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Pearl meaning and symbolism

By The Perfect Pearls editors · Updated · How we check our facts

Pearls carry a lot of meaning, most of it gathered over thousands of years. Here is what history and folklore say. These are traditions, not claims about what pearls can do.

Purity, humility and innocence

GIA notes that pearls have long been associated with purity, humility and innocence, and that pearls were traditionally given as a wedding gift. The June birthstone's meaning, GIA says, is "sweet simplicity."

Teardrops from heaven

Ancient peoples of the Middle East believed pearls were "teardrops fallen from heaven" (GIA).

Wealth and power

Natural pearls were once so valuable that in 1917 Pierre Cartier traded a double strand of natural pearls for a mansion on Fifth Avenue in New York (GIA). La Peregrina, found in 1513, belonged to the Spanish crown before it reached Elizabeth Taylor. See famous pearls.

The oldest written record

GIA cites a Chinese historian writing about pearls in 2206 BC.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

What do pearls symbolize?

Traditionally purity, humility and innocence, and historically wealth and status. GIA describes the June birthstone's meaning as "sweet simplicity."

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