Why was the pearl necklace so meaningful to Emma?

Q: In a number of the pictures of Emma she is wearing a beaded necklace, which apparently meant a great deal to her.  Do you have any background/history regarding Joseph giving her that necklace and why is was so meaningful to her? 

A: This question is frequently asked. Unfortunately, we do not know at what date or time or reason Joseph gave Emma the necklace. We only know that it was a gift from him and Emma treasured it very highly.  She is said to have ‘worn it always’ and when the beads wore through or became too broken or bent she filled in with amber beads.  

When her oldest granddaughter, Emma Josepha Smith [McCallum] got married Emma gave her the necklace as a gift.  Emma McCallum must have placed the necklace in the coffin before her grandmother was buried because in 1928 when her grave was located and moved, some of the beads were found in the grave.  Joseph and Hyrum’s graves were also found and all three were moved to a higher place above the Mississippi.  Today a new granite monument stands over their graves in the Smith Family Cemetery in Nauvoo.  Emma’s beads are now on display in the museum in the Community of Christ (former RLDS)  visitors’ center in Nauvoo, IL.