The hotel casino Luxor is based on an Egyptian theme and includes a huge pyramid that houses the Bodies and Titanic exhibitions as well as a 200m obelisk, fountain, slot machines and hotel rooms.
We were on our way through the malls to the Bodies Exhibition when a pretty lady with long black hair and a perfect smile asked us if we wanted to find our own pearl by fishing an oyster out of a bucket.
The sales lady was Hawaiian, the company was Hawaiian and the included ritual was Hawaiian but the oysters were actually from Japan. It cost $15 to choose your own oyster and keep your pearl if one happened to be in the shell. The fattest and hairiest oysters are the oldest and have had longer to grow a bigger pearl so using big bamboo tongs, my 14yo daughter picked out our oyster and placed it on a plate.
The Hawaiians have a ritual to welcome the pearl and say goodbye to the oyster that grew it; using the tongs we tapped the oyster three times and called out “alo-ha!” with all the staff joining in, a big ship’s bell was rung and then the sales lady deftly cut open the shell to expose our first pretty pink pearl.
Pearls have personalities based on their colour. Black is adventurous, green means longevity, blue is wisdom, pink is beauty, white is innocence, gold is prosperity, cream is happiness and silver is love. The most uncommon pearls are black followed by blue.
After our pearl was removed from the oyster it was scrubbed clean of leftover calcium build up on a bed of damp towel and salt. Then it was placed in Gemma’s hands to be rolled in her natural body oils for the first time; the body’s oils and heat maintain a pearl’s lustre.
The pearl was then drilled ready for Gemma to choose a setting for it to go into. The sales tactic is slick. Once you have a pearl it needs a setting which start from $50, then it needs a chain and then you’ve spent enough to get a “free” pearl and the process starts all over again. It was a very entertaining and educational way to buy a piece of jewellery but after walking away with 2 pink pearls and 1 uncommon blue pearl, 3 settings and two chains, I can no longer afford the helicopter ride I wanted!
