Wells WI May 2021 meeting report

We are beginning to make tentative plans to return to real meetings at Wells and Mendip Museum later this summer.

The walking netball players are looking forward to returning to the proper facilities of an indoor sports hall, rather than attracting attention playing in the park. One of the book groups has grown so big it may be necessary to divide it into two smaller groups.

Members were reminded to let the membership secretary know of any changes to personal details so she can ensure information held on the national database is correct and members get their monthly magazines.

The main event this month was the welcome return of Frances Carlaw aka The Pearl Lady. Bewitched by her grandmother's pearls as a child, Frances has travelled the world in pursuit of her passion, buying pearls that she strings in traditional fashion on knotted silk, a skill she used to teach at Denman, the WI college. She told us pearls can be divided into three categories:

Simulated, which are really glass beads with a pearly varnish (very smooth – real pearls feel a bit grittier when held against your teeth). They were very popular with the post war twinset and pearl brigades, when trade with pearl-producing countries in Asia was difficult. Now most are made in Majorca and Jersey. Frances has no truck with snobbery about costume jewellery, telling us we should enjoy our pearls in all their varieties.

Real, or natural, pearls are formed inside the bodies of mussels and oysters in seas and rivers, mainly in South Seas of China, Japan, Tahiti, Australia and New Zealand. Only one in 10,000 oysters will contain a pearl, and the chances of finding it are one in two million. As Frances said considering how a whole shipwreck can be lost on the ocean bed, the chances of finding a small pearl are remote. Accordingly, they are more valuable than diamonds. Frances told us the inch-wide teardrop shaped pearl, set in the ruby and diamond necklace Richard Burton bought for Elizabeth Taylor several years ago, was alone worth £1 million.

The Japanese Mr Mikimoto pioneered the science of culturing pearls in the late 19th century. Contrary to popular belief, pearls are not formed by a grain of sand in the oyster.

Instead, they form as a result of an oyster's self-defence mechanism when they react to the invasion of a parasitic worm by enclosing it in layers of bodily material that then calcify to form the pearl's characteristic nacre, made of the same substance that gives crystal its sparkle.

We saw photos of pearl farmers stimulating the natural process by inserting tiny beads into molluscs – they only have a 30 second window in which to do this without causing harm. The shape of the pearl is determined by the starter bead shape; Frances showed us a string of charming heart shaped pearls made this way.

Pearls are now farmed in the UK using the rare Tay mussel. It takes between two and 20 years for the pearl to form. We were surprised to learn oysters can live for more than 100 years.

Frances showed us photos of pearls in every shade of white, pink, gold, silver, bronze and black, and in every shape and size.

We learned that perfume and hairspray wreck the lustre of real pearls, so scent should be applied behind the ears, and that we should wear them regularly, so they are polished by our skin oils.

Frances donates fees paid for her talks to charity, members were glad to learn that she is currently supporting a charity feeding hungry children in Natal, South Africa.

Now retired, Frances runs residential courses in pearls and other crafts from her home in Burgundy - some members are considering making the trip when travel restrictions ease.

New women are always welcome and can attend as guests before deciding to join. More details are on our Facebook page.

By Veronica Howe