The World’s Most Famous Piece of Pearl Jewelry

As we have been discussing this month, pearls have rather humble beginnings. They start off as an irritant. Something small. An invader into the inside of a clam. And then they grow and change. The smallest pearl, with the humblest beginnings, can one day become one of the most valuable pieces of jewelry in the world. Today, we are going to take a look at some of the world’s most famous and valuable pieces of pearl jewelry.

The Cowdray Pearls

The legendary Cowdray Pearls are a naturally grey necklace of pearls last valued at $3.3 million. It is a single strand necklace with 38 granulated single grey pearls. The pearls range in size from 6.8 to a whopping 11.4 millimeters in size. The total length of the necklace is 43.2 centimeters. Adding a rather expensive cherry to the top of this incredible sundae is a rectangular cut diamond clasp.

Beauty of the Ocean Pearl

Unveiled in China in 2010, the Beauty of the Ocean is the largest pearl in the world. This man-made mammoth is approximately five feet tall and weighs in at over six tons! The Beauty of the Ocean is valued at $139 million. The process of grinding the composite fluorite stone into the shape of an ordinary pearl took over three years. The massive green pearl is known for flowing eerily in the dark.

La Peregina Pearl

Known as “the pilgrim,” the La Peregina pearl is the second most valuable pearl in the world, following only the Beauty of the Ocean. La Peregina was last appraised for $11.8 million. The necklace features sweeping circular strands of diamonds and pearls. Dangling below this is the most well-known feature of La Peregina, a perfect, tear-shaped white pearl of incredible iridescence.