Paragrina Pearl: The most famous and expensive pearl in the world that symbolizes wealth and power

 This is the spring of 1969. There was chaos in the top floor apartment of Caesar Palace in Las Vegas. The favorite jewel of the famous American actress Elizabeth Taylor, an inch long pearl, had suddenly disappeared. Actor Richard Burton's husband spent a lot of money on this gem.

The Paragrina pearl was the most famous pearl in the history of the world. It is known for its volume, perfect shape and extraordinary foundation. Prior to Elizabeth Taylor, it belonged to influential pearl families and can be seen in the paintings of famous painters Peter Paul Robbins and Diego Velazquez.

Elizabeth sat on her knees looking for pearls with her hands on every inch of the flat carpet, but the search didn't stop him. Then they saw their dog chew something. She wrote in her book, Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair with Jewelry, "I opened my dog's mouth and saw he had the most beautiful pearl in the world."

The fascinating story of the Paragrina Pearl helps us understand the importance of pearls for human civilization as a symbol of beauty, power and wealth. Elizabeth Taylor's paintings often show her commitment to natural pearls.

In the 1950s and 1960s, this pearl jewel became a symbol of glory and fame, worn by Coco Chanel, Jackie Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe with 20th century celebrities.

But the story of the cultural importance of pearls is even older

Pearls are believed to have been found in many coastal areas of the Indian Ocean even during the period 5000 BC. This anger established the oldest pearl trade corridor between India, Sri Lanka, the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea cities in ancient times. It was symbolized by the Greek goddess of love, Afro, who was believed to have been born at sea.

In Roman art, they are often seen emerging from a shell or wearing pearl earrings. Such paintings on the walls of Pompeii date back to the 1st century AD. Unmatched beauty with pearls has long been associated with the history of art.

In the Roman Empire, people were happy with pearls. Pliny the Elder, author of the 1st century ECB, states that "pearls determine the value of the most precious things".

Some unusual paintings related to a burial have been found in the Egyptian coastal town of Fayoum, which is part of the Roman Empire. You can see people tied up with pearl necklaces and earrings.

According to Svetonius, the original pearls in the first century AD were so expensive that a Roman general sold some of his mother's pearls to raise money for military operations.

He also claimed that the country 's promise to find pearls in the country' s rivers influenced British Roman intervention.

A holy sign

Even religions are modeled with pearls.

The Parable of the Pearl in the Gospel of St. Matthew reveals that the Romans were pearl merchants on earth. Jesus compared pearls to heaven. “The field of war is like a merchant searching for the best pearls,” he wrote. When he finds a valuable pearl, he goes back and sells everything he has and buys it.

First, the Christian writers Ephraim al-Syriani, Origen and Clement Alexander openly criticized the people who considered them jewels and did not understand their true importance.

In the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, to highlight the holiness of Jesus and Mary, they were decorated with unique crosses with pearls on them.

When the Paragrina Pearl was first discovered in the Gulf of Panama in the early 16th century, pearls were like spirituality, beauty and purity. This was the greatest example of this at the time.

He was immediately sent by King Philip II of Spain to assess the regional and political situation of the Renaissance. '

Following the discovery of Christopher Columbus in the late 1400s, the Spanish conflicts and the colonization of the New World began. In fact, one of his most important discoveries was pearls seen on new lands.

Like the British intervention in the Roman Empire, the United States was a great reserve of pearls for Spain, which led to a colonial era. So when you see them wearing pearls in Roman paintings or their Paragrina pearl with them in some portraits of the Spanish royal family, it doesn't just show beauty or purity. It is also a symbol of imperialism, showing how wealth and power have increased from colonial areas.

An example of this is the Spanish Queen Margaret of Austria (wife of Philip III), painted by the painter La Cruz. Inside she wears the Paragrina Pearl as an ornament. The same is seen in the portrait of Queen Elizabeth of France (wife of Philip IV).

The Paragrina pearl was decorated with a Spanish royal crown and was worn by future generations. It has been repeatedly called the most precious treasure of the Spanish crown. King Philip IV of Spain wore this pearl in his hat at his daughter's wedding.

Jewelry such as the Paragrina pearl was a symbol of the luxurious life of a woman of the royal family.

In these photos, the women looked so formal and so impressive. This happened because there were certain rules in the Spanish courts, such as that the people in the photo were limited in view and could not laugh.

Some of the pearls have been returned to their original place, such as La Pelagrina, which is similar in size to La Peragrina and was originally owned by all royal families in Spain. One of these pearls belonged to Queen Mary of England in the mid-1500s. Actors Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton also thought they had a photo of them being seen wearing La Paragrina.

The most famous pearl in art history, Vermeer, is depicted in the 1665 painting Girl with a Pearl Earring. But poor Vermeer was unlikely to have access to the pearl that far. The bead may have been imaginary or an image of a glass bead imitation.

Vermeer often depicted pearls in his paintings. It was considered a symbol of wealth and status. However, at times it also had a religious reference. Pearls are a symbol of sacred faith in the algorithm of the Catholic faith. He was a full Catholic, but at the time the country was predominantly Protestant Christian.

The original La Paragrina belonged to the Spanish royal family until 1800. In 1808 Napoleon invaded his country and placed his brother Giuseppe Bonaparte on the throne. When the French were deported from Spain in 1813, Joseph took the pearl with him to France and gave it to his sister-in-law. Napoleon III inherited it and became ruler of France in the mid-1800s.

Napoleon III sold it to James Hilton, a British citizen, to increase his wealth. The incidents occurred with his wife, such as Elizabeth Taylor, in whom he disappeared during social gatherings.

He was once found on a sofa in Buckingham Palace. It remained in his possession until 1969, when it was bought by Richard Burton.

Elizabeth Taylor pulled it out of her dog’s mouth and it has been one of her favorite jewelery ever since. The Paragrina Pearl was once seen as a symbol of luxury life when it was seen around Elizabeth Taylor’s portraits, especially in the film Anne of the Thousand Days (1969).

Following the death of Elizabeth Taylor in December 2011, it was sold to an unknown buyer for 0.8-11.8 million.

On average, only one or one oyster produces 10,000 medium-sized pearls. The search for a pearl like Paragrina Pearl is unlikely to be completed.

His name means "roaming traveler". Probably a factor that explains why they are doing so badly in Panama. This shows how important pearls are to humans over time.

Pearls are not just ornaments. They also emphasize the imperial system, wealth, spiritual purity and beauty for us.