of India, such as Bombay and Hyderabad, where they
were drilled and strung into strands, and either converted into jewelry
or exported to the pearl markets of Europe.
Other sources of seed
pearls in Asia were China and Japan
The species Pinctada radiata, or closely related
species such as Pinctada fucata (Akoya pearl oyster) or Pinctada
martensii (Akoya-gai pearl oyster), also occur in the waters off Japan,
China, Korea, the Indonesian Archipelago and Australia, although they
may not be the principal oyster species in these waters. In China and
Japan significant quantities of seed pearls had been produced by this
species of oyster, that was sufficient to sustain a seed- pearl drilling
and stringing industry, that was exported to western countries to
sustain a jewelry industry based on seed pearls in the late 18th and
throughout the 19th centuries.
Venezuela in the New
World became an alternative source of seed pearls in the 16th and 17th
centuries, after Columbus discovered the pearl banks in 1498
In 1498, Columbus discovered the lucrative pearl
banks of Venezuela off the Island of Cubagua, during his third voyage to
the New World, a discovery that ironically led to his arrest and return
to Spain in chains, as he failed to inform the King of Spain immediately
of his new find. The exploitation of the Cubagua pearl banks, became the
first lucrative venture of the Spanish in the New World, that brought
greater returns than some other subsequent discoveries such as gold,
silver and emeralds. The intensive exploitation of the pearl oyster
resources of Venezuela for around one and half centuries, led to the
complete depletion of resources, and the abandonment of the pearl banks
around 1650.
The pearl oyster species of Cubagua pearl banks, were
closely related to the Ceylon pearl oyster and the Persian Gulf pearl
oyster, Pinctada radiata, and was given the scientific name Pinctada
imbricata (Atlantic pearl oyster) Like the Ceylon pearl oyster, pearls
produced by Pinctada imbricata were either seed pearls or pearls of
medium size, ranging in weight from 2-5 carats (8-20 grains), with
diameter of 6-9 mm. The shells like the Ceylon pearl oyster were thin
and brittle and had no value as mother-of-pearl, in the shell button
industry. Venezuelan seed pearls and medium sized pearls entered the
European pearl markets via Seville in Spain. The seed pearls embroidered
on to the dresses of European queens during this period, such Queen
Elizabeth I (1533-1603), originated mostly in Venezuela.
Uses of seed pearls in
history
Seed pearls had been put to several uses in Asia and
Europe since ancient times. In all these uses the seed pearls had to be
converted into beads by drilling, and invariably transformed into
strands before usage.
1) Seed Pearl Embroidery
-
This was one of the first uses of seed pearls. In
India seed pearls were used in large quantities for embroidery of the
royal robes of Mughal Emperors and Empresses, Maharajahs and Maharanis
of various kingdoms, and the Nizams of Hyderabad. The same practice was
seen among the Qajar kings of Iran, such as Fath Ali Shah, who presided
over a court of great brilliance. Fath Ali Shah's famous colored
portrait, show him seated on a pearl and colored stone studded carpet,
wearing a royal robe studded with seed pearls and other gemstones, on
the collar and two zones on the upper arm. On this portrait, he is also
seen wearing a "sarpech" on the turabn, lined with seed pearls, and four
strands of seed pearls, radiating from the "sarpech," over his turban.
In China too seed pearls were used in the embroidery of royal robes,
such as during the period of the Manchu Qing dynasty, notable among whom
was Empress Dowager Tz'u-Hsi (1861-1908), the most powerful ruler of the
Qing Dynasty. In England, the use of seed pearl embroidery reached a
climax during the period of Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603), who is
reported to have owned 3,000 pearl embroidered dresses. One of her
famous portraits showing her wearing a pearl embroidered dress is the
"Armada Portrait," in which pearls are seen studded all over the dress,
and mainly on the
elaborate collar surrounding her neck. She is also wearing a
seven-strand pearl necklace, and 10 pairs of drop-shaped pearls are
mounted on her elaborate hairdo, apart from the pair of drop-shaped
earrings she is wearing. The portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots
(1542-1587), also show her wearing a seed-pearl studded dress, apart
from a large number of drop-shaped pearls, suspended from two arches,
arising from her shoulders, and fixed just below her elaborate hairdo,
and two other smaller arches surrounding her hairdo.
Armada Portrait of Queen Elizabeth the I
Mary, Queen of Scots
Fath Ali Shah- Safavid Emperor of Iran
2) Seed pearl embroidered
carpets
In India, the practice of embroidering seed pearls on to
carpets, started during the Mughal period, and was prevalent until recent times, culminating in the creation of the most
fabulous seed pearl carpet ever produced in the history of mankind,
during the reign of the Maharajah Gaekwar of Baroda, Gaekwar Khande Rao
(1856-1870),
that came to be known as the "Pearl Carpet of Baroda." The
carpet was in fact created by the Maharajah to fulfill a vow he had made
to cover the tomb of the Holy Prophet of Islam, Prophet Muhammad, in the
city of Medina, the hallowed sanctuary revered by Muslims all over the
world. The rectangular shaped carpet, with dimensions of 2.64 meters by
1.73 meters, is made up of a combination of silk and deer hide, and
densely embroidered with an estimated 1.5 to 2.0 million, natural seed
pearls, known as Basra pearls, with an average diameter of 1-3 mm, and
harvested from the pearl banks of the Persian Gulf, situated off the
coastline of Bahrain and Qatar. The design of the carpet seem to have
been inspired by design features of carpets from the Safavid period of
Iran and the Mughal period of India. Apart from pearls, other gemstones
incorporated in the carpet, are diamonds, rubies, emeralds and
sapphires.
The Pearl Carpet of Baroda
©Sotheby's
Close up of one of the smaller peripheral rosettes of
the Pearl Carpet of Baroda
©Sotheby's
In Iran, the tradition of embroidering carpets with
pearls and other gemstones, dates back to the Sassanian period between
the 3rd and 7th centuries A.D. One of the largest carpets ever made, the
"Spring Carpet" with dimensions of 140 meters by 27 meters, depicting a
garden in full bloom, covered the main audience hall of the Sassanian
Imperial Palace at Ctesiphon, during the reign of Khusraw II, between
590 and 628 A.D. and was made of wool, silk, gold and silver, and
embroidered elaborately with gemstones and pearls. During winter time,
the king was said to have strolled along the length of this enormous
carpet, savoring its many spring time scenes, such as flowers in full
blossom, ripe fruits, birds in flight, and a broad green meadow border,
designed in emeralds. Carpets decorated with pearls, rubies and
turquoise, that adorned the palaces of Abbasid Caliphs in the
9th-century A.D. seem to have inspired the unknown author of the Arabian
Nights fables, "Alf Lailah was Lailah" - A Thousand and One
Nights, who writes of carpets studded with pearls and gemstones.
3) Use of seed pearls in
jewelry
One of main items of jewelry produced in India, using
seed pearl strands was the seed pearl necklace. Such necklaces were
produced in two ways. One way was as Kunz describes in his book, The
Book of the Pearl, as ropes produced by twisting together twenty or
thirty strings of seed pearls. Apart from such rope necklaces used by
the monarchy in India during that period, another type of necklace that
was produced using seed pearl strands, was the "Panchlada," "Satlada,"
and multi-strand necklaces that combined together 5, 7 or many
strands of seed pearls, without twisting. One fine example of such a
necklace designed and produced in India, was the Umm Kulthum
Multi-strand Pearl and Turquoise Necklace, made up of 10 strands of seed
pearls interspersed with turquoise, whose centerpiece is an Art Nouveau
style, peacock-shaped pendant, made of yellow gold and studded with
pearls and turquoise. This necklace was designed in Bombay or Hyderabad
in the 19th century. Hyderabad, the capital city of the Nizams of
Hyderabad, had a thriving jewelry industry based on pearls, encouraged
and patronized by the Nizams. Another famous seed pearl necklace, that
once belonged to the Nizam's collection, but is now owned by the New
York socialite and philanthropist Meera Gandhi, is the tri-colored
seven-strand Ceylon Pearl Necklace.
The Ceylon Pearl Necklace made of seed pearls.
© ROM
Ummu Kulthum's Multi-strand Seed Pearl and Turquoise Necklace
The surge in
popularity of seed pearl jewelry in Europe and America in the 18th and
19th centuries
The popularity of
seed pearl jewelry reached a climax in Europe during the early Victorian
period, from 1837 to 1860
Seed pearl jewelry first became popular in Europe in
the last quarter of the 18th-century, and the first quarter of the
19th-century, during the Georgian period. The popularity of seed pearl
jewelry reached a climax during the early Victorian period, also known
as the Romantic period, that extended between 1837 to 1860, a period
that signifies the happy moments in Queen Victoria's life, such as her
youth, courtship, marriage and family life, until the death of her
beloved husband, Prince Albert in 1861. During this period, burgeoning
middle classes of Europe and the United States, were fascinated with
pearl jewelry, and had the money to purchase them. They were fascinated
by the look of the delicate and almost lace-like pieces of seed pearl
jewelry, against the skin. Seed pearl jewelry were associated with
purity and innocence, and was often presented to a girl on her 18th
birthday, as her first formal piece of jewelry, or to a bride on her
wedding day. A newspaper article that appeared in 1870, described seed
pearl jewelry as, "exquisitely beautiful, constituting an appropriate
and elegant present to a young bride."
Seed pearl jewelry
first introduced to the United States by Henry Dubosq in the 1830s
Seed pearl jewelry were first introduced to the
United States in the 1830s, by Henry Dubosq, who had seen this jewelry
in Europe, and had studied the methods employed in designing them. He
purchased a large quantity of English seed pearl jewelry, and
brought them to the United States. He then hired a number of girls, and
instructed them to dismantle the pieces carefully, to learn how they
were made. He then asked the girls to re-string the pearls carefully
with horse hair, and re-assemble them to form the original pieces.
Employing these same girls he now started an industry to design seed
pearl jewelry, importing his requirement of seed pearls from Europe
initially, and later from the sources countries of India and China. The
industry prospered turning out some fabulous pieces of seed pearl
jewelry in the late 19th-century.
Seed Pearl Necklace Designed in the U.S in the 19th
Century
A Chest filled with seed pearls from the Iranian Crown
Jewels
Seed pearl jewelry were normally sold in sets or
parures, contained in a jewelry box or case, consisting of a collar, a
pair of bracelets, a pair of earrings, one or two brooches and a
large spray or or corsage ornament. One or more larger pearls were
sometimes incorporated in the design, as its centerpiece around which
the seed pearls were arranged. Seed pearl jewelry were relatively cheap
in the United States in the mid-19th century, seed pearl tiaras selling
for between $75 to $300 each. In 1855, a $1,000 seed pearl set was one
of the principal exhibits of Tiffany's at the International Exposition
held at the Crystal Palace, New York, in 1855.
Kunz explains the
vast difference in prices of a carat of tiny diamonds and a carat of
tiny seed pearls
According to Kunz, seed pearls were sold by the
ounce, a single ounce containing as many as 9,000 pearls. An ounce is
equal to 150 carats. Thus, a single carat of pearls contain 60 pearls,
which works out to 15 pearls per grain. The cost of an ounce of seed
pearls around this period, in the early 20th-century was $48 to $60.
Sometimes, pearls as small as 100 to a carat or 15,000 to the ounce,
were drilled and used in designing seed pearl jewelry. Such pearls were
only worth about 8-15 cents per carat or $12 to $22.50 per ounce. In the
case of diamonds, rubies and sapphires, they can be cut as brilliants,
even when they were as small as 250 to 300 pieces a carat or 300 x 150 =
45,000 pieces to the ounce. The cost of these diamonds were $200 to $300
per ounce, or $1.5 to $2.0 per carat. Thus a carat of tiny diamonds is
worth approximately 10 times more than a carat of tiny seed pearls. The
difference in the value of tiny diamonds and pearls is explained by
Kunz, by the high cost of labor involved in cutting and polishing tiny
diamonds. Pearls are naturally perfect gemstones and do not require
cutting and polishing. They only need drilling and the cost involved is
minimal.
All seed pearls used
in the seed pearl jewelry manufacturing industry in Europe and the
United States, were imported from China and India
All seed pearls used in the designing of seed pearl
jewelry in Europe and United States were imported from China or India.
Such pearls were already drilled and strung into strands or bunches.
Chinese seed pearls were believed to be the finest and were already
drilled and strung into bunches, each bunch weighing 3 ounces. The price
of an ounce of Chinese seed pearls was $40 and the cost each bunch was
$120. The Chinese seed pearls had been expertly drilled with a very fine
aperture, that even a silk thread will not pass through the drill hole,
and only horsehair could be used for stringing them.
The Indian seed
pearls actually originated in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and not in Madras
The Indian seed pearls were known as Madras pearls,
Madras being the port of export, and not the place of production of the
seed pearls. These pearls were actually Sri Lankan (Ceylon) seed pearls
harvested from the pearl banks of the Gulf of Mannar. Some seed pearls
were however harvested at Tuticorin, on the Indian side of the Gulf of
Mannar, which was 330 miles (532 km) away from Madras. Their yield
however was insignificant compared to the enormous yields of seed pearls
harvested on the Sri Lankan side of the Gulf, which according to Kunz
was the largest seed pearl fishery in the world. The Indian Madras
pearls had a larger drill hole than the Chinese pearls, through which a
silk thread could pass. The value of Madras seed pearls was $48 to $90
per ounce.
Horsehair obtained
from a living horse was used in stringing pearls
Horsehair which was usually used in stringing pearls,
was obtained from a living horse, and was known as pulled hair. Hair
obtained from a dead horse was too brittle for work with seed pearls.
Horsehair was sold in bunches of 8 to 14 inches in length, and was sold
at an average price of $1.50 a pound (454 grams). Only the best and
strongest hairs in a bunch were selected for seed pearl work, and it had
been found that only about one ounce of horse hair was suitable for work
out of an entire pound (16 ounces). In other words 15 ounces of
horsehair from a pound were rejected.
Girls who were
employed for seed pearl work were German or of German origin
The girls who were employed in seed pearl work were
either German or of German origin, as they had already been exposed to
such type of work at Idar-Oberstein, in the Duchy of Oldenburg, in
Germany. The girls were paid $3.50 for an eight-hour working day. The
work was difficult and needed clear daylight to see the tiny holes in
the small pearls, and the mother-of-pearl shells, used a backing for the
jewelry. Thus the restriction of the working period to 8 hours was more
to do with the availability of light, than any other consideration. The
time taken for stringing of pearls on an English scroll was about 12
hours, and needed an input of 1½ days of work.
All seed pearl
jewelry were reinforced by a mother-of-pearl backing
All seed pearl jewelry were based on a
mother-of-pearl backing or foundation. Mother-of-pearl obtained from
Ceylon oysters or Venezuelan oysters were very brittle, and had no use
either in the shell button industry or in the seed pearl industry, and
were usually rejected. Heaps of broken pieces of such mother of pearl
shells are still found today littering the coastline of the Kondaichy
Bay in Sri Lanka, and the Island of Cubagua in Venezuela. However,
mother-of-pearl produced in the Persian Gulf, known as Lingah shells,
and other countries with pearl fisheries, such as Broome in Australia,
China, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico, Panama etc. were quite strong and
suitable for use in the shell button industry as well as the seed pearl
jewelry industry. Thus, the mother-of-pearl shells used in the seed
pearl jewelry industry, could have come from any country in the world
with a pearl fishery, except Sri Lanka and Venezuela.
Steps in the production of a seed pearl brooch, from
the Book of the Pearl
Horsehair used in seed pearl jewelry
Kunz gives a detailed
description of how a seed pearl brooch is made
Kunz gives a detailed description of how a seed pearl
brooch is made in his book, The "Book of the Pearl" under Chapter 14,
titled "Treatment and Care of Pearls." Square-shaped
mother-of-pearl shell plates with sides varying from 1½ inches to 2½
inches square were used for this purpose. The design is first drawn on a
paper or cardboard of the same size as the mother-of-pearl plate, which
is then cut out and pasted on the plate. Using this as a template, the
design is sawn out on the mother-of-pearl plate, the empty spaces
representing areas where no pearls are to be fixed. If a design is to be
repeated regularly, a brass template is first cut out after drawing on
paper or cardboard. Using this brass template as a guideline, the design
is then cut out on the mother-of-pearl plate. The mother of pearl design
is then pierced wherever a pearl is to be fixed. The pearls that would
go into the design of the brooch are then carefully chosen, matching for
size, color and other properties. Points that are symmetrical on the
design, may require pearls of the same size. Each pearl is then secured
on the mother-of-pearl outline with a strong horsehair thread. The final
step in the completion of the brooch is the addition of a pin or catch
on the reverse side of the brooch, that would secure it to the wearer's
apparel. Kunz's account is accompanied by a photograph showing the
design drawn on paper, the brass template, the mother-of-pearl outline
pierced with holes, horsehair used in securing the pearl and the
completed brooch.
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 :
1)
Ceylon Pearl Necklace
2)
Umm Kulthum's Multi-strand Pearl & Turquoise
Necklace
External Links :-
1) Seed Pearl Jewelry, 1836 - Treasure House,
Legacies.
http://www.smithsonianlegacies.si.edu/
2) Seed Pearl Jewelry - Jennifer Rodriguez.
PBS
3) Georgian & Victorian Seed Pearl Jewelry -
www.deniseyezbakmoore.blogspot.com
References :-
1) Seed Pearl Jewelry -
www.vintagejewelrylane.com
2) Seed Pearl Jewelry, 1836 - Treasure House,
Legacies.
www.smithsonianlegacies.si.edu/gallery
3) Early Victorian Seed Pearl Jewelry -
www.marigoldlane.com/antiques/victorian
4) Seed Pearl Jewelry - Jennifer Rodriguez.
www.pbs.org
5) Georgian & Victorian Seed Pearl Jewelry -
www.deniseyezbakmoore.blogspot.com
6) The Book of the Pearl - Kunz and Stevenson.
Chapter 5 - Sources of Pearls, Chapter 6 - Pearl Fisheries of the
Persian Gulf, Chapter 14 -Treatment and Care of Pearls.
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