Black pearls are considered to be the symbol of wisdom and strength, while pearls, in general, are considered an adequate choice for funerals for not being as shiny and distracting as other jewelry. Pearls can also represent sympathy and sorrow for the bereaved family.

Nearly 44 years after Jimmy Carter left the nation's capital in humbling defeat, the 39th president returned to Washington on Tuesday for state funeral rites that featured the kind of bipartisan praise and ceremonial pomp the Georgia Democrat rarely enjoyed at his political peak.