I made some pearl earrings as consort gifts for Baroness Bessenyei Rozsa, a dear friend of mine in the SCA. I will try to get pics this weekend, if someone wears them, if not, I’ll cheat and make a new pair after we get home. Here’s the documentation I wrote to go with them:
What: The pearls I have decided to use in these earrings are cultured freshwaters as they are the most readily affordable and available form of pearl for the hobby crafter.
Freshwater pearls were found throughout northern Europe, including the British Isles. One of the names of the pearl bearing mollusk is Margaritifera margaritifera (freshwater pearl mussel).
However, actual pearl occurrence is rare in wild mussels. This rarity commanded high prices for pearl jewelry, that today, a single 16” strand could well cost between $500 and $5000. It is said that during the height of the Roman Empire, General Vitellius financed an entire campaign by selling a single pearl earring owned by his mother. (1)
When: Throughout our period, the pearl has been a featured precious jewel. Used time and again as the main feature in jewelry and as accents on clothes, from Empress ;Theodora (6th C Byzantine) to Queen Elizabeth I (16th C English)
Where: Historically, pearls were only discovered from harvesting the wild mollusks and oysters, almost an accidental finding. Today, pearls are found both in oysters (salt water) and mollusks (freshwater), and are farmed, or cultured, in Asia and in a few places on the coasts of the United States. The best quality pearls come from Asia, either China or Japan.
How: Pearls are formed in the mantle of the mollusk (the flesh of the mollusk) just as they are in oysters. Divers retrieve mollusks to harvest the pearls for use in jewelry. Our jewelry today is made with 14kt gold headpins to ‘string’ the pearl, with a loop made at the end to keep it on the leverback earrings of gold plate*.
Why: in antiquity, pearls were a mark of wealth and prestige. Only the very rich could afford even earrings of pearls due to their rarity.
* – base metal content on earrings: most likely brass. (waiting for confirmation)
1-Ward, Fred. “The History of Pearls.” The Perfect Pearl. NOVA. November 4, 2008.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pearl/time.html
2-“An Essay On the History of Cultured Pearls.” A Brief History of Pearls. American Pearl. November 4, 2008. http://www.americanpearl.com/history.html
So, you can see I wrote a very short version of documentation – I tend to write in a fashion that means I think Judges don’t want to take a lot of time over the background information – I give them the basics at a glance, and then, add more later. I hope these go over well.
