Pearls

Pearls are gems of natural, organic origins capable of forming in mollusks living in freshwater (river or lake) or saltwater bodies. Sixteenth-century pearls were discovered during archaeological investigation of the south wing tower of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. Archaeologists found five pearls here: three smaller ones and two larger ones, coloured pink, white and yellowish. As they had been lying in the soil for such a long time, the pearls could have naturally yellowed a little. The shape of the pearls is oval, round and Baroque (irregular). Their mass is 0.4–1.95 carats. One pearl has a golden wire threaded through it (this internal threading construction is made from lead). The wire is of the highest quality (750), with gold making up 88 percent of the alloy. The pearls found at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania are natural river pearls. Such pearls can be found in Scotland, Saxony, Bavaria, Sweden, Russia, France, China and on the American continent. The surviving historical sources do not have data suggesting the origins of the pearls brought to the Palace of the Grand Dukes in the 16th century. All we know is that the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Sigismund Augustus had a piece of jewellery with gemstones and pearls from Spain, and the dowry of his sister Catherine Jagiellon mentioned Eastern pearls. The pearls found at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania could have been part of a necklace or another piece of jewellery (earring, brooch, bracelet, pendant, etc.), or used as decoration for clothing, button details, daily use objects or liturgical works. These kinds of gems were very popular in the 16th century both in Europe and in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania: the surviving portraits and dowry descriptions of Bona Sforza (the wife of King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Sigismund the Old), Elisabeth and Catherine Habsburg and Barbara Radziwiłł (the wives of King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Sigismund Augustus), Catherine and Anna Jagiellon (the sisters of Sigismund Augustus) and Marie Louise Gonzaga (the wife of Grand Dukes of Lithuania and Kings of Poland Władysław and John Casimir Vasa) reveal that these women did wear pearls.