Throughout our world's history there have been many tales of pearls and



their magnificence. Pearls have always been treasures of exotic jewelry and

in many cultures they have been found as priceless gifts from the gods and

goddesses. Even in today's society the pearl and pearl jewelry are held in

great admiration and are desired by many, many people. by taking a look at

the history of the pearl and all of the legends and stories that has

involved the pearl we can see how other cultures truly respected and admired

the pearl.

Now one of the most popular legends that involves a pearl would have to be a

legend about two lovers and at the same time two of the greatest powers of

their time. It is a legend about Marc Antony and Cleopatra. These two

immortal rulers at one time were said to have made a bet. This story has

been handed down for centuries and was actually first recorded by a man

named Plutarch who was basically a historian of the time. it is said that

Marc Antony and Cleopatra had made a bet that Egypt was a far grander and

far wealthier state than Rome could ever be. And for that reason Egypt

could not be conquered by Rome. So due to the bet Cleopatra that she would

throw a grand banquet to prove this and in Marc Antony's honor the banquet

was held. There was finery all through the hall as fitting a grand state

such as Egypt. And on the banquet table where Marc Antony and Cleopatra

would sit there was a an empty plate and a goblet filled with what is now

said to be wine but was probably more like a vinegar that was set in front

of them both. Cleopatra's servants came out and brought out the main

course. That course was one of the largest and most amazingly beautiful

pearls that were ever seen. The servants placed this pearl upon Cleopatra's

empty plate and she then proceeded to crush the pearl and the place the dust

of the pearl into the goblet of wine. After drinking down her exotic and

vastly expensive concoction she then offered Marc Antony his portion of the

dinner which was a pearl that was just as exquisite. He of course declined

and said that the beautiful queen had won her bet and that Egypt should not

be conquered. Of course there are many reports that say that Cleopatra and

her land had already been conquered at the time that this legend is supposed

to take place but it shows a great respect for the pearl and how highly it

was prized. Marc Antony declined his dinner because to the Romans the pearl

was priceless.

There are other stories about the pearl and Egypt that show that even though

the pearl was highly prized also the Egyptians actually used the pearl for

other purposes and it will even show how intelligent Cleopatra truly was.

It is said that Cleopatra would actually take many pearls and dissolve them

in a solution of vinegar and then drink the concoction down as part of her

beauty routine. It was believed that the pearl would help with aging and

keeping the gorgeous queen as beautiful as ever. Now this certainly shows

her intelligence. You see she knew that Marc Antony held the pearl very

highly and that he would find them priceless because in his land they were

very hard to come by and only the richest of the rich could actually obtain

these grand pearls. Where she just used them as her beauty regimen.

Crushing a pearl for her banquet and her bet was no more to Cleopatra than

her daily youth drink.