Pearl

Pearl is formed in a mollusk when a small particulate, like a grain of sand or a small parasite, gets inside it. The creature encases the irritant in layers of nacre, layers build up overtime, and it becomes what we know as a pearl.  Knowing it's true origin, it's no wonder that Pearl is considered a gem of nurturing, support and development.  It reminds us to take care of, and nurture ourselves.  It produces feelings of love, soothing and supporting us when stress is weighing us down, comforting us when times are tough, and rousing compassion and love for others while giving us self-confidence and assurance.  Pearl has been known as a symbol of loyalty, dedication, and steadfastness.  When we want to overthrow temporary self-identities and illusions that we've created for ourselves, Pearl is extremely helpful with deepening our connection to ourselves and helping us know ourselves more fully.  In so doing, it bolsters a healthy sense of self-love ensuring that we don't let go of what's important to us, and that we see things through to the end.  It can be used for emotional control, and is helpful at times when we feel irritable or anti-social.  It lifts our mood and boosts attitudes, opens us up to positivity and joy, encourages loving transitions, and incites sincerity in all our relationships.  It also makes it easier for us to be more generous and open to giving love to others, as well as to establish more open lines of communication, further supporting our relationships.   Pearl represents wisdom gained through experience, lending support through unexpected challenges, helping us take away a lesson from each of our experiences, and making us more resilient.  It's also reputed to protect us, absorbing negative energies.  This gem can help us pray for ourselves and others, something many of us have trouble doing when life gets tough.   Because of it's associations with the moon, pearl is said to awaken our intuition, psychic sensitivity, and imagination.  Healers and shamans use pearls for relaxation and introspection, and in eastern cultures the pearl is said to symbolize our wisdom and invite awareness of the divine in to our lives.  It puts us in touch with the natural cycles in life, helping us find the ideal balance of energies and bringing scope and relativity to any situation that has become overwhelming.  When it comes to practical matters, pearl helps us be more pragmatic in our decisions, especially as they relate to business and finance.  It attracts luck, wealth, and success, bringing with it energies of prosperity and abundance.  In matters of physical health, pearl has often been used to treat skin conditions like rosacea, acne, and skin pigmentation and blemishes.  It promotes the regeneration of new cells, making skin healthier.  It can also help reduce wrinkles and scars.  It strengthens the adrenal glands, and reduces fatigue, headache, hypertension, and other stress-related concerns.  It helps in maintaining or restoring the balance and natural rhythm of your body, regulating hormones, reducing bloating, and lowering acidity.  It has been used in the treatment of digestive disorders, muscular system conditions, liver, urinary system, kidneys, and heart.  People suffering from lung diseases, such as chronic bronchitis and asthma, may also find this gem to be helpful. It has been used to treat eye problems, bleeding, and fever, and can also help with fertility and childbirth.

Pearl formation is very different from other gemstones, it has organic origins making it a gem but not a stone.  It is formed in a mollusk when a small particulate, like a grain of sand or a small parasite, gets inside it.  The creature encases the irritant in layers of nacre to protect itself.  Layers are built up overtime and it becomes what we know as a pearl.  It is a relatively soft gem, with a hardness level of 2.6-4.6, and comes in an array of colors including white, black, pink, blue, champagne, green, and even purple.  

Pearl is considered to be the oldest known gem, and has always had a mysticism about it.  There are many origin stories in bygone civilizations which tell of it's otherworldy creation.  In Japanese mythology, pearls are the tears from healing spirits and mythical beasts.  In Vedic texts, the pearl was said to be the daughter of the moon.