Adorning empire: A history of the early modern pearl trade, 1492--1688

This dissertation, "Adorning Empire: A History of the Early Modern Pearl Trade, 1492-1688," provides a social and cultural history of an iconic commodity. It traces the fortunes of a jewel whose aesthetic appeal was matched by its utility, accessibility, and portability in the hands of a diverse range of people. At the heart of my research is an interest in the role of the individual in complex and intersecting empires, and the interplay between personal and imperial initiative. The dissertation considers the question of how people's relationship with an unusual commodity enabled them to negotiate the boundaries of their lives in an evolving imperial context. I trace the paths traveled by Atlantic pearls, and examine the circumstances of their harvesting from pearl beds off the coast of Venezuela, their preparation for market, and the routes they traveled from American pearl fisheries to European markets and beyond. I argue that pearls were a mercurial commodity, and I explore the ramifications of the jewel's unique qualities for individuals' and communities' relationship with pearls from America, to Scotland, to India. In bracketing my dissertation between two landmark dates, my intention is to make clear that the history of the pearl trade is one of borderlands and border-crossings. While focusing primarily on the paths of Atlantic pearls and their routes to market in the Americas and Europe, I place this trade in a firmly global perspective by examining the interplay between the Atlantic pearl trade and the traffic in Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf pearls. By comparing actors and influences across a wide range of geographic and political boundaries, I connect people and places whose experiences of the early modern era would otherwise belong to distinct historical geographies.