About the history and culture of pearls

Since ancient times, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, emeralds and pearls have been hailed as the “five emperors and ones” in the jewelry industry. Pearl is known as the "Queen of Gems" for its beautiful "jewel" and elegant and pure character. Received people's preference. The pearl is indeed like a noble woman, with its noble identity, gorgeous face, elegant manners, and pure character, quietly satisfying the beauty of humanity.

Pearl is also listed as the birthstone of June in the international gemstones (also known as the birthstone of June). It is also a commemorative gift for the thirteenth anniversary and the 30th anniversary of marriage, symbolizing health, purity, prosperity, happiness and longevity.

Pearl is not a natural gem. It is produced in some shells. When some foreign objects enter the shell and cannot be eliminated in time, its cell membrane secretes pearl liquid and continuously wraps foreign foreign matter layer by layer. Get up, grow into beads. Because each time the perlite layer is extremely thin, a pearl will be formed by stacking thousands of layers of pearls, which can be formed after 3-6 years.

The pearls produced by shellfish in seawater are called seawater pearls, which are mainly produced in white butterfly shells and black butterfly shells. The pearls produced in the fresh waters are called freshwater pearls, which are mainly produced in the spinnakers. It should be noted that Not all shellfish can produce pearls.

According to geologists, a large number of shellfish have begun to multiply in the Triassic era 200 million years ago. With shellfish, it is possible to breed pearls.

Pearl is also one of the earliest jewels used by humans. The opening of the Bible, Genesis, records: the Bisson River flowing from the Garden of Eden, "There are pearls and agates there."

As for when and where humans first discovered and used pearls, we have no way to study them. What we can know is that since the moment it was discovered, human beings have loved its natural beauty, not only as a god-given object, but also as a symbol of wealth and luxury. Preference for pearls is the unanimous choice of people of different skin colors in the world.

The history of pearls of different races in the world is as old as their culture. Back to top, the history of natural pearls has been at least for thousands of years.

According to records, the Maldives on the Indian Ocean, the southern coast of India, the Mannar Bay in western Sri Lanka, the Bay of Bengal, the coast of Egypt (the Red Sea), especially the Persian Gulf (including the coasts of the Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the coast of Saudi Arabia) They were once the world's most famous natural pearl producing areas.

The history of pearl mining in places like the Persian Gulf has been at least four thousand years. The Genesis of the Bible records that in the Bieson River flowing from the Garden of Eden, there are "pearls and agates" everywhere.

Egyptians, Persians, and Indians all have a strong interest in pearls. The ancient Romans also had a soft spot for pearls, and they often bought pearls from the Persian Gulf region through various means. Because pearls are rare and expensive, wearing pearls has become a symbol of the status of ancient Rome.

As early as hundreds of years before BC, the nobles of ancient Egypt prevailed in pearl decoration. The Egyptian queens of the ages had great glory with pearls.

Indians’ preference for pearls is something thousands of years ago. The shallow waters of the Indian Ocean in southern India are the origin of high-quality pearls. The Indians knew the luxury of pearls as early as 4,000 years ago. Whether it is a Buddhist classic or an ancient Indian cultural classic, the records of pearls abound. Ancient Indian "Fa Hua Jing" and "Amitabha" recorded that pearl is one of the "four treasures of Buddhism." Today, although ancient Indian pearls are mostly difficult to find, we can still find their past glory from some traces of the legacy. In the city of Vadodara in India, there is still a collection of pearl sashes lined with 100 rows of pearls, which can be said to be worthless.

Western Europeans like pearls are after AD. It is said that after returning from India in the east, an adventurer in Spain wrote with emotion: "Every cemetery can be found in kenes, and temples are decorated with pearls." "There are many pearls, even if there are nine Hundreds of people and three hundred horses can't take them all away."

The arrival of the Western European pearl era was after the fifteenth century. After 1530, many European countries began to legislate for pearls, stipulating that people must wear pearls according to their social status and status. As a result, pearls began to be like other precious gems, becoming a sign of aristocratic men and women to show off their wealth and status. (about pearls)

Pearl composition

The history of pearls and the composition of cultural pearls: the main component is calcium carbonate, accounting for 82-93%. Its crystals are beaded or spear-shaped, arranged vertically in each layer of nacre, forming a radial layer, which forms a flashing rainbow. The pearl color plays a key role. The main component of the pearl is calcium carbonate CaCO3 (about 82-86%), the mineral name is aragonite (also known as vermiculite), the keratin protein accounts for 4-14%, and the water accounts for 2-4%. In addition, it also has dozens of amino acids and 28 kinds of trace elements, among which selenium and tellurium are rare anti-cancer and anti-aging substances.

The color of the pearl: white, mainly bright, bright rose, variegated, etc.; black is mainly gray, bronze, dark blue, blue green, green and other colors. Colored pearls refer to pearls other than white and black, usually blue, in addition to red, purple, light yellow, lilac, and green.

The luster of the pearl: with a faint halo (stun). The natural pearl hardness is 2.5-4.5, and the relative density is 2. 6-2.78. For artificial farmers, the relative density is 2.72-2.78. The pearl is dissolved in acid, and the diluted hydrochloric acid is foamed.

Luminescence and absorption spectrum of pearls: Under the irradiation of ultraviolet long-wave or short-wave, natural pearls fluoresce (bright blue, light yellow, light green, pink, etc.), cultured pearls sometimes fluoresce (same as natural pearls), sometimes not fluorescent .

World distribution of natural pearls

Natural pearls are mainly grown in temperate waters with water depths of about 8-15 meters. It is a bacteria in the sea, tiny substances such as bubbles or gravel enter the mother-of-pearl shell, and after touching the mantle, the mother-of-pearl is stimulated, and the pearl is secreted to enclose the foreign body and grow into a nearly circular spherical pearl. In the international arena, natural pearls are divided into Oriental Pearl and Nanyang Pearl according to their origin.

Oriental Pearl - Oriental Pearl is also commonly used as a synonym for natural pearls. There are two main producing areas:

Persian Gulf Region: Located in the west of Iran, in the Persian Gulf to the east of Saudi Arabia, natural pearls are concentrated in the western part of the Persian Gulf, a shallow sea area in Saudi Arabia. The pearls produced in this area are of good quality, in white, milky white carrier color, accompanied by green halo and strong pearl luster. More than 90% of the medium and fine natural pearls in the annual Paris pearl market come from the region.

Sri Lankan production area: Sri Lankan pearls come from Mannar Bay. The pearls are white or milky white with a green, blue or purple smudge on the carrier color.

South Sea Pearl - The South Sea region includes Myanmar, China, the Philippines and Australia. The natural pearls produced in these areas are called South Sea Pearl. Nanyang beads are large, round and white, with strong pearl luster, also known as "silver light" luster. They are also world famous pearl varieties. Natural pearls are mostly round, with a cross section from the inside and the surface, all of which are superposed with a layer of extremely thin concentric round nacre. The main basis for visual recognition is the following three points:

Color: The body color of natural pearls is mainly white, milky white, pink, and occasionally sees grayish black. It is accompanied by brilliant rosy colors such as rose, blue and green.

Shape structure: natural pearls are more spherical, placed on a carton with a small hole, and the glare flashlight is placed in the carton for transmission. A micro-transparent sphere with uniform structure is seen. Like a nuclear pearl, it has a striped core.

Surface pimples: Pearl is a biological product. There are some papular lesions on the surface of the pearl. Large pimples can be seen by the naked eye as raised blisters, small papules gently rubbed with teeth, or two small The beads are facing the friction and have a distinct sense of sand.

Type of pearl

Nanyang cultured pearls - extraordinary beauty and light. Known as the pearl, Nanyang Pearl is native to the northern seas of Australia, the Philippines and Indonesia. It is unique in size and generally has a diameter of 10 to 20 mm. It is a heavyweight pearl, extremely precious and valuable. The color is pure pink, charming silver to noble gold, and many people with high taste requirements will love her.

Tahitian pearls - unfathomable mystery and temptation. She comes from the atolls and coral islands of the South Pacific Ocean. The Tahitian pearls not only contain the mystery of the deep sea, but also have the fascinating light of the faint rainbow. Most of the Tahitian pearls are water-drop type, and the lines are more unique than the general round. The diameter ranges from 10 mm to 15 mm. The color choices are generally pure black, dark gray and silver, and the most unique colors are dazzling. The malachite green is precious.

Japanese cultured pearls - classic boutique shines. Japanese cultured pearls are always cultured pearls in the classic varieties, are round or oval, with diameters ranging from 2-10 mm, originating in southwestern Japan and China. It has all to tune with pink, white, cream and silver-blue costume Miss Yu Renhe upon whom shines.

Chinese freshwater pearls – the shape and tone are ever-changing. With its traditional techniques and expertise, China has re-raised freshwater pearls in the rivers and tributaries of the Yangtze River in recent years, and has developed different shapes: round, oval, button, drop and irregular. The colors are pure white, orange and rose, offering different choices and personal tastes.

"Pearl of the Pearl" - China

No matter from which point of view, China can be well-deserved as the "Pearl of the Pearl."

The history and culture of pearls The history of pearls in China began in the era of the sacred 6,000 years ago. According to the "History of the Sea", about 4,000 years before the BC, one of the five emperors of the Chinese legend, Daxie, "South China Sea Fish and Grass, Pearls and Big Bo" was a tribute. According to the analysis of the living area of ​​Daxie, the South China Sea at that time should be in today's Jiangnan area, the Zhuji and Zhuji homophonic, today's pearl town Zhuji, perhaps the earliest beading area in the written record.

According to "Shang Shu? "Gonggong" contains the cloud: "Zhugong, but the five colors of the earth, the feathers of the summer, the scorpion of the scorpion, the scorpion of the scorpion, the scorpion scorpion, the scorpionfish, the squid."

In the more than a thousand years since then, the records about pearls have been passed down through, and the later books of the Book of Songs, Shan Hai Jing, Er Ya, Guan Zi, Zhou Yi, etc. description.

According to "German mirror original? According to the Makeup Table, Zhou Wenwang used to decorate the hair with pearls. This at least shows that the recorded history of the Chinese people using pearls can be traced back to the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty.

Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, pearl jewelry has been rapidly popularized. The emperor will be proud of the pearls and the nobles, so the pearl-catching industry has begun to rise. Many fishermen even make a living by catching beads. The Han Dynasty began to distinguish the Pearl District, which divided the pearl production into the north and the south. The northland is represented by the freshwater pearls of Mudanjiang, Chaotongjiang and Jingbohu in the northeast. The history is called Beizhu. The southern land is represented by the seawater pearls produced in the Beibu Gulf of Hepu, Guangxi.

History of North Pearl

Beizhu is a freshwater pearl, mainly produced in the freshwater rivers of Jilin and Heilongjiang in northeastern China. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, Changshu Xu Lan once fought in Jilin, Heilongjiang and other places, and witnessed the mining of Beizhu. He read "The Six Songs" and wrote in "The Preface of the Pearls": "The Pearls of Lingnan Beihai" It’s not as good as the color of the North Pearl.

The North Pearl that Xu Lan said was eventually extinct because of the indiscriminate use of people. But before the Qing dynasty, Beizhu had always been a tribute to the dynasties of the dynasties. Beizhu was once produced in the three northeastern provinces, and the best quality was produced in the Songhua River, Nenjiang River and Aihe River. Then there is Mudanjiang. Because of the beauty of the beads, it has always been known as the “Pearl River”.

The history of the beading of Beizhu can be traced back to the post-Han, almost at the same time as the "Hepu Zhuhui" contained in the "Han Han Shu". As early as the Three Kingdoms period, people knew that the United States and the United States were mostly from the country of Fu, and that the country was the Northeast. In Liao, the small country iron used to use pearls, suede and other items and Liao country barter trade. After that, Bohai State also tribute to the Han Dynasty with pearls. In the Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Shenzong, during the Ning Dynasty, "the Chaogui has been re-emphasized, and it is called the North Pearl." According to the "Buddhist Collection", it is recorded: "Upper Mudanjiang River, Ning'an City South, the rest of the giant stream."

Beizhu granules are large, the color is yellow, fresh and round, and the crystal is dazzling. "The products of Shiyuan wins the South and North Seas", so they are greatly loved by the royal family.

The history of the mining of Beizhu reached its peak in the Qing Dynasty. The northeast is the hometown of Manchu, and Beizhu is the hometown of Baozhu, which is favored by the nobles. In order to meet the supply, the royal family specially set up a special organization - Zhu Xuan - to manage the beads. Zhuxuan has a bead cabinet in the production area, responsible for the management and acquisition of pearls. The bead cabinet is administratively attached to the local chief executive, and is directly assigned to Zhu Xuan in business.

The Qing Dynasty once set up a gate in Ula, Jilin, and set up officials to specialize in the pearl industry. From April to September each year, the general manager sends people to catch fish along the Songhua River basin. When the water is deep, the trapper inserts the bottom of the water with a large rod and holds the rod down. After taking out the water, under the supervision of the pearling officer, peeling off the shell and checking whether there are pearls, it is often impossible to obtain one. The difficulty, the preciousness of the pearl.

The pearls to be collected shall be sealed and sealed under the supervision of the officials of the pearls. They shall be selected by the general manager and the garrison chiefs. The granules shall be invited to the court, and the small particles shall be abandoned. Anyone shall not keep it privately. The imperial court rewards those who have received the big beads. The rewards are often based on the color of the beads, or the silk is converted into silver. If you are a guilty person, you can reduce the penalty. The governor of Jilin often reported the incident of the pearl directly to the court. In April, the winner of the beating was that the catcher had already set off. In September, the number of pearls was captured. The Qing court often puts these hard-won North Pearls on the top of the princes at all levels. The size of the beads and the number of them represent the level of their status.

"The earth is clear and clear, and the light and the culverts are effective." The status of the North Pearl, we can see from the above verses of the Emperor Qianlong.

History of Nanzhu

Nanzhu is a seawater pearl, historically rich in the Beibu Gulf waters of Hepu County, Guangxi. Here, the wind and waves are small, and the water is stimulating, salty and light, moderate in water quality, and suitable in water temperature, which is especially suitable for the reproduction of mother-of-pearl. In ancient times, there were seven large pearl pools such as Bailong, Yangmei, Qingying, Pingjiang, Shuwang, Wumu and Zhusha.

Hepu pearls have been valued by the royal family throughout the ages, and they are tribute to the royal family. In the Han Dynasty, there were thousands of people in Hepu who made a living by collecting pearls. "Han Hanshu? "Meng Taste" has recorded a legend of "Hepu Zhushui". The authenticity of the story can be questioned, but what we have no doubt about is the degree of prosperity of the pearl industry at that time.

In the three years of Jin Taikang (218 years), in order to ensure the supply of royal jewellery, Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty specially squatted and sent troops to guard the Lianzhou Zhuchi, and strictly prevented the people from entering the sea by themselves. The issue of pearl mining must be uniformly deployed by the government.

The Ming Dynasty was the peak of the Chinese pearls in history. Emperors of the Ming Dynasty have adopted the order of the Pearl, only Ming Hongzhi for 12 years, that is, 28,000 pearls. Due to the annual mining, to Jiajing for 5 years, because the beads are small and young, the pearls can not harvest the beads, and most of them die of hunger. At that time, the governor was Yu Shilin Fushang, and he said: "Jiajing's 5 years of pearling campaign, the deceased, and only 80 two, the world said that people are easy to be, I am afraid today Yi Zhu is not available."

After the history and culture of the pearls, the Hepu Pearl Pond has been the key jurisdiction of the royal family. During the Jiajing Period of Ming Dynasty, Pearl City was established in Bailong Village, Hepu County. At present, most of the pearls displayed in the Palace Museum are produced by Hepu.

The indiscriminate use of the past has caused Nanzhu to suffer heavy losses, and the resources of Nanzhu finally dried up in the late Qing Dynasty.

Pearl and culture beads

The aristocratic greed of the nobles quickly dried up the pearl resources. In the middle and late eighteenth century, the resources of the mother-of-pearl in Sri Lanka, the world's pearl-producing resort, have been nearly exhausted. There are fewer and fewer natural pearls along the Persian Gulf. The output of pearls is rapidly declining, prices are skyrocketing, and the finest pearls even exceed the world's finest diamonds. the price of. European powers even listed pearls as one of the key plunder resources.

The mitigation of the Pearl crisis benefited from a Japanese named Mikimoto Yuki.

This major revolution in the history of pearls occurred in the 1980s in the 19th century. Before this, the pearls are all natural, the pearls are not easy, and the pearls are more difficult, so that the pearls are precious. Even if they are noble, it is not easy to find a pearl. If you can find the best pearls, Fortunately in life. Japanese Mikimoto Yuki, who has studied pearls, began to use and improve an ancient Chinese technique, began to artificially culture pearl mothers, and successfully cultivated artificially cultured pearls, thereby pushing the pearl industry from natural pearls to modern mass production. Breeding.

Therefore, we can say that the history of pearls can be divided into two stages, one is the stage of pearl mining that lasted for thousands of years before the 19th century, and the other is the stage of the cultivation of pearls initiated by Yukimoto Yuki.

In fact, giving this huge honor to the Japanese is indeed a sorrow for the Chinese. Turning history books, we can easily find that China should be the earliest country in the world to test the artificial cultured pearls.

This breeding technique that the Japanese are proud of has matured in the Song Dynasty in China. In the "Wenchang Miscellaneous Record" written by Pang Yuanying of the Song Dynasty in 1167, we can see the following record: "The ritual minister, Xie Gongxuan, has a cultured pearl method, and the fake beads that are made today are chosen to be light and round. Daxie, soaked in clear water, feed its mouth, eager to vote with the bead, change the water for the night, set the moon in the middle of the night, and come to play the moon, this is the pearl in the autumn."

In the 12th century, Chinese pearl farming techniques have matured, even from general pearl farming to shaped pearl farming. The cultured pearls generally colonize the bodhisattva nucleus of lead or tin into the mother-of-pearl and put it into the water for cultivation. After 1-2 years, the cultivating pearls remove the shellfish from the water and then remove the buddha beads from the shellfish. .

According to historical records, such a Buddha's image beads, because of their natural beauty and the promotion of religion, can be said to be value-for-money, bringing great commercial success to the cultured pearl people. These Buddha beads have been passed down from generation to generation and can still be seen in some museums in China. Although the history book does not specify this farming method in detail, we can still infer from the facts of the existing Buddha beads and the relevant records in Wenchang Miscellaneous that the popular cultured pearl method is different from the modern farming method. Few.

Mikimoto Yuki

This method of farming that was gradually forgotten by the Chinese after the Song has become the cornerstone of Japanese success. Obviously, Mikimoto Yuki is a very thoughtful and diligent person. He apparently saw the record of this method from the historical materials, and apparently obtained the shackles of raising pearls from Chinese pearl farmers. He continued to experiment in Japan, putting different substances into the carcass to form different stimuli, and finally produced different kinds of pearls.

In 1883, Mikimoto Yukiji successfully overcame the semicircular button beads by overcoming the interference of water pollution and red tide. In 1905, when the large red tide in the seawater destroyed the 90,000 mother-of-pearls of Mikimoto Yuki, he was unexpectedly found a wound on the shellfish body, and he used a knife to find a wound. Semi-circular pearls. He quickly inspected the other mother-of-pearl and found four identical pearls, and the wound was almost in the same area - the mantle.

This discovery made Yukimoto Yukiji happy, because this is the ball culture technique that he has been thinking for many years and can not be said. It is "there is no need to break through the iron shoes, and it takes no effort."

Since then, the Japanese pearl industry has prospered rapidly, and Japanese pearls have begun to enter the world jewelry stage, which has greatly eased the increasingly serious world pearl crisis and popularized the precious and precious pearl, which was previously precious. It will become the special favorite of the nobles, but become the ordinary decoration of ordinary people.

In 1920, the Japanese used Mikimoto Yukiyoshi as the "father of raising pearls" and the Japanese emperor gave him a cane to show his achievements.

The birth of Venus

What we can imagine is that when humans first discovered crystal clear and radiant pearls from the clam shell, they could hardly believe that such treasures came from such mediocre shellfish. They regard it as a godsend and a god. They guarded the pearls and loved them, and they made a lot of stories and legends.

The ancient Hebrews believed that pearls were used by God to embellish the Garden of Eden. The pearl of the Indians' imagination is the morning dew, which is the deity of the gods to deceive the world. In Rome, the pearl is connected to the beautiful god Venus. During the Renaissance, the famous painter Botticelli in the painting "The Birth of Venus" put the goddess on a huge bay leaf, slowly coming out from the bottom of the water, and the goddess shakes off the water droplets to form a grain. Grain pearls, white and flawless, crystal clear. The Danes dragged the pearls together with the mermaid. The mermaid missed the prince and couldn't help it. The tears and the love of the priests were preserved. The time was long, and the tears turned into pearls.

Pearl shot

In China, the hometown of pearls, the legend about the birth of pearls is even more numerous.

In Zhuji, Zhejiang, which is known as the hometown of pearls, the pearls are integrated with the ancient Chinese beauty Xi Shi. Since ancient times, there has been a legend of "Pearl Shooting Pregnancy".

The story says that the moon goddess has a huge pearl. She cherishes it very much, often with her, and only keeps the golden rooster guard when she goes out. One day, Yan and Wu Gang slipped into the private osmanthus tree and left the pearl to the colorful golden chicken. The Golden Rooster will throw the pearls away and play them like usual. It is also a matter of the day, the golden rooster has fun, and the result is too strong. The pearl pops up in the moon palace, falls straight into the clouds, and falls into the crepe stream of Zhuji, Zhejiang. The golden rooster was shocked and fluttered out of the moon palace and chased it out. Unexpectedly, this pearl was originally spiritual. Seeing the scenery of this place is fascinating, far better than the cold moon palace, she refused to go back. Seeing the golden rooster chasing, the pearl has nowhere to escape, and suddenly there is a woman crepe on the stream. It is in a hurry and suddenly jumps out of the water and flies straight into the woman's mouth. Jinji flew, standing on the top of the hill of Dill, how could not find the pearl, had to call a few times, and was sentenced to the palace. When the woman returned home, she immediately became pregnant and gave birth to a woman after 16 months. It was Shih Tzu in history.

Whore tears

The story of Shih Tzu and Pearl is probably the most beautiful imagination of the ancients on freshwater pearls. As for seawater pearls, there is another legend.

It is said that there are prostitutes living in the South China Sea. They are good at weaving a crepe that is as thin as a flap and slippery. The fairs of prostitutes are called the maritime market, which is what people usually call mirages. Prostitutes often exchange products in the sea market. If humans put on the clothes made by 鲛绡, they can walk into the mirage and enjoy the fun with the prostitute.

Legend has it that the prostitute is the servant of the moon goddess, because he did the wrong thing and gave it to the sea. On the full moon night, they often stand on the top of the rock, looking at the moon, tears in tears, and the tears that fall are pearls. In the face of such a beautiful legend, the Tang Dynasty poet Li Shangyin felt his feelings and wrote down the famous sayings of the ages: "The moon in the moon is tearful, and the blue sky is warm and jade."

Pearl of Minhou

In the history of China, there are two treasures that are often contested by the dignitaries. One is the "Hey's shackles" and the other is "The Pearl of Minhou".

Perhaps the most touching story about pearls is the "beads of the princes." "Han Feizi" records: "The shackles of Heshi, not decorated with five mining; the beads of princes, not decorated with silver, its quality is not good enough to decorate." In "Lu Shi Chun Qiu", the "Beads and Balls" is also used as a metaphor for the use of large materials. It can be seen that the beads of Minhou have been widely spread in ancient times.

Legend has it that when the Warring States Period was in the Western Zhou Dynasty (the land was in the area of ​​Hubei today), when they went out to patrol the land, they went to the slag water on a day, and suddenly there was a huge body on the hillside that was stabbed and dying. Minhou looked at the giant clam, and the heart of the concealed heart moved, and he used his hand to cure the wound. After the smashing of the giant python, the horse was turned around three times around the Houhou carriage.

When Minhou came out of the patrol, when he walked to the slag water, he saw a few children blocking the road and offering beads. Minhou asked the reason carefully, and the children just did not say that Minhou refused to accept it. In the second year, Minhou once again patrolled the slag water, suddenly dreaming of the boy who had stopped the road, saying that he was the injured giant python, and he was deeply impressed by his life-saving grace, but he did not think that he would be crowned with a pearl. Offer it, hope that he will be accommodated. When Ikeke woke up, I saw that there was a rare pearl around me, so I was very surprised, so I took it with me.

"The Pearl of Minhou" reflects the Chinese concept of "knowing the truth". Imagine a python still knowing how to report, let alone people?

Here, we can see that the ancient Chinese have combined the pearls of wealth with the morality of human beings, thus making the pearls glow with a humanity.

Cut stock

The most touching story of the pearl's spirituality is the "cutting of the Tibetan beads." It is said that an emperor of the Jin Dynasty loved pearls. He heard that the sea of ​​the South China Sea was shining, and it was known as Baozhu. He sent eunuchs to sit in the Pearl City of Hepu, Guangxi, and sent troops to force the pearls to capture the sea.

The illuminating thing is the beloved pearl of the Dragon King Qianjin Princess. It is the treasure of the South China Sea. There are two evil sharks guarding, and many people are killed by the Pearl People. Without catching the beads, the eunuchs were severely tortured and many of the pearl people were forced to die. The local Zhumin Haisheng is also in the list of applications, only to risk the death of the sea. In order to save the pearl people in the water and fire, Haisheng went to the place where Baozhu shined, and when he was fighting with the shark, he was seriously injured.

Coincidentally, the princess was playing at the edge of the stone at this time, just to see the dying sea. Seeing the death of the sea, the princess rushed to get rid of the shark and put the sea on the top stone. When Haisheng woke up, the princess asked him why he had ventured here. Hai Shengyu elaborated on the situation of the Zhu people. The princess was moved abnormally. To save the pearls, he took out the orbs and gave them to Haisheng.

The eunuch got a great joy, and when he reported to the emperor, he wrapped it tightly with a red cloth, locked it into the sandalwood box, and sent the heavy soldiers back to the capital. However, the eunuch did not walk for dozens of miles, and suddenly saw a silver light across the sandalwood box. The eunuch stunned and opened the bead box and found that the pearl had disappeared. The eunuch was shocked and rushed back to Zhucheng overnight, and then forced Haisheng to take the sea to take the beads. Haisheng refused, and the eunuchs tied up the other pearls and threatened to throw them into the sea if they could not get the beads. Haisheng had no choice but to go to the deep sea and ask the sea princess for help. The princess once again offered beads. The eunuch got the pearl and let go of the pearl people, but there was no way to safely send away the Baozhu. An old man offered to let him "cut the stock", the eunuch's eyes lit up, when the stock was cut open, stuffed into the pearl, and soon after the wound healed, he immediately set off.

However, the eunuch is still unable to take the orb. In the first place where the pearl was lost, it was a white light, and the pearl returned to the sea. The eunuch was terrified, knowing that he was going to die, and he had to go to Zhucheng, but he saw that the pearl people had already escaped. The eunuch sighed and committed suicide in the face of the sea. There is a pile of loess outside Hepu Pearl City, which is said to be the burial place of the eunuch.

This story is full of twists and turns, fully showing the relationship between people and beads. In the era of "Easy people are easy to be", the royal imperial beads, the pearl people play for life, a pearl for a life, the pearls drop blood. A history of pearl mining is actually a history of blood and tears of a pearl.

However, the legend is legendary, and the "cutting of the Tibetan beads" is indeed recorded. According to the collection of "Different Records", during the Kaiyuan reign of the Tang Dynasty, Situ Li Wei rescued a dying old Persian in Fuyang. The old man cut his thighs at the end of his life and took a huge pearl from it to Li Wei, saying that this was The Persian royal family was treasured, and it was worthless. It was suddenly stolen in one day. The Persian King kneels, who can find the Orb, and who will be given the title of the Duke, and will be rich and prosperous for life. How many people spare no effort to find this bead, the old man has to work hard to get it. Although I am getting a bead today, I am afraid that I will fall into this difficult situation. I think it should not be rich in my life. It has been a long time since the birth of the world, and it has been praised by Situ, and there is no reason to report it.

"Guangyi Ji" also recorded that another Persian lived in an inn, bidding for two thousand to buy a boulder in front of the owner, and after the gravel, got a big bead. The Persians took the knife and cut open the armpits, and stuffed the beads into the back.

It seems that the slashing of Tibetan beads is a unique treasure trove of Persians. Think about it too, the Persians traveled thousands of miles, and their hometowns met with treasures. If they were carried by ordinary law, it is very likely that they would have both money and money. Although the slashing of the Tibetan beads is inevitable, it is not a pain, but there is no worry about losing its life.

Pearl gives the king a boost

Since the first day of human discovery, pearls have become the world's treasures for the elites to compete for with their rare beauty, rare moistness, noble character and magical effect. Throughout the ages, having pearls is a luxury for everyone. The possession of rare pearls is a symbol of successful people. This is because pearls are closely related to wealth. If you have pearls, you have wealth. If you have wealth, you have social status and honor.

In the era of the kingship, the pearl has only one function, which is to give the king a boost.

In ancient Rome, pearls were the identity of the upper class. The level of aristocracy depends on the number, size and texture of the pearls. In medieval France, pearls were branded with class, and only those with aristocratic status could wear them. Ordinary people of the people would be blessed, even if you have enough money to buy them. In the Elizabethan era of the United Kingdom, pearls became a special product of the royal family. In order to achieve the purpose of monopolizing the pearl, the royal family even did not hesitate to legislate to limit the wearing of the people. In 1612, the British royal family ruled that in addition to the king's outdoor, the general aristocrats, experts, scholars, doctors and their ladies must not wear costumes with gold, silver and pearls, and they should not be used in other decorations.

Such a provision is unique in the history of world jewellery.

Dr. Han wrote: "Fozhuyu gold and silver, hunger is not edible, cold can not be clothed, but the people who are expensive, the above is also used."

It is the emperor. Then, why should "use" "use" this "hunger and inedible" thing? Because they are precious, especially pearls, as a godsend, they are hard to come by, so they are placed in front of gold and jade as a symbol of wealth.

As a pearl that is more precious than gold, it has always been the special favorite of the king, and it is the treasure that they deliberately pursue. "Mozi" thinks: "The shackles of Heshi, the pearl of luminous, three different spines, the treasures of this prince also."

For the former royals and scholars, the main role of pearls is to decorate and show off. Most of them use pearls to decorate crowns, jewellery, car rides, or for funeral, etc., as a symbol of honor and status.

"If there is a good one, there will be awkwardness." The royal family loves pearls, and the natural world is eagerly awaited. "The rich are proud of more pearls, and the poor are ashamed of no pearls." .

According to the records of the "Lian Xian Chuan", Lu Gao, the wife of Han Gaozu, used the five hundred gold to buy the "three-inch big pearl" from the Huiji bead dealer, which was regarded as the treasure. After the Luyuan princess heard it, he immediately purchased one of the seven hundred gold. "Four inches of big beads", and Lu Hou compete.

"Han Shu" records that in all treasures, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty favored the pearls, "making people into the sea, the moon is more than two inches in the Ming Dynasty," and "a few inches from the river, the Ming Yao is peerless."

The "Han Han Shu" records that the curtains on the car of the Emperor Xiaoming were strung together with pearls. The emperor's cockroaches were twelve squats, all made of pearls. The dresses worn by the Empress Dowager, Empress and Princess, and the Emperor Taiji Temple are all decorated with pearls. Gongqing Lihou and his wife are decorated with pearls, but the number of beads and the size of the beads are clearly defined.

In the dynasties of Chinese dynasties, the most occupied pearls were emperors and monks, followed by nobles and rich families. According to historical records, when the Ming Tai Shi Yan was ransacked, the wealth copied from his treasure house was staggering. As for gold and silver jewellery, there were as many as 159 pairs, counting 1,803 pieces, and there were pearl crowns, pearl headbands, etc. There are dozens of pieces, each one is a piece of treasure.

Beads and nine products

In terms of the quality and value of the beads, the ancient Chinese also formed their own judging system.

"Nan Yue Zhi" believes that there are nine pearls, and the diameter of five to one inch is "big product"; one side is flat, and the other side is like an inverted iron pot (over the kettle), which is also a treasure; it is also a treasure; The sliding beads are waiting for foreign products.

"Tiangong Kaiwu" believes that the diameter of five points to one inch and five points is "big product", the luster is slightly gold-plated for "beads", worth one thousand gold.

"Guangdong Xinyu" said that the "big and slightly flat" "South Pearl of the Pearl" is ranked second only to the big bead, the bead is full, the color is silver, the light is not silky. . The grades are divided by weight. Each "one point is six for the silver and two for the forty." Poor pearls, "two points of heavy value of silver only four down", eight hundred weight one or two called "eight hundred children", the value of silver is ten; one thousand one weight two is called "Zhengqian "The value of silver is only eight."

Cixi and pearl

For the Empress Dowager of the Qing Dynasty, no matter how expensive the price of pearls is, it is impossible to shake her heart of love.

The Empress Dowager Cixi took the government for 48 years, during which she collected countless treasures from the world, and the number of pearls was even more numerous. She is a treasure of ancient antiquity, she loves pearls, and after her death, she is often buried with pearls.

According to the "Love Moon Xuan Notes", before the corpse of Cixi was put into the raft, a layer of koi inlaid with a bead was placed on the bottom of the scorpion. There were 12,604 pearls, 85 red sapphires, 2 emeralds, tourmaline and white jade 203. Block; a silk crepe embroidered with lotus flowers, and 2,400 beads of five-point beads. Wearing a multi-layered shroud on the body, only two pieces of gold rust flower coat and outer cover embroidered beaded enamel, that is, 420 capsules of large beads, 1000 capsules of medium beads, 1500 beads of beads, and 1135 stones. In addition, Cixi is wearing two hanging beads and various accessories on the chest, using 800 beads and 35 stones. The body is covered with 820 beads, the crown on the head, a giant egg like a chicken egg in the crown, weighing 4 grams and 125 grams, worth 20 million two silver, is a rare treasure.

In addition, Cixi mouth also contains a night pearl, worthless.

However, these rare pearls have not failed to bring peace to the soul of Cixi, but have become the bane of her uneasy sleep. In 1929, Feng Yuxiang's ministry ordered Sun Dianying to rob the tomb, creating a Dongling robbery that shocked China and foreign countries, and almost stripped the Western Queen Mother, who was alive before. According to relevant reports, the tomb thief found that there were only 2,640,000 pearls.

As for the fate of these jewels, it is quite different from the wishful thinking of Cixi's life, because most of them have been scattered around the world and become the first choice for all kinds of people in the society. Others don't say that the giant pearl that is decorated on her phoenix crown can write a legend.

According to the "Nihon Keizai Shimbun" reported on February 10, 1993, a natural pearl that was unknown to the past has appeared in Japan for the first time to participate in the 100th anniversary of the successful breeding of pearls. This large pearl weighs about 114 grams and is called "Asian Star". It is said to be the one on the crown of Cixi. It is said that it was produced in the Persian Gulf in about 400 years. It has become the royal plaything of the Mughal Empire of India and the Persian Empire. Finally, it was brought to the cemetery by the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty.

Pearl relic building

History and Culture of Pearls A pearl relic building discovered in a northern Song Dynasty pagoda in 1978 is a miracle of humanity built by ancient Chinese people with pearls. Baozhu is a special utensil used by Buddhists to store relics. It consists of three parts: the bottom, the building, and the brake. This collection of Song Dynasty preserved for more than a thousand years, about 122 cm high, 32,000 pearls, the pieces are connected by gold and silver thread, exquisite and brilliant, brilliant and crystal clear. The overall design is even more exquisite, and it is a treasure in the world.

In addition, it is equipped with a jewel stupa adorned with 1,200 pearls, a variety of basins composed of more than 400 pearls, such as plum blossoms, Penglai fairyland and so on. Today, in the Forbidden City in Beijing, there is also a pearl pagoda, which is about 1.3 meters high. There are more than 1,000 beads in the tower umbrella, and 293 giant beads are used in the top of the tower, the tower belly and the tower gate. The value is difficult to count.

Egyptian Queen's Earrings

The more expensive pearl should be the earrings of the ancient Egyptian queen Cleopatra. On each of the two earrings, each is decorated with a huge pearl. We have no evidence of the weight of the two pearls, but their value can be calculated. According to the history book, if one of the two earrings is sold, the money will be enough for all the Egyptians at that time to eat for one year.

King of pearls

However, compared to "Balawangzhu", all these pearls are nothing but frogs at the bottom of the well. The world's largest natural pearl weighs 6.35 kilograms and is about 23 centimeters in diameter. It is produced in the Balawan Sea in the Philippines and is therefore given the name "Balawangzhu". Because it is also the largest pearl discovered by humans so far, it is also named "Lao Zizhu", "The Pearl of Allah" and so on.

The history and culture of pearls There is also a story about the origin of this giant bead. Legend has it that it appeared on May 7th, 1934. On that day, in the Balawan Sea of ​​the Philippines, a group of indigenous Daya people were fishing. Suddenly, the chief’s son shouted and sank into the sea. The fishermen struggled to save each other and pulled the young man out of the water. He found that together with the water, it was a giant clam.

The drowning person has died, and the giant scorpion has been removed from the water and found to weigh up to 250 pounds. After opening it, people were surprised to find that there was a huge pearl hidden inside.

In 1936, the American archaeologist Cobb came to the archaeological area of ​​the Balawan region. In the chief's home, he found that the other son of the chief was seriously ill and took the medicine to cure it. The chieftain gave him this wonderful ball to thank him for his great grace.

Cobb brought the big beads to the United States for a big price. Later, the bead was sold back and fell into the hands of jeweler Hoffman in 1980 for a purchase price of $200,000, which he treasured in a bank in San Francisco. It is said that this bead is now estimated at about $32 million, which is arguably the best in the Pearl.

Pearl and beauty are twin sisters

Pearls are inseparable from beauty. We can say that beauty is a special gift given to the pearl by God. Although Jinyu is a treasure, if it is not refined and polished, there is no beauty. Without beauty, they are naturally worthless. The pearls are different.它天生丽质，一经发现，根本无须任何加工制作，因而才给人们视作上天的恩赐，受到人们的由衷喜爱。

珍珠的历史与文化古往今来，珍珠一直被用以对美的装饰，满足人类的爱美之心。

珍珠用作首饰

首饰一直是珍珠的重要用途之一，许多名贵的珍珠，首先给人们用来装饰脑袋。在世界上排名第六的金冠珍珠，重85克，就是给镶在金冠之上的，现藏于大英博物馆中。

在中国，早在西周时期，周文王就用珍珠装饰发髻，应该是已知有文字记载的最早头饰。隋时宫人戴一种名叫“通天叫”的帽子，上面插着琵琶钿，垂着珍珠。古诗里“昨日官家清宴里，御罗清帽插珠花”，指的就是这样的帽子。白居易也在《长恨歌》里写道：“花钿委地无人收，翠翅金雀玉搔头”。

博物馆中现今收藏的明代万历年间殉葬品中有两顶凤冠，上面装饰有5000余颗大小不等的珍珠。清代皇后的夏朝冠、后妃头上的钿口、面簪、帽罩、头簪等首饰，上面都有珍珠。刘銮在《五石瓠》中说道：“明朝皇后一珠冠，费资六十万金，珠之大者每颗金八分。”

珍珠头饰一直是后宫佳丽、公子王孙们的最爱。即使在今天，用珍珠作头饰，仍然是女士们的首选。

珍珠用作服饰

珍珠用于服饰，一直受到权贵们的宠爱。

《汉书？霍光传》记载：“太后被珠襦盛服，坐武帐中。”珠襦就是用珍珠缀成的短袄，是当时贵人们的穿着。皇帝的朝服，更是镶满珍珠。在故宫博物馆里收藏的珍珠中，就有一件皇帝的礼服，上面挂着数串垂在胸前的装饰朝珠，每挂用珠108颗。按照当时的规制，皇子和其他贵族官员在穿着朝服和吉服时，也挂珍珠，但不能用东珠。

用珍珠装饰服装的典型是乾隆的龙袍（18世纪）。龙袍在石青色的缎面上有着五彩刺绣，尔后用米珠、珊瑚串成龙、蝠、鹤等花纹，极其华贵。

如前所述，慈禧更是爱珠者。据说，在她的一件寿袍上，共绣有数十个寿字，每个寿字中缀着一颗巨型珍珠，远近观之，真正是璀灿夺目，巧夺天工。

珍珠用作履饰

用珍珠饰鞋，可见于《史记》。《史记》载，“春申君客三千人，其上客皆蹑珠履”；《战国策》也载“春申君上客三千，皆蹑珠履”。

另外，《晏子春秋》记载：“景公为履，黄金之綦，饰以银，连以珠”。李白在《寄韦南陵冰》一诗中也写道，“堂上三千珠履客，瓮中百斛金陵春。”

所有这些记载，到慈禧脚上，显然是小巫见大巫。在她的凤鞋上，虽然到处都是珍宝，但慈禧最爱的，仍然是珍珠。据记载，慈禧认为，珍珠是最适于凤鞋的饰物。因而，不管哪一双凤鞋，她都要让人镶上珍珠，最多的鞋面上据说镶有珍珠近四百颗，绣成各种纹案，庸荣华贵。

珍珠用作物饰

珍珠还可以被人们用以装饰器物，称之为物饰。这类器物有保存至今的，个个都是国宝。最早的宝饰见于古城苏州西南隅的瑞光古塔。该塔始建于三国时代，距今已1700多年。1978年，人们在塔中发现了北宋时期的一座真珠舍利宝幢，上面镶缀着32000粒珍珠，可以说粒粒是宝。

古人常将珍珠串成珠帘。《盐铁论》记载：汉武帝建光明殿时，“皆金玉珠玑为帘箔，处处明月珠，金陛玉阶，昼夜光明”。

《晋书》记载：“苻坚自平诸国之后，国内殷实，逐示人以侈，悬珠帘于正殿，以朝群臣”。

古代一些著名诗人的诗作中也多次写到珠帘。唐代王昌龄在《西宫春怨》中写道：“西宫夜静百花香，欲卷珠帘春恨长”；杜牧在《赠别二首》也写道：“春风十里扬州路，卷上珠帘总不如”；晚唐诗人李商隐在《宫妓》一诗也有“珠箔（即珠帘）轻明拂玉墀”之句；再有就是李白的“美人卷珠帘，深坐颦娥眉”，白居易的“珠箔银屏迤逦开”，苏轼的“醉归扶路人应笑，十里珠帘半上钩”等。

这些诗句说明，当时悬挂珠帘已相当普遍。

除珠帘外，还有珠栊，即窗棂，上面往往镶嵌着珍珠。鲍昭在《玩月城西门廨》一诗中说：“峨眉蔽珠栊，玉钩隔琐窗”。

更有甚者，还有用珍珠装饰殿庭的，譬如说南汉的刘氏朝廷。据《岭南丛述》记载，刘氏朝廷上，“殿宇梁帘箔率以珠饰，穷极华丽”。

珍珠是女性的最爱

珍珠是用来装饰美丽的。古往今来，珍珠一直是女性的最爱。从异域权势显赫的古埃及女王，到古罗马时代风情万种的高贵妇人，可以说个个都是爱珠者。据记载，古罗马的女人们一直将珍珠视作吉祥、如意、富贵、典雅的象征，她们爱珠如命，甚至在睡觉时也不肯摘下。

英国王室的女士们，尤以伊丽莎白女王对珍珠最为偏好，甚至为独占珍珠，已经达到心胸狭隘的地步，特别立法以限定他人拥有珍珠。此后的历代女王或王妃，都有偏爱珍珠的习惯。前不久死于车祸的英王妃戴安娜，也承袭了前任王妃的这一嗜好，对珍珠有着独特的品味与感受。不管在任何场合，她的身上总是珠光闪闪。

中国的历代王妃，大都与珍珠有着不解之缘。从西施到飞燕，从武则天到杨贵妃，没有哪一个不爱珍珠。

爱珠之最当属慈禧太后，这一点我们已在前面详细叙述过。在她死后，孙殿英东陵盗墓，将她的陪葬品基本上一网打尽。后来，孙殿英见事情闹大了，便拿出一些盗墓所得之宝贿赂蒋介石的妻子宋美龄。据溥仪所写的《我的前半生》记载，在孙殿英送给蒋夫人的所有珠宝中，宋美龄最喜欢的就是来自慈禧凤冠上的珠子，将它们一一镶缀在自己的鞋子上。

珍珠情话

Pearl is an incredible miracle in the sea, like the bright moon in the night sky, falling into the dust, clear and eye-catching, round and elegant, from ancient times to now, human beings are deeply attracted to it.

珍珠的历史与文化珍珠又名“鲛人泪”。“鲛人”就是我们今天所说的“美人鱼”。珍珠的光辉浑然天成，精致、圆润、耀眼却不刺眼，一向是典雅高贵的象征。

珍珠的珍贵是因为它来之不易。天然珍珠的形成，首先是海里的小沙粒或其他物质无意堕入贝类的壳里，受到刺激的贝类把自己的分泌将这些小沙粒层层包含，经过贝类长年累月的孕育，才形成了珍珠。而且，珠蚌十分娇贵，喜欢24-29摄氏度的海水温度，冷至摄氏11度就会死亡。

As a generous gift from the sea, it has been deeply admired and loved by ladies for thousands of years. Jewelry made of pearls is elegant and suitable for people of all ages. In the custom of the jewelry industry, the pearl is regarded as the birthstone of June, which symbolizes health, nobleness, energy and purity.

The Orientals call it "the jewel on the moon" and believe it can strengthen friendship and strengthen mind and memory. Among the many jewels, it has a unique charm, giving people a sense of mystery and imagination with unique style and taste.

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