The history of pearls in the decorative arts and in jewelry goes back thousands of years. Still, in the 21st century, they are worn worldwide and used as decorative accents.
Since natural pearls are animal-made randomly, they are scarce. Cultured pearls are also made in the shell but are “started” by the pearl farmer.
Artificial pearls are made in factories by coating a sphere with lustrous material. Some man-made pearls are quite nice and of superior quality.
Pearls are used in a great variety of jewelry settings. In the early and mid-20th century, pearls reached one of their peaks in popularity. The “little string of pearls” was a fashion necessity. The Queen of England must have hundreds of strings!
Queen Elizabeth II and Michelle Obama