Which pearls are relevant in the mourning context?

Three main categories. White pearls (Akoya, freshwater, white South Sea) - for half-mourning, above all in mourning for women and children; read symbolically as tears. Grey and anthracite-coloured pearls (pale Tahitian, grey freshwater) - for the transitional stages; increasingly popular in the late Victorian period. Black Tahitian pearls - for full mourning in pieces that do not wish to carry jet, vulcanite or black enamel. The black pearl is a late, high-priced mourning variant; in historical Victorian practice it was rare, while in the modern memorial jewellery sector it is gaining in importance.

Why is the pearl regarded as a tear?

The drop shape and the white, unpatterned surface make the pearl a visual metaphor for a tear. This charge has been documented since antiquity - in Pliny the Elder as "dew caught by the shells"; in medieval mourning topoi as "the Madonna's congealed tears". In the 19th century the pearl is deliberately used as a mourning symbol - above all in mourning jewellery for deceased children (see Tear), in which white pearls emphasise the child's innocence and purity.

How is pearl mourning jewellery cared for?

Pearls are delicate. Hardness 2.5–4.5 - susceptible to scratches and abrasion from other pieces of jewellery. Sensitive to solvents - alcohol, perfume, hairspray and creams attack the mother-of-pearl surface. Sensitive to water - cleaning with fresh water is possible, with sea water or chlorinated water it is not. Sensitive to drying - very dry air from heating can parch the pearls and cause them to crack. Storage: separately in a soft cloth pouch, not in airtight plastic bags. Regular wear is the best care - skin oils keep the pearls supple.

The Pearl in Mourning Jewellery

The pearl is the most important white material in the mourning context - symbol of the tear, of purity and of innocence - and in the 19th century was the preferred gemstone substance above all in half-mourning and final mourning as well as in mourning jewellery for deceased children.

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