Imperial Beads Used by Ancient Emperors

Whenever pearls are mentioned, people invariably heap upon them countless words of praise. No matter how eloquently they speak, it’s perhaps like drinking water—each person knows for themselves whether it’s warm or cold. Those who truly love will always cherish them, while passersby can only stand by and watch.

There have always been numerous legends about pearls:

(1) The Most Luxurious Pearl

Legend has it that Cleopatra possessed two of the largest pearls in the world at the time, and it’s said their value could have easily sustained the Egyptian people for an entire year.

To teach his extravagant lover a lesson, during a lavish feast he had a servant bring in a golden goblet filled with wine, dipped a rare pearl worth five million into it, and then drained the goblet in one gulp, leaving everyone present utterly astonished. At that very moment, the lover chose to admit defeat and humbly conceded his inferiority.

(2) The Most Sacred Pearl

As an element symbolizing female purity, pearls frequently appear alongside the Virgin Mary in her depictions, highlighting her faith and holiness.

At the time, real pearls were irregular in shape and lacked luster, whereas the pearls depicted in the painting were large and perfectly round, boasting a snow-white, radiant surface. The image below further enhances the Virgin Mary’s perfection by using the flawless pearls as a perfect backdrop.

(3) The Pearl Most Representative of Its Time

More than 500 years ago, during the Renaissance, there was Catherine de' Medici, a French queen consort. Coming from Italy’s most illustrious Medici family, she not only brought exquisite culinary skills and artistic elegance to France but also, along with her marriage into the French royal family, received from the Pope six pearl necklaces and 25 single pearls.

This famous French regent queen of history presented these precious pearls to her daughter-in-law—the future tragic Queen Mary Stuart of England.

Mary became queen before she turned one year old, and at the age of 16, she married Francis II, the son of Queen Catherine. After her husband’s early death, she returned to Scotland, taking with her these pearls and jewels, and assumed full power herself. Later, she was deposed and fled to England, where she attempted unsuccessfully to seize the English throne. Ultimately, she was executed by order of Queen Elizabeth I of England.

She, who had spent her entire life pursuing true sovereignty, ultimately could not escape her fate.

After Queen Mary’s death, Queen Catherine once sent people to retrieve these pearls, which had originally belonged to her—but in vain. The pearls had already fallen into the hands of another English queen—Elizabeth I—who was herself obsessed with pearls and who had also sentenced Mary to death.

Elizabeth I, famously known as the Virgin Queen, could think of no better symbol to underscore her purity and immaculacy than pearls.

Her passionate love for pearls is well known to posterity—almost all of her portraits depict her wearing garments adorned with pearls. It is said that she owned as many as 3,000 pieces of clothing embroidered with pearls. Among them, the pearls she inherited from Queen Mary and passed down through the Medici family became her most treasured possessions.

Europe calls the era when everyone loved pearls the Pearl Age.

(4) The Most Obsessive Pearl

The encyclopedic Roman writer Pliny the Elder, author of the widely circulated "Natural History," described the Roman people's obsession with pearls as follows: "Pearls alone cost the Roman Empire 100 million silver coins each year, which are paid to India, China, and the Arab countries."

(5) The Most Buddhist Pearl

Indians who revered Buddhism discovered the beauty of pearls 4,000 years ago. The nearby Indian Ocean is a bountiful waterscape renowned for producing high-quality pearls—among them, the famed South Sea pearls, which originate right here.

In India, pearls have taken on a deeper Buddhist significance. According to the ancient Indian “Lotus Sutra,” pearls are one of the “Seven Treasures of Buddhism.”

(6) The Emperor’s Pearl

In ancient China, the Chinese emperor began using pearls as early as 6,000 years ago. Probably because pearl mining was extremely difficult, pearls in ancient China were reserved exclusively for emperors and imperial families. From the “mian,” the ceremonial crown worn during grand sacrificial rites, to the crowns and hats donned by emperors and high-ranking officials, and even the “pearl curtains” adorning the halls—everywhere, from clothing to furnishings, pearls were lavishly incorporated into adornments. The sight of opulent splendor and radiant pearls truly captured the essence of this era.

The stories of pearls often revolve around wealth, power, beauty, or vision. Coincidentally, John Steinbeck, the American Nobel laureate in literature, once wrote a novel titled “The Pearl,” which tells the story of how a pearl—a symbol of wealth—brings hope and vision to a poor pearl diver.

The magic of pearls lies in their natural beauty—unlike other jewels, they require no processing. Although advances in technology have continually unveiled the brilliance of gemstones, as the only jewelry that is entirely natural, pearls possess an added touch of spirituality and artistic flair.

The nation is changing, time is changing, and trends are changing—but the timeless beauty of pearls remains unchanged.