Queens and Kings throughout history have revered Pearls...called "The Queen of Gemstones".

For thousands of years, pearls have remained one of the most precious of gems, and natural pearls in large sizes swathed the necks, fingers, crowns and clothing of monarchs and royalty the world over, from ancient Egypt and pre-biblical Persia to Medieval Europe and England.  The crown jewels of every major monarchy in existence include strand upon strand of stunning pearls, crowns, tiaras, dresses and robes sewn with thousands of the gems...and even today, pearls are considered one of the most mysteriously beautiful and beloved of all gemstones in existence!

Queen Elizabeth I was reputed to have collected over 100 miles of pearl strands, in many colors.  Nearly every official portrait of the Queen shows her wearing millions of dollars worth of the gems!

Her mother, Anne Boleyn, also had a love of the gems.

Queen Margharita di Savoy of Italy owned (and wore) some of the finest pearls ever to grace a ballroom.

The Royal Crown of Denmark boasts hundreds of natural baroque and round pearls.

The British Crown Jewels boast some of the most magnificent pearls ever seen.  The British Imperial State Crown (above) contains a number of huge natural pearls.

The Crown of St. Steven is lined with hundreds of baroque pearls.

Pearls are a symbol of serenity and purity, and were invariably a part of all Crowns.  You can toss in a few thousand carats of impressive diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and a couple pounds of solid gold...but the first thing you notice is the glow of beautiful pearls.

Every country used precious pearls as a part of the ceremony of crowning a monarch.  These glowing gems were reputed to bring health to the wearer, and were often even dissolved in wine to be drunk by royalty.  They were an integral part of royal life. 

Today, pearls are available to anyone.  You don't have to be Royalty to possess a lovely strand of pearls.

Of course, you might not manage to find a reasonably-priced pearl the size of a golf ball, but you can find pearls that virtually anyone can afford.  The culturing of saltwater and freshwater pearls made it possible for people without a seven-digit income to afford these precious gems.  And if you find high quality cultured pearls a bit too steep for your wallet, you can always go for the beautiful man-made sea shell pearls that are available every day on eBay, or even for a nice freshwater strand of nearly round pearls. 

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These pretty pearls were purchased on eBay for under $50. 

So if pearls are your passion, go pearl shopping on eBay...but first, check out my pearl guides BEFORE buying, just to make sure you know what you are looking at.

Have fun!