Ancient Vedic texts describe a pearl as the “daughter of the moon.” Round, white, and lustrous, it’s true that top quality pearls resemble a glowing full moon. However, not all pearls are suitable for Vedic Astrology (Jyotish). Here we will explain what types of pearls work for Jyotish, why, and how to choose which type of pearl to buy.
How Pearls are Formed
Pearls are created when an irritant finds its way into an oyster. The oyster, in an attempt to soothe itself, begins to form nacre, or white pearl material, around the intrusive irritant.
In nature, the irritant may be something like a grain of sand or a small piece of organic matter that dissolves inside the pearl over time. These pearls have no significant nucleus inside of them – they’re almost 100% pure nacre, all the way to the core of the pearl.
Cultured pearls are created by manually inserting an irritant into an oyster to begin the pearl formation process. This is usually done with a round bead made out of shell or plastic. Or, in the case of tissue-nucleated pearls, a tiny piece of mantle tissue (flesh from the body of a mollusk) is inserted, and the pearl begins to form around that.
Tissue-nucleated pearls work well for astrology. That small piece of inserted mantle tissue dissolves over time, creating a pearl that’s almost pure nacre, like a natural pearl. The essential difference between a tissue-nucleated pearl and a natural pearl is that tissue-nucleated pearls were instigated by humans and natural pearls were formed incidentally.
A majority of cultured pearls are bead-nucleated. These don’t work for astrology because there’s just a thin layer of nacre on top of a large artificial nucleus. Below is an infographic showing the difference between effective and ineffective pearls for Jyotish.
SHOULD I CHOOSE A NATURAL PEARL OR A TISSUE-NUCLEATED PEARL?
Because Jyotish quality natural pearls are so rare, they’re a lot more expensive than tissue-nucleated pearls. (It’s not that natural pearls can’t still be found for cheap, but they’re usually malformed and have poor luster. They don’t resemble the moon and they don’t do much for Jyotish.) If it’s financially feasible to purchase a Jyotish quality natural pearl, it may be worth doing, as it’s quite an honor to own one. You may wind up with a pearl that is only 1 or 2 carats, but our customers still report results with them at this size, especially if they are energetically sensitive people.
If you’re not particularly sensitive to gems and crystals, it might make sense to get a large tissue-nucleated pearl. They’re a fraction of the price of natural pearls, and as long as they’re fairly large, they produce good effects. Some people also appreciate that tissue-nucleated pearls are a more sustainable and renewable resource than natural pearls.
In our experience, natural pearls optimally target astrological significations of the moon in the wearer’s Jyotish chart. They’re a clear, specific, and direct planetary remedy. Tissue-nucleated pearls can do this too, but sometimes the results are more generalized – cooling and calming effects are usually what’s reported with tissue-nucleated pearls. Extra large tissue-nucleated pearls are more likely to target direct significations of the moon in the wearer’s Jyotish chart than smaller ones. In other words, if you have a very specific astrological intention for wearing a pearl, such as activating a particular house or neutralizing a particular affliction, a large tissue-nucleated pearl or a natural pearl may be ideal. If you’re simply looking for more of that calming and cooling moon energy in your life, a smaller tissue-nucleated pearl should work fine.
What metal should I use for my pearl jewelry?
Silver is the traditional metal for pearl jewelry in Vedic Astrology. The moon is considered a cool planet, so the cooler metals are generally preferred. If the wearer really wants to set the pearl in gold, white gold may be a more suitable option than yellow gold as it is energetically cooler.
What finger should I wear an astrological pearl on?
Many astrologers recommend wearing a pearl on the pinky finger. We find the ring finger also works and may be safer for the pearl than the pinky which is subject to a lot of impact. However, a majority of our customers wear their pearls as pendants. Pendants can be worn right over the heart which works well for this particular gem, it’s a discreet way of wearing the pearl, and it keeps the stone protected.
What size pearl should I wear?
Because natural pearls are so rare, it’s expected that it will likely be under 4 carats, and this is okay when it’s an exceptional quality pearl. (Some imperfections are expected with natural pearls, even the finest ones.) If buying a tissue-nucleated pearl, we recommend going as large as possible, and be sure it’s as close to flawless as possible. Users report results with tissue-nucleated pearls as small as 5 carats, but the results are stronger when the pearl is 8 or more carats.
You can find our natural pearls here.
Our tissue-nucleated pearls can be found here.