[Buzzi]

I have a very unique looking pearl that is shaped like a cross. When I bought it I was told that it is replicating a very famous old pearl called 'The Southern Cross'. I have looked online and found no real information on this pearl. Can someone shed some light on this for me?

[jshepherd]

I have seen pearls similar to what you are describing. They are typically freshwater pearls, and unlike the “Southern Cross” they are a single pearl, or a cross of two stick pearls.
Although the actual shape of your pearl is similar to that of the Southern Cross the similarities end there. The Southern Cross was a group of attached pearls in the shape of a cross that sold for 10,000 pounds in 1896.
The Southern Cross was a cluster of pearls that attracted much attention in the late 1880’s. The piece consisted of 9 attached pearls forming a cross approximately 1.5-inches in length (consisting of 7 pearls), with a single pearl on either side of the second pearl from the top. The pearls were of good quality, but not perfect spheres, being of a slight baroque. The back of the pearl cluster was slightly flattened, giving evidence that the pearl cluster had formed close to the shell within the fleshy mantle of the host oyster, producing a fine luster, yet imperfect sphere. The value of the piece was not due to the quality of the individual pearls in the cluster, but the resulting natural shape.
This pearl, or pearl cluster, was found in Australia in 1883. After harvest the cluster came apart in three pieces and was soon reattached. It is also said that the original piece was only composed of 8 pearls, and that the right arm (or last pearl) was later attached with epoxy to complete the appearance of a perfect cross.