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Video: How in Russia pearls were mined and clothes were decorated with them
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Looking at old canvases and photographs, you sometimes wonder how expensively the residents of "unwashed Russia" are dressed. The incredibly beautiful jewelry and headdresses made of pearls, which took a huge amount of this precious material, were, of course, a family property and were passed down from generation to generation, but, nevertheless, it is strange that they were available not only to the nobility, but also to the wealthy peasants.
Pearl fishing
The answer to the question of where the peasants used to get so many pearls is very simple - they got it themselves. European pearl mussel was found in huge quantities in northern rivers, especially in the Arkhangelsk province, along the shores of the White Sea. About 200 pearl-bearing rivers were known in the 17th century in Russia. For the extraction of precious pearls, special rafts were built. There was a hole in the center, into which the bottom was looked through, and if they stumbled upon a cluster of shells, they pulled them out with special long tongs. In the shallow waters, pearl mussels were simply groped with their feet and pulled out - even children could do such a craft.
It is interesting that, having found a large pearl, they would put it in their mouth for a couple of hours, “marinate” it, and then kept it on their chest in a wet rag for a couple of hours - it was believed that this is how the pearl is strengthened.
Of course, river pearls are different from sea pearls, but there were a lot of them, and sometimes, among the wrong and small ones, there were real “pearls” - large and absolutely even, such that, if put on a saucer, the pearl itself would not stand still. Such pearls were called "pitched" and, by the way, this is how their value was determined - the longer it rolls, the more expensive it is.
The volumes of production were such that pearls were really available even to poor people. They were used to decorate not only clothes, but also icon frames, frescoes and religious objects, books, saddles, and weapons. Until the end of the 19th century, after India, Russia was the second supplier of pearls to Europe. The state tried several times to take control of profitable production, but it did not work. For example, the decree of Peter I banning fishing from 1721 had to be canceled ten years later. And Elizaveta Petrovna did not prohibit the extraction, but attracted the army to this business, which in 1746 and 1749 took part in special expeditions. Although there were always enough pearls in the royal treasuries. This was especially noticeable during the defeats: in 1611, having taken the Kremlin, the Poles fired large pearls from their muskets out of idleness, and during the Salt Riot of 1648, rioters-robbers measured pearls in handfuls and sold them to those who wished in full caps.
Wealth on the head
Pearls, as a natural material, and even grown inside a shell, have always been endowed with magical properties. Whiteness, iridescence of brilliance made him a symbol of purity and righteousness, therefore girls and young women especially loved him. In each region, dresses and hats had their own characteristics, so it is not surprising that the northern provinces were distinguished by the richest pearl jewelry. Some headdresses took a huge amount of this precious material to make.
- a special type of female headdress was distinguished by many pearl bumps. It was considered a symbol of fertility:.
- the wavy lower part of the headdress of the girls of Zaonezhie. It took 3 to 20 spool of pearls to make this mesh (1 spool - 4, 26 g), so such an ornament was not cheap even in the old days.
- an unusual type of this decoration was a cardboard "hat" covered with richly embroidered fabric, and a mesh-bottom, which was also called "duckweed". These headdresses in Verkhniye Luki were especially interesting.
Such decorations were family pride. In the old days, it was believed that pearls, as a "living" material, love young people, and on old people it fades and dries over time. Therefore, older women donated their treasures to girls and young men to restore their splendor. In addition to this "sparing" method, there were also folk recipes for restoring the beauty of tarnished pearls. True, not all of them were suitable for complex finished products. Cleaning with salt was considered the simplest way: pearls in a linen bag had to be sprinkled with it and rinsed in water until the salt dissolves, washing out foreign particles. May dew was also known as a good cleaner. Well, if all else failed, they let the brightest rooster peck at the pearl. A few hours later, it was taken out of the bird's stomach, shining with its primordial brilliance, and at the same time the soup was cooked.
From the hut to the palace
It is clear that centuries-old mining on such a massive scale has gradually led to the depletion of this natural resource. Over time, pearls in Russia became less and less, and their prices increased. However, the high society, of course, did not deny themselves this, now dear, pleasure. It is clear that they never limited themselves to local pearls. A huge number of portraits of the 18th-19th centuries have survived, in which the Russian nobility flaunts their jewelry. The point, probably, is that pearls are very beautiful, but at the same time modest. It sets off feminine beauty, without drawing attention to itself, therefore, pearl jewelry at all times was very fond of painting artists.
One of the most beautiful ladies of her era was Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova. From Princess Tatiana Vasilievna, Potemkin's niece, she inherited a rich collection of jewelry. Felix Yusupov wrote about his great-great-grandmother in his memoirs:
Unfortunately, today pearls have ceased to be a public decoration, although numerous pearl farms are saturating the market with their products.
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