Pearls
Pearls
Various occult properties were ascribed to pearls. Among the early Greeks and Romans, the wearing of the gem as an amulet or talisman was much in vogue, and pearls were often made into crowns. Smedley, Taylor, Thompson and Rich noted, "Pope Adrian, anxious to secure all the virtues in his favour, wore an amulet composed of a sun baked toad, arsenic, tormentil, pearl, coral, hyacinth, smarag, and tragacanth."
It was popularly believed that to dream of pearls meant many tears. The occult virtues of pearls were said to be brought forth by boiling them in meat. When bruised and taken with milk, they were believed to be good for ulcers and to clear the voice. They were also said to comfort the heart and render their possessor chaste.
The mysterious Mr. Jacob ("Jacob of Simla") (ca. 1850-1921) described himself as a "Healer of Pearls," able to restore color to a "sick" pearl.
Sources:
Smedley, E., W. C. Taylor, H. Thompson, and E. Rich. The Occult Sciences. N.p., 1855.