Mystery of the 30th Anniversary Pearl!

In response to an inquiry, I recently unraveled the Mystery of the 30th Anniversary Pearl! 

As founder of The Pearl Society, I was approached by an individual searching for the origin of the designation of Pearls as the traditional 30th anniversary gift.  

In The Curious Lore of Precious Stones, Dover reprint edition, in his chapter on Birthstones,  Kunz gives the definitive source of the generally accepted birthstone list (p.317): it was approved by the National Association of Jewellers at a meeting in Kansas City in August of 1912, (with small emendations since that time.-ed.)  

But we were looking for anniversaries, not birthdays.  I pressed on. 

Kunz devotes great detail to the story behind the idea of natal and Zodiac gems.  The idea is first mentioned in late Roman times, by the historian Josephus in the 1st century of the Common Era, then by St Jerome in the 5th C.  Based largely on the 12 gems of the priestly breastplate in the Bible, the list went through a number of adjustments, with pearls the birthstone for June, along with moonstone.  

Finally, on page 337, I found a list of wedding anniversary gems, with Pearls for the 30th (the 3rd is linen). It turns out  the Father of U.S. Gemologists, George Frederic Kunz, is the source!   No accreditation, even though Kunz waxes detailed and eloquent about the six other lists in this chapter on Natal Stones.

Here are the 7 lists:
1. The most common, derived from the  Hebrew Priest's breastplate.
2. Talismanic gems derived from the  twelve guardian angels (no pearl among those)
3. A list of U.S. birthstones  
4. A Hindu list of birthstones  (June is pearl, as in the commonly accepted U.S. one)
5. Gems of Weekdays (Talismanic gem: Sunday is pearl) 6. Gems of the Hours (night hours, day hours)         
 
and finally, without any discussion of origin:           
7. Gems of Wedding Anniversaries .. THAT IS THE ONE!

-Eve

Comments

[Brown]

nice article.. loved to read you. keep rolling, n sharing your valuable thoughts here with us. nice blog by the way

[b.]

Curious trivia I wonder if someone here is capable of solve this strange mystery. thanks for the post.

[bible audio]

Wonderful blog after a long time i have seen such a kin of information thanks for the blog..:)

[Cia]

I didn't know that there is a pearl society. but I bet that there are many people in that group because it is wonderful to have something like that.