The ancient Egyptians prized pearls so much they were buried with them. Cleopatra reportedly dissolved a single pearl in a glass of wine and drank it, simply to win a wager with Mark Antony that she could consume the wealth of an entire nation in just one meal.

The Greeks held the pearl in high esteem for both unrivaled beauty and association with love and marriage. In ancient Rome, pearls were considered a symbol of wealth and social standing. Julius Caesar limited the wearing of pearls to the rulers of the Roman Empire during the first century B.C.

During the Dark Ages, nobility cherished pearl necklaces while knights often wore pearls into battle - they believed the magic of pearls would protect them from harm. Because pearls were so highly regarded, a number of European countries passed laws forbidding anyone but nobility to wear them.

Greed and lust resulted in the depletion of virtually all American pearl oysters by the 17th century. Until the early 1900s, natural pearls were accessible only to the rich and famous. In 1916, famed French jeweler Jacques Cartier bought his landmark store on New York's Fifth Avenue by trading two pearl necklaces for the property.