Moonstones of June, or, Pearls That I Have Known
If you look at my Shelfari (on the right sidebar) you'll see that I've been reading Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles by Margaret George. It's a novel about Queen Mary, so much of it is fictionalized; still, there is fact interwoven and it's an engrossing story, full of tragedy.
I don't know if this anecdote is fact or fiction, but there is some very compelling imagery of Mary planting a "moon garden" of fragrant white flowers, some of which bloom at nightfall, at one of her palaces, and of wandering among the flowers by the light of the moon dressed in the mourning color of the time: white. The moon, June, wedding white and pearls have been on my mind.
I've never owned a string of pearls of my own. For my wedding, the pearls were my "something borrowed" from a dear friend, Jan, who was married later in the same summer as I.
Two years ago in June we vacationed in Orlando at Disney World, and my son searched for a pearl in an oyster on the dock of one of the villages there.
This is only fitting, as he was born in June so it is his birthstone. And he is our pearl of great price!
The pearl man, as we came to call him, told my son that pearls are actually alive, and must be worn occasionally to keep their luster -- something about the oils in our skin that keeps them healthy. I just now googled that information and found that, while it's true that contact with our skin (and lack of contact with chemicals and powders) keeps pearls looking better, they are not really alive, here.
It's a nice myth though, isn't it? Living pearls in June; moon and moonstone; June weddings and wedding gowns with pearls, and pearls of great price.
What pearls have you loved?
I don't know if this anecdote is fact or fiction, but there is some very compelling imagery of Mary planting a "moon garden" of fragrant white flowers, some of which bloom at nightfall, at one of her palaces, and of wandering among the flowers by the light of the moon dressed in the mourning color of the time: white. The moon, June, wedding white and pearls have been on my mind.I've never owned a string of pearls of my own. For my wedding, the pearls were my "something borrowed" from a dear friend, Jan, who was married later in the same summer as I.
Two years ago in June we vacationed in Orlando at Disney World, and my son searched for a pearl in an oyster on the dock of one of the villages there.
This is only fitting, as he was born in June so it is his birthstone. And he is our pearl of great price!
The pearl man, as we came to call him, told my son that pearls are actually alive, and must be worn occasionally to keep their luster -- something about the oils in our skin that keeps them healthy. I just now googled that information and found that, while it's true that contact with our skin (and lack of contact with chemicals and powders) keeps pearls looking better, they are not really alive, here.It's a nice myth though, isn't it? Living pearls in June; moon and moonstone; June weddings and wedding gowns with pearls, and pearls of great price.
What pearls have you loved?
Comments
All the best,
Allison
Micki