Friday 30 June 2017

Celebrate the small things

Some BIG things to celebrate this week in my world. First of all our eldest daughter got engaged! And then our youngest daughter received her final university mark and she passed with a First Class Degree. Yay, go girls!

Thanks to Lexa and her lovely co-hosts
            L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge 
       Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog

With everything going on recently, I realised I hadn't posted about the June birthstone. I have just managed to squeeze it in before the end of the month!

This month's birthstone is the beautiful pearl. Their natural lustre and translucence make the pearl one of the most well known and much favoured gems. Apart from the usual milky-white hue we associate with the pearl they can also be found in silver, cream, green, lavender, blue, black and golden shades.

Formed from the tears of Aphrodite, a love potion from Cleopatra, a wedding gift from Krishna to his daughter. The legends surrounding this, one of the oldest gems, are numerous. Here are just a few more facts and interesting stories.

  • The word Pearl is from the French 'Perle' which in turn has origins in the Latin word 'Perna' meaning leg. The thought is that the shells in which pearls are formed have a shape similar to a ham or leg of mutton.
  • The characteristics of loyalty, faithfulness and friendship are associated with this gemstone
  • They are reputed to be helpful for health problems relating to the stomach and intestines, heart and spleen.
  • The Roman General,Vitelllius allegedly financed an entire military campaign with one of his mother's pearl earrings!
  • Wealthy Roman women liked to wear their pearls whilst they slept. They adorned their couches and trappings with them also to remind them (and others presumably!) of their wealth.
  • Julius Caesar was noted to be a great lover of the pearl.
  • In Tudor England the 1500's were known as 'The Pearl Age.'
  • In the 1900's the first successful commercial culturing of saltwater pearls began. Since the 1920's cultured pearls have almost completely replaced natural pearls in the market.
  • The largest pearl in the world is believed to about about 3 inches long and 2 inches across and weighs about  1/3 of a pound. Known as the' Pearl of Asia' Shah Jahan of India gave it as a gift to his wife, Mumtaz (for whom he also built the Taj Mahal).
  • Warriors from India encrusted their swords with pearls to represent tears and sorrow.
  • In South Asian mythology pearls were said to be dewdrops from heaven that fell into the sea where they were caught by shellfish under the first rays of the rising sun at full moon.
  • Pearls have often been used in medicines and to prevent diseases. In China there is evidence to suggest this was as early as 2000 BC and in Europe they were widely used until the 17th century. 
  • One of the most famous pearls is said to be 'La Peregrina' (The Wanderer). It is said that around 400 years ago a black slave gave it to his master in exchange for his freedom. 
  • Pearls are a gemstone for 30 years of marriage. 
Finally , I will leave you with the verse from the Gregorian Poem for this month. Happy birthday to all born in the month of June.

By her who in June was born,
No gem save Pearls shall be worn,
They will ensure her constancy,
True friendship and fidelity.



Rose is the birth flower for June





16 comments:

  1. Oh wow, big news for both of your daughters, congratulations!

    I never knew all of those things about pearls, thanks for sharing. Have a great weekend.

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  2. Those characteristics are good for any to have.

    Congrats to both of your daughters!

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  3. Congratulations to both of your daughters :-)

    Great facts about pearls. I've never heard of the Tudor period being described as that though.

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  4. Hi Suzanne - yes ... wonderful news re your two daughters ... and fabulous to have a wedding to look forward to ... congratulations to your other daughter. Lots going on with pearls - they are beautiful ... and the rose - delightful ... gorgeous = cheers and have a wonderful weekend - Hilary

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  5. Congratulations to both of your daughters. That's very exciting indeed. Thank you for sharing such fun facts about pearls. I have a couple of pearl necklaces, with one or two pearls on them. They really are pretty.
    Have a great weekend.

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  6. Congrats to both of your daughters, what a proud mumyou must be.
    I love pearls, whilst in the US they had shops where they got the pears from the oyster then made them into jewellery itiems, I got a necklace for my daughter.......which I wrote a poem.
    Have a grand week-end.
    Yvonne.

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  7. Wow, that's such awesome news. Many congrats to your daughters!

    Really love all these facts about pearls, too. So fascinating! And I absolutely adore roses, so it's interesting to learn how they're the birth flower this month...

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  8. Congratulations to both of your daughters! They're growing up, mom.

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  9. Congratulations to both of your daughters!! How exciting for you! I love pearls. It's my daughters and mother-in-laws birthstone.

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  10. Congratulations to your daughters! You must be so excited! What a wonderful time for your family.
    I love the story of the Roman women adorning their beds and couches with pearls to brag about their wealth. I would never be able to sleep on all those pearls LOL. Great stories as always.

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  11. Congrats to your girls. That's very exciting, and thank you for those pearls of...trivia. ;-)

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  12. Thanks everyone for your good wishes

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  13. Wow! Lots to celebrate on your end. Congrats to both of your daughters. I bet you are all smiles and should be!

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  14. Hurrah for both of your daughters. What an exciting time.

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  15. Congrats to both of your daughters! This is so exciting.


    www.ficklemillennial.com

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  16. Hi Suzanne,

    I dreadfully late in commenting. About normal for me these days :)

    Hearty congrats to your daughters. Thank you for one pearl of a posting.

    Gary :)

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