Historically considered the wedding gem, pearl jewelry is traditionally presented by the Father of the Bride or the Groom and symbolizes love, virtue, spirituality and prosperity. The tradition of giving pearls for weddings, dating back to around 1000 BC, is believed to originate from the Hindu God Krishna giving his daughter pearls on her wedding day. The association of pearls and weddings continued with the ancient Greeks, who believed that pearls would insure a blissful marriage. During the 14th and 15th Centuries, everyone, from the bride to all her male guests was adorned in pearls.

Today, pearls symbolize purity and innocence, and are considered to be the wedding gem, even more so than diamonds are. If you would like to see, a quick look at any bridal catalog or magazine will show photos of real and fake pearls adorning hats, gowns, gloves, veils, purses, and ring-bearer pillows. Pearls are the essential wedding gem, and now more and more men are wearing pearls, as they did before.

A few things to keep in mind when buying pearls for the wedding are:

- The brides pearl jewelry should all match. Such as earrings matching the type, color of her necklace. You can be sure that all who see her will be examining her attire on this special day.

- Regarding the gown, the jewelry should match the color of the pearls on the gown, rather than the color of the gown, and on the veil. It will be the pearls themselves that make the vision complete.

- If the bride would like to wear some heirloom such as a necklace, brooch or earrings that don’t match, then consider placing a note in the program, such as “…is wearing a brooch in honor of her grandmother”.

- A necklace on the bride should be at least one inch above the neckline so not to appear as if it is falling into the gown.

- These are guidelines only, and the bride should remember that this is her day and she has the right to wear whatever she wishes.

About the Author

Patrick Cavanaugh, Degree in Fine Art, Business person for over thirty-four years and Lover of Pearls.  Please visit us at www.sunshinepearls.com.