Lustre of legend

JULIUS CAESAR’S primary motive for invading Britain in 55BC was that the country was a major source of saltwater pearls. Wealthy ancient Egyptian women were buried with theirs. Pliny describes pearls as ‘the richest merchandise of all and the most sovereign commodity throughout the whole world’. In ancient Greece, they were given to brides on their wedding day to stop them crying. Elizabeth I had 3,000 gowns and 80 wigs decorated with pearls. During the 19th century, they accounted for three-quarters of the jewellery sold in America. Coco Chanel believed: ‘A woman needs ropes and ropes of pearls.’ Jackie Kennedy said: ‘Pearls are always appropriate.’ According to Jean de La Bruyère, next to sound judgement, ‘pearls are the rarest things in the world’. ‘If in life you gave no