Antique (over 100 years old)
A lustrous ocean treasure, pearls have been highly prized throughout the centuries in many cultures. Today a piece of pearl jewellery is considered ‘antique’ if it is over 100 years old and there are many exquisite examples of natural pearl jewellery from the Georgian (1714 to 1837) and Victorian (1837 to 1901) periods. In the 19th century, mother-of-pearl and other pearl imitations came on the market to satisfy a growing demand by the bourgeois but real pearl chokers, pearl rings and pearl bracelets were exclusively worn by royalty and the very wealthy.
