Shopping : Pearls
The Story of the Pearl :
An oyster may be a lowly creature to look at, but pry it open and it could be akin to opening a small Pandora's box. This is just what an obscure Chinese fisherman did, around 4000 years ago, and voila!, he chanced upon what was probably the first pearl to be found by man. The pearl has enamored mankind ever since. As early as 2000 years ago, divers in the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean launched themselves into the deep, dark sea, risking life and limb in the quest to find the perfect pearl. They, like the Chinese and the Arabs, dived to depths of over 40 feet with only their lungs drawing the line between life and death.
In an attempt to speed up the process of pearl formation, Kokichi Mikimoto of Japan came up with the cultured pearl in the 1920's. One clever innovation led to another - and today pearls are cultured in hundreds of underwater cages called 'Oyester Farms', predominantly in Japan and China.
During the glorious era of the Nizams, pearls of various types were showered on the subjects by their patrons. Similarly, the kings received choice pearls as 'nazranas' or gifts, especially the Asif Jahis and the Qutub Shahis - The two dynasties that permanently set the pearl on Indian ornamental history.
An oyster may be a lowly creature to look at, but pry it open and it could be akin to opening a small Pandora's box. This is just what an obscure Chinese fisherman did, around 4000 years ago, and voila!, he chanced upon what was probably the first pearl to be found by man. The pearl has enamored mankind ever since. As early as 2000 years ago, divers in the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean launched themselves into the deep, dark sea, risking life and limb in the quest to find the perfect pearl. They, like the Chinese and the Arabs, dived to depths of over 40 feet with only their lungs drawing the line between life and death.
In an attempt to speed up the process of pearl formation, Kokichi Mikimoto of Japan came up with the cultured pearl in the 1920's. One clever innovation led to another - and today pearls are cultured in hundreds of underwater cages called 'Oyester Farms', predominantly in Japan and China.
During the glorious era of the Nizams, pearls of various types were showered on the subjects by their patrons. Similarly, the kings received choice pearls as 'nazranas' or gifts, especially the Asif Jahis and the Qutub Shahis - The two dynasties that permanently set the pearl on Indian ornamental history.
posted by pradeep at
4:48 AM
0 Comments
