Life Lessons from a Pearl

Pearls are one of nature's most beautiful creations which, unlike many other gemstones, come from a living creature- a mollusk. Meditating on one of the most beautiful of earth's creations, can also provide us one of the most amazing lessons. Pearls remind us of the exquisite beauty that emerges from life’s “irritations".

When an irritant enters the shell of a mollusk, the mollusk doesn’t quickly give up, rather it works to turn that little irritant into something beautiful. It carefully works to coat that irritant with a special substance called nacre, or mother of pearl. It spins it- sometimes for years- until it turns that irritant into the most captivating pearl. A single irritant can produce the most exquisite, and costly, pearl. The most expensive pearl ever sold was was Marie Antoinette's pendant. It sold for $32 million in a 2018 auction. Granted it was Marie Antoinette and she ranks high in historical significance, but also because it was a completely natural pearl, it was esteemed as extremely valuable. 

Perhaps this is why I have grown to love pearls and incorporate them so much into my designs. They provide a gentle yet powerful reminder to me that beauty can emerge from even the most difficult of life’s irritants. And even if it takes years, we will emerge with invaluable beauty. In the end, it is up to each of us whether we turn life’s little irritants into something of immeasurable beauty.