I was able to watch the maiden episode of “doQmentaries”, a monthly special feature on QTV-11, but only after several minutes of frustration. I waited for the show but my dad turned the channel to GMA-7 Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho before the program started. (Hehehe...) Thus, I missed a large portion of the documentary. At least, I was able to catch up with the remaining segments, which were substantial enough to satisfy my curiosity. The topic was about pearls, one of the most precious gems that lure many women. They say that this particular jewelry fits almost any kind of dress. It is simple yet very elegant. Actually, this blog fits “women-ish” more but I must admit my interest in pearls not as my personal jewelry (of course not!) but more on its value both as a gem commercially and as a symbol of Filipino culture and heritage.
According to Ms. Connie Sison (picture on your right), the host of this particular episode, “a strand of pearls in ancient times, has a value that is equal to an acre or acres of land”. Understandably, it took years before you could harvest a pearl from under the sea and that was the reason for its very high cost. In recent years, the commercialization of the gem had encouraged business enthusiasts to culture pearls. Pearl farms contributed to the lowering of the cost of certain types of pearls.
The most precious type of pearl is the Golden South Sea Pearl. You can get this type of pearl from a mollusk oyster Pinctada Maxima, which you can find in the seas of south East Asia and Australia. This mollusk inhabits the Philippine seas. The pearl can grow to as big as 20mm in 4-5years. Luster and size determines the value of a pearl. They say that if you can see your reflection on the pearl, then it is lustrous. According to Jewelmer, the premier source of high quality, natural colored south sea pearls and manufacturer of fine south sea pearl jewelry in the Philippines, the price of this type of pearl ranges from 700$US to 4,000$US and higher.
We remember that Jose Rizal has described the Philippines as the Pearl of the Orient Seas. The beauty and the priceless value of the gem, to Rizal, fit his picture of his beloved country. In Presidential Decree 906, former president Fidel V. Ramos has declared the pearl as the Philippines’ national gem. Pearl is indeed, integral in our national identity as Filipinos and in our culture and heritage as proven by our myths and folklore. In our early traditions, people call pearls as “tears of heaven” and so, you should not give pearls to unmarried women because they will become widows early in life. They put pearls also in burial rites as a gateway to heaven by the person who has died. Old beliefs also say that one should not buy a pearl. Someone else should give it to him.
According to Ms. Connie Sison (picture on your right), the host of this particular episode, “a strand of pearls in ancient times, has a value that is equal to an acre or acres of land”. Understandably, it took years before you could harvest a pearl from under the sea and that was the reason for its very high cost. In recent years, the commercialization of the gem had encouraged business enthusiasts to culture pearls. Pearl farms contributed to the lowering of the cost of certain types of pearls.The most precious type of pearl is the Golden South Sea Pearl. You can get this type of pearl from a mollusk oyster Pinctada Maxima, which you can find in the seas of south East Asia and Australia. This mollusk inhabits the Philippine seas. The pearl can grow to as big as 20mm in 4-5years. Luster and size determines the value of a pearl. They say that if you can see your reflection on the pearl, then it is lustrous. According to Jewelmer, the premier source of high quality, natural colored south sea pearls and manufacturer of fine south sea pearl jewelry in the Philippines, the price of this type of pearl ranges from 700$US to 4,000$US and higher.
We remember that Jose Rizal has described the Philippines as the Pearl of the Orient Seas. The beauty and the priceless value of the gem, to Rizal, fit his picture of his beloved country. In Presidential Decree 906, former president Fidel V. Ramos has declared the pearl as the Philippines’ national gem. Pearl is indeed, integral in our national identity as Filipinos and in our culture and heritage as proven by our myths and folklore. In our early traditions, people call pearls as “tears of heaven” and so, you should not give pearls to unmarried women because they will become widows early in life. They put pearls also in burial rites as a gateway to heaven by the person who has died. Old beliefs also say that one should not buy a pearl. Someone else should give it to him.
The “doQmentaries” airs every second Saturday of the month on QTV-Channel 11 at 9:10PM
(Pictures: The Golden South Sea Pearl and the oyster Pinctada Maxima. Courtesy of http://www.phuketpearlfactory.com/images/southsea.jpg
http://www.pearlsonly.com/pearls/skin1/images/sse-nec_03.jpg)
http://www.pearlsonly.com/pearls/skin1/images/sse-nec_03.jpg)
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