Tears of gods and mermaids, symbol of wealth, wisdom, dignity, luck, even immortality – countless cultures are flooded with stories that revolve around the pearl. And those myths date back to millennia ago when humans fell in love with this wonderful, mythical gem. It is uncertain when the first pearl was discovered by human hands but what we do know is, that archaeologists found the world’s oldest pearl some years ago during excavations at Marawah Island, off the coast of Abu Dhabi. That pearl was radiocarbon-dated between 5800 and 5600 B.C. Meaning, it is around 8,000 years old!

As far as the collective memory goes, pearls have always, and continue to, exert a strong attraction on us humans. They are considered the most precious gemstone. They have been gifts for royalty for a long time and a status symbol. In some countries, there were even laws in place that limited the wearing of pearls to the upper-class only. In any case, they were only affordable for the aristocracy - The price for such a pearl, born in nature, was incredibly expensive. And it still is. More than 10,000 oysters are needed to make a necklace of wild pearls.

But how are pearls formed, actually? When an irritating microscopic object, e.g., a parasite or piece of shell, becomes trapped within an oyster's soft inner body, it causes it to secrete a crystalline substance, the so-called nacre, to defend the intruder. The nacre builds up around the irritating object in layers until a pearl is formed. Those wild, natural pearls are very rare.

Because of their rarity, thousands of oysters and mussels were opened and thus killed by pearl divers while searching for wild pearls and nearly brought the humble oyster to extinction. Fortunately, in the early 1900s, the pearl cultivation started. The development of modern technologies made it possible to successfully culture pearls in dedicated pearl farms where a shell bead nucleus is manually placed inside the oyster, triggering the pearl-creation process. Nowadays the gemstones, even though still considered high-end, are more affordable.

Why NOVA chose the pearl

Among all the different types or pearls out there - for our Audio Earrings we are using a real freshwater pearl. These kind of pearls are of high quality and value and have the widest range of size, shape and color. But besides the quality aspect, we chose the pearl for what it represents.

The pearl is a worldwide symbol of class, purity, status and quality and it is recognized by all women out there and represents all of them – independently of the age, status quo, and origins. Our NOVA H1 Audio Earrings embody the same concept of inclusivity. Furthermore, by combining the glamorous pearl with our outstanding technology, we are merging two worlds. We unite classic and nostalgic with new and modern. These worlds don’t collide, they are complimentary. And so, they are perfect for you, all the women out there!