Natural Pearl (Moti): Cooling the Mind with the Moon's Gem

Pearl is the only organic gem in the Navratna, and it belongs to Chandra - the Moon. The Moon governs the mind, emotional life, the mother, and sleep. Moti is accordingly the stone reached for when the problem is turbulence rather than lack: a mind that will not settle.

What it is used for

• Emotional steadiness - mood swings, reactivity, anxiety.
• Sleep - the most common practical reason people are given a pearl.
• Cooling - traditionally used for excess heat, anger and irritability.
• Relationship with the mother, and with nurturing generally.
• Support during a difficult Moon dasha or where the Moon is weak, waning or afflicted at birth.

Moti is regarded as the gentlest of the nine gems. It is one of the few that most traditions consider low-risk to try, which is why it is often the first stone recommended to someone new to gemstone astrology.

Natural, cultured or imitation

This is where buyers most often go wrong.

• Natural pearl forms without human intervention. It is genuinely rare, expensive, and what classical texts describe. Basra pearls are the historic benchmark.
• Cultured pearl is grown in a mollusc after a nucleus is inserted. The nacre is real and biologically identical - South Sea, Akoya, Keshi and freshwater pearls are all cultured. Most contemporary astrologers accept cultured pearls, and they are what the overwhelming majority of people actually wear.
• Imitation pearl is glass or plastic with a coating. It has no astrological standing at all.

Ask which of the three you are buying, and get it in writing. A certificate will state it plainly.

Judging quality

1. Lustre - the single most important factor. A good pearl reflects sharply; a poor one looks chalky.
2. Surface - fewer blemishes, pits and ridges is better. Perfection is not expected.
3. Shape - round is traditionally preferred for astrological use. Baroque pearls are beautiful but conventionally used for jewellery rather than remedy.
4. Nacre thickness - thin nacre wears through and dulls. It is the reason cheap cultured pearls disappoint over time.
5. Colour - white and cream are standard for Moti. Golden South Sea and black Tahitian pearls are prized as gems but are not the classical choice for the Moon.

Wearing rules

• Metal: silver, which resonates with the Moon.
• Finger: little finger of the right hand.
• Day and time: Monday evening, waxing moon, preferably on a full moon.
• Mantra: Om Shram Shreem Shraum Sah Chandraya Namah, 108 times.
• Weight: commonly 4 to 7 ratti; use the carat to ratti calculator.

Care - pearls are fragile

At hardness 2.5 to 4, pearl is by far the softest stone in the Navratna, and nacre is chemically vulnerable.

• Put pearls on last, after perfume, hairspray and cosmetics. Take them off first.
• Wipe with a soft damp cloth after wearing - skin acids dull nacre over time.
• Never use an ultrasonic cleaner, and never soak in any chemical solution.
• Store in a soft pouch, separately from harder stones that will scratch them.
• Restring pearl strands every year or two if worn regularly.

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