Pearl, one of the three birthstones for the month of June, has a rich symbolic history spanning cultures and centuries. Keep reading to learn about some of the cultures where it was highly valued and what it symbolized at the time.
BONUS READING: Learn about pearl types and terminology.
The first recorded cultural use of pearls dates to China in 2300 B.C., where they were presented to Chinese royalty as gifts. They were considered a great sign of respect, partly because of their rarity and partly because the symbolism they conveyed to the wearer was purity and goodness. The rounder a pearl, the more valuable it was considered.
There are some legends that pearls were created in the brains of dragons. It was speculated at the time that pearls were more abundant during the reign of celebrated and renowned emperors, signifying their heavenly acceptance. They were used as charms and talismans against fire and other disasters.
Pearls were so highly regarded in ancient China that several strong allusions are made to them: they were bright enough to be seen at a distance of 1000 yards, or it was possible to cook rice using the light of a pearl. One pearl was allegedly so bright, its light could be seen at a distance of three miles in the dark.
In ancient Vedic texts, it was believed that pearls were formed through a combination of Earth’s water and heaven’s power, then fertilized by a flash of lightning. Pearls were considered to be daughters of the moon.
There is a myth that each element offered a gift worthy of one of the gods: air offered rainbows, fire offered meteors, earth offered a ruby, and the sea offered a pearl. When the deity accepted these gifts, he wore the rainbow as a halo around his head, used the meteor as a lamp, wore the ruby on his forehead, and wore the pearl upon his heart.
Pearls were also highly associated with the god, Krishna, one of the most popular deities in Hinduism. In Sanskrit, pearls are called “mukta,” which literally translates to “to remove or free.” In Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, “mukta” also refers to a person whose soul has been freed from the attachments of life and has achieved some level of enlightenment.
Pearls were found in the tombs of the deceased and indicated respect for the deceased. It’s also been speculated that the more pearls were found in a tomb, the more wealth and influence that person had during their life.
Pearls were especially beloved by ancient Romans. Considered exceptionally valuable, they were used to distinguish between noble classes and lower classes. Julius Caesar eventually passed a law that only the nobility could wear pearls. Originally a symbol of purity and lunar energies, pearls began to take on a meaning of wealth, luxury, and (sometimes excessive) indulgence. There is a story from the Roman historian Suetonius that alleges that the Roman general Vitellius once financed an entire military campaign by selling just one of his mother’s pearl earrings.
Pearls were said to correspond with Venus, the Roman goddess of love, beauty, desire, fertility, prosperity, and victory. In some depictions of her, she is shown emerging from the sea to signify her life-giving abilities. The interior of her temple was decorated with pearls, a testament to not only the value of pearls but to the inherent qualities associated with both pearls and Venus.
Pliny, writer of the Natural History, largely considered to be the world’s first encyclopedia, wrote that pearls were referred to as both margaritæ and unio. The word margaritæ was the Greek word for pearls, the culture from which Rome inherited its love of pearls. But they came to be commonly referred to as unio, which literally meant “unity” or “union,” and was used for pearls to signify how unique each pearl was, with no pearl quite like another. According to Pliny, though, the term unio was generally reserved for larger and more valuable pearls, while the word margaritae was still used for smaller and less desirable pearls. The term margarita also came to mean the most precious of something, such as a favorite child.
The earliest example of a pearl necklace was found in modern-day Iraq and is believed to date to 420 B.C. They are known as the Susa pearls and were found in the tomb of a Persian princess, indicating they were considered beautiful and royal enough to be worn by the nobility.
Pearls receive a notable mention in the Koran (also spelled Quran, Qur’an), the holy book of Islam. It’s written that for those who are accepted into heaven upon their death, they will be admitted into a beautiful paradise garden where the fruits of the trees are pearls and emeralds (learn more about emerald symbolism). They will also be given a tent and a crown made of pearls. In this context, pearls represent purity, righteousness, sacredness, and divinity.
Pearls are considered a symbol of “heavenly beauty,” which is epitomized in the phrase “the pearly gates of heaven.” In Revelations 21:21, St. John refers to each of the 12 gates of heaven as a single pearl: “The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.”
In the New Testament, Christ compares pearls to something highly valuable and precious: “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45-46)
In Matthew 7:6, as part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, he instructs his followers: “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”
In all of these examples, pearls represent something sacred with significant overtones of spiritual wisdom, purity, and truth.
Pearls were worn as protective talismans and were believed to help ward off misfortune.
By this time, the symbolism of pearls had shifted slightly. They were often used in mourning jewelry to symbolize tears and remembrance.
Pearls still retain many of the same meanings they’ve had throughout history. They are considered a classic choice for brides on their wedding day, symbolizing beauty, femininity, and purity. They still have some associations with the moon and lunar energies.
Pearl is one of three birthstones for the month of June, and so astrologically corresponds with the zodiac signs of Gemini and Cancer. It’s easier to find the correspondences between the water sign Cancer and pearls, as Cancer represents the mother, the moon, healing, and the ocean, among other things.
Gemini, on the other hand, is an air sign with few obvious correspondences with the qualities of pearls. However, due to the transformation a pearl goes through, starting as an “irritant” in a mollusk and transforming into a beautiful treasure, there’s an element of duality in the existence of a pearl that aligns with a major theme of Gemini, also known as the sign of the twins.
Due to pearl’s correspondences with the moon, Venus, Cancer, and Gemini, certain parallels can be drawn with the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot card system as well. In the RWS tarot system, the moon corresponds with The High Priestess, Cancer with The Chariot, Gemini with The Lovers, and Venus with The Empress. If you are familiar with the card meanings or feel inclined to investigate, you’ll find that these cards have some overlap with the symbolism of pearls throughout the ages.
In the Vedic chakra system, pearls are generally thought to correspond to the Crown Chakra (Sahasrara) and the Third Eye Chakra (Ajna), due to both chakras’ connections with divine wisdom and higher spirituality. However, other sources speculate that pearl is connected to the Root Chakra (Muladhara) or the Heart Chakra (Anahata).
Pearls have held a place of value and importance that spans cultures and centuries. Interestingly, they seem to have symbolized what some would consider two opposing concepts: spirituality and materialism. In many cases, pearls have symbolized purity, truth, and divine beauty, while in others, they have represented luxury, wealth, opulence, and indulgence. With the advent of cultured pearl technology, which has made pearls more accessible to the public, they have perhaps lost some of the symbolism associated with the latter concept while retaining their associations with truth, purity, beauty, femininity, divinity, and spirituality.
