Natural Pearl and Diamond Brooch, 19th Century | 天然海水珍珠 配 鑽石 胸針, 19世紀

Natural pearls have been used for adornment since prehistoric times. Throughout the ages, pearls possessed a divine quality due to their inherent smoothness and shiny lustre. They did not require further polishing or cutting to reveal their beauty, in contrast to other gemstones. A common poetical explanation on how pearls were formed since antiquity would state that the tears of angels fell into open shells during nights of full moon. Due to its beauty, natural pearls have always been an important part of royal collections, including noble jewels from varying cultures such as Europe, Middle East, Russia and India. These antique jewels set with natural pearls would have been prized possessions at the time.

從史前時代起，天然珍珠一直是人類喜愛的飾品。珍珠的天然圓滑質感與柔和光澤，賦予它純潔神聖的特質，美感雋永。天然珍珠不需拋光或切割加工，已能盡現本身的美態，與其他需要加工的寶石截然不同。坊間流傳著一個充滿詩意的故事，解釋自古以來地球上的珍珠是怎樣形成的——據說，月滿之夜時，天使的淚珠落在敞開的珊瑚殼中，形成了珍珠。天然珍珠清麗脫俗、高貴典雅，一直是皇室的重要收藏，可見於歐洲、中東、俄羅斯和印度等不同文化地域的貴族珠寶首飾。這些鑲有天然珍珠的古董珠寶，是昔日備受世人青睞的珍貴財產。