Did you know that Paris has long been the capital of the Pearl ? Between the 1860s and the 1930s, most of the pearls fished in the Arabian Gulf passed through Paris, where they were traded and mounted by the leading jewellery houses on Place Vendôme.
The Pearl shaped the Parisian luxury industry, built fortunes, inspired jewellers and artists and found itself at the centre of a ” perlomania ” that invaded all the arts during the Roaring Twenties. This fascinating commercial, artistic and human saga, halfway between art and science, is told by L’École des Arts Joailliers in the exhibition ” Paris, capital of the pearl “ to be discovered – free of charge ! – until 1er June 2025.
Article produced in collaboration with L’École des Arts Joailliers
The pearl, from oyster to jewellery
In theory, every shellfish can form a pearl, but most come from marine oysters in warm regions. It is estimated that one oyster in ten thousand produces a pearl that can be used in jewellery and only one oyster in fifty thousand produces an exceptional pearl. This rarity explains the value of this precious biomineral.
Contrary to the popular idea of a grain of sand forming a pearl, there is no scientific evidence to support this myth. Instead, it is thought that a virus or bacteria is responsible for the secretion of mother-of-pearl inside the mollusc’s mantle.
Fine pearl or cultured pearl: what’s the difference?
The term ” fine pearl ” refers to a natural pearl formed without human intervention while ” cultured pearl ” refers to a pearl produced in a controlled environment by pearl oysters where a piece of shell is placed around which nacre will come to form to create a pearl.
The distinction between fine pearls and cultured pearls did not emerge until the 1920s, with the arrival of cultured pearls on the Paris market.
Most fine pearls come from theArabo-Persian Gulf, which concentrates a large quantity of pearl oysters. In the collective imagination of the 19th century, pearls were associated with orientalist aesthetics : in 1863, for example, Bizet set his opera Pearl Fishers in the Indian Ocean.
Touch the pearls!
At the entrance to the exhibition, a pearl pool invites you to dip your hand into the pearls, touching and handling them to discover these treasures.
How Paris became the capital of the pearl ?
Some jewellers, such as Cartier, take advantage of trips to India to pass through Dubai and create close links with pearl merchants, relocating the market from London to Paris.
A hotel for a necklace
The story sounds crazy, yet it’s true ! In 1916, Pierre Cartier – grandson of the House’s founder – exchanged a necklace with two strands of pearls for a mansion on New York’s 5th Avenue.
By the 1900s, at the height of the Belle Epoque, the great jewellery houses were looking for the most beautiful pearls, which they combined with platinum or diamonds to give birth to light, dazzling jewellery.
On the ears, around the neck or on the wrists… pearls were sweeping across the bodies of high society women, and while cream-coloured pearls were highly popular, new colours and shapes were also beginning to attract interest.
This ” perlomania ” was not limited to the world of jewellery, but spilled over into all the arts such as cinema, photography and painting, making the pearl one of the symbols of the Roaring Twenties. In 1911, for example, fashion illustrator George Barbier created a group of artists nicknamed ” the knights of the bracelet “. These dandy-artists produced illustrations of 1920s fashion in which pearls were omnipresent.
The economic crisis of 1929 heralded the end of the Parisian reign over the world of pearls. Awareness of the extremely precarious living conditions of pearl fishermen – close to slavery – and then the arrival of the Second World War with the deportation of Jewish merchants from rue La Fayette were to deal a fatal blow to the pearl market. Traders then turned en masse to cultured pearls.
Observe the most beautiful pearl jewellery
The École des Arts Joailliers exhibition not only tells us the story of the pearl, it also presents a hundred or so pieces from the greatest Houses such as Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Fred…
Generations for a necklace
Some necklaces have taken years, sometimes even several generations to bring together pearls of similar hues and calibres. A rarity that justifies the prices of the most prestigious sets.
Immerse yourself in the fascinating history of the pearl with this fascinating exhibition, on view until 1 June 2025.
Book your visit
The Paris, capital of the pearl exhibition at L’École des Arts Joailliers is free but booking is required:
Around the exhibition
L’École des Arts Joailliers offers a wide range of activities to help you explore the exhibition in greater depth:
Guided tours for children
Free guided tours for children aged 7 to 11 are organised throughout the duration of the exhibition on Wednesdays at 3.15pm and 4.15pm and during school holidays.
Podcast ” La Voix des Bijoux “
Season 5 of the podcast ” La Voix des Bijoux ” reveals the legend of pearls in the company of Inezita Gay-Eckel, jewellery historian and teacher at L’École des Arts Joailliers, and Léonard Pouy, PhD in art history and head of Content and Transmission at L’École des Arts Joailliers.
Introductory course
To learn more about pearls, L’École des Arts Joailliers is organising a 4-hour course on ” The pearl: history, science and legends “ in a small group (maximum 12 participants) in the company of an art historian and a gemologist.
Open to all, with no prior knowledge required, these sessions are offered in French and English at a cost of €200 per person.
Practical information
Address:
L’École des Arts Joailliers
Hôtel de Mercy-Argenteau
16 bis boulevard Montmartre
75009 Paris
Hours:
Until 1 June 2025
Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 7pm
Night opening on Thursdays until 9pm
Website:
https://www.lecolevancleefarpels.com/
Prices:
Free admission, by reservation only
Article produced in collaboration with L’École des Arts Joailliers
Headline photograph: Gourdji necklace, Faeber Collection.
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