Pearl History of Ceylon

Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka, enters into the historical pearl records quite early, about 2,550 years ago. A Ceylon King is recorded as having sent gifts of pearls to his father-in-law in India. There were pearl beds in Ceylon, but Ceylon was also the crossroads of all trade in Asia.

Pearl History of the Philippines

The Filipinos are described in Chinese logs as having sold them pearls from the Philippine island of Palowan, about 1,400 years ago. Palowan is still the best pearling island in the Philippines, and is home of the famed divers of the Badjao tribe.

Pearl History of Greece

The ancient Greeks and Persians were intimately involved in pearls from about 2,500 years ago. Persia was a major source of pearls for Greece. Homer describes Juno's pearl earrings: "In three bright drops, her glittering gems suspended from her ears". A beautiful Greek necklace of pearls and gold, which dates from about 2,300 years ago, was displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of New York 100 years ago. It is one of the oldest known pieces in the world, and may still be owned by the museum. Though it has lost much of its luster, it is still a stunning piece.

Greek Egypt, as ruled by the Ptolemys and Cleopatra, was famous for conspicuous consumption of pearls, literally as well as figuratively. Conspicuous consumption has probably never reached the heights to which Cleopatra took it before or since when she made a meal of a fabulous pearl on a bet with Marc Anthony.

Rome

The Romans apparently acquired their taste for pearls from the Greeks, and for some centuries probably rivaled or overtook India as the world's biggest pearl depository.

There was such competition for pearls in Rome that laws were made that only the elite could wear them. Statues of the goddesses - especially Venus - wore only the very best, largest, and most perfectly matched pearl earrings, in their marble pierced ears. Mortals got to fight over the rest. Large, perfectly matched pairs of pearls were wildly popular and worth far more than singletons.