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Pearl Jewelry
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Pearls are organic gems, created when an oyster covers a foreign object with beautiful layers of nacre.
Cultured pearls are that are nudged to life when a worker surgically implants a tiny bead into the oyster (that's the shellfish in which pearls grow). The host oyster is then lowered back into the water and, if all goes well, it deposits layer upon layer of a substance called nacre around the bead, eventually forming a pearl large enough to harvest. Some oysters continue to produce pearls without any help, forming nacre around a natural irritant that gets inside their shells, they are rare however. Culturing produces far more pearls than nature could alone.
Freshwater Pearls are available in a wider color range than saltwater, including purple, violet, orange, blue and gray. They are cheaper to produce as each mollusk can yield up to 30 pearls per harvest! American freshwaters are allowed to mature for much longer than all other cultured
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| pearls (up to 5 years, compared to 1 year for most others) resulting in a thicker nacre which gives American pearls an unusually high luster and orient (the iridescence from the light reflected from the inside of the pearl).
Legend
Pearls are the oldest known gem, and for centuries were considered the most valuable.
The earliest written record of pearls value is in the Shu King, a 23rd-century BC Chinese book in which the scribe sniffs that a lesser king sent tribute of "strings of pearls not quite round". The Chinese also used pearls in medicinal ways to cure eye ailments, heart trouble, fever and bleeding. To this day pearl powder is still popular in China as a skin whitener and cosmetic. In India, pearls were believed to give peace of mind and strength of body and soul. Europeans thought that swallowing whole or powdered pearls cured matters of the mind and heart.
The Romans were enamored of this gem of the sea and Rome's Pearl craze reached its zenith during the first century BC.At that time upper class Roman women (the lower ranks were forbidden from wearing them) wore their pearls to bed so they could be reminded of their wealth immediately upon awakening. They also upholstered couches with pearls and sewed so many into their gowns that they practically walked on their pearl-encrusted hems. The famously excessive Emperor Caligula, having made his beloved horse a consul, decorated it with a Pearl necklace.
While Queen Isabella had to hock her impressive collection of jewelry to fund Christopher Columbus' expedition to discover the new world, the investment paid off as the discovery of Pearls in Central American waters added to the wealth of Spain. The flood of American Pearls on to the European market earned the newly discovered continent the nickname "Land of Pearls". Unfortunately, greed for the sea gems resulted in the depletion of virtually all the American pearl oyster populations by the 17th Century.
Pears Types
Akoya Pearl
Akoya Pearls are found only in Japan, Vietnam and China. The determining factor is that the saltwater pearl, generally cultured, is grown in the Akoya oyster 'Pinctada Fucata Martensii'. Generally a large portion of Akoya pearl however that is sold retail these days still originates in Japan, although China is definitely producing larger and larger amounts of smaller sized Akoya pearl all of the time.Overtone colors of Akoya pearls include white, cream, rose, silver, and green. Akoya pearl sizes range from less than 5mm to 9mm. Larger Akoya pearl sizes are possible, but less frequent.
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Biwa Pearl
A Biwa pearl is a cultured pearl grown in Lake Biwa in Japan.
Black Pearl
A Black pearl is large and naturally colored cultured pearl from the Pinctada Margaritifera oyster and generally ranges from 8mm.
Blister Pearl
A Blister pearl is either natural or a cultured pearl. It grows attached to the inner surface of the shell on oysters or even mussels. The side of the blister pearl attached to the shell has no nacre coating or luster.
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Blue Pearl
A blue pearl is a cultured pearl from the Akoya oyster, and its color is due to contaminants in the nacre of the pearl or under the nacre around the nucleus.
Half Pearl
Often jewelers will remove half of a pearl to mount it in a particular piece of jewelry or to remove blemishes. This is what is referred to as a half pearl.
Keshi Pearl
A Keshi pearl is a pearl which has grown accidentally within the soft tissue or muscle of the oyster. It is an interesting case with the Keshi pearl, technically it is considered by some to be a natural pearl, as man does not implant a seed to produce the pearl. It is only found in a cultured mollusk and not in a free mollusk as a traditional natural pearl does. The Keshi is found only in a farmed mollusk, but occurs naturally. Some consider it to be a natural pearl as such. Some cultivated south sea mollusks produce very large Keshi pearl with high luster that can exceed 10mm.
Mikimoto Pearls
Mikimoto is a Japan brand name from the Mikimoto Company, founded by the late Kokichi Mikimoto. Mikimoto pearls come in many shapes and qualities, but are known for their high luster and near flawless surface conditions. Very few pearls produced by the Mikimoto Company are qualified to carry the trademark clasp that signifies the trademark of the Mikimoto Company. This clasp is an 18K gold clasp with a pearl or diamond in the center and the company trademark. The jewelry should also have a certificate of authenticity if it is being sold from a respectable jewelry store.
Moter of Pearl
Mother of Pearl is not a pearl in the typical sense. It is the inner lining of the oyster shell. It is comprised of the same elements as a pearl, but is much more plentiful than regular pearls, and thus less expensive to market.
Oriental Pearl
Oriental pearl is a natural pearl that is found in oysters from the Persian Gulf waters. Sometimes the term 'oriental pearl' can be used to designate a natural saltwater pearl found in the western Asian seas, i.e.; the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, or the waters of the Coast of Sri Lanka.
South Sea Pearl
South Sea pearl can be a general term signifying any salt-water pearl found in the seas from Myanmar and Indonesia south to Australia and French Polynesia. A South Sea pearl is generally large and range from 9mm.
Abalone Pearl
The Abalone pearl was found in the Abalone mollusk in Mexico, New Zealand, California, Japan, and Korea. Abalone pearl can have many colors ranging from green, blue, pink, and yellow. It may even have an opal like appearance with more than one color and are irregularly shaped. An Abalone pearl can sell for more than $350.
Conch Pearl
Conch pearl is found in the large conch shell, generally in the Caribbean Sea. This pearl is very large and is not a cultured pearl. The Conch pearl can come in several colors, such as pink brownish, or white.
Osmena Pearl
Osmena pearl is a very inexpensive Mabe like pearl. It is from the nautilus snail and is formed on the inside of a shell, later being completed with a backing to hide the blister. This pearl can cost as little as $5-$20
Seed Pearl
A Seed pearl is very very small, less than 2mm.
Pearls Characteristics
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Luster
This term refers to the how light reflects or plays on the surface of pearls. A pearl with high luster is bright and extremely reflective. This quality is important as any color of pearl can be beautiful but it is the exceptional luster which will set a pearl apart. You should avoid cultured pearls that look dull and chalky. Surface
The surface of a cultured pearl should be relatively clear of blemishes, pockmarks and pits.The more flawless a pearl is, the greater its value. "A" quality in this category demands that blemishes or imperfections be confined to less than 10% of the
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pearl's surface. Minor imperfections are generally considered elements which give each pearl a slightly unique character.
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Color
Color in pearls is a preference based upon geographical location or skin tones.Pearls which show strong blue, magenta or green overtones exhibit color tones known as "peacock," and are considered extremely desirable. Unusual colors such as vibrant blue, magenta, or apricot are known as "fancy" colors, and also command higher prices.
Size
Pearl size is very important in assessing its value due to the greater rarity of larger pearls. Pearl size is measured in millimeters, to the tenth. Some people like smaller, more delicate cultured pearls, from 3.0 mm to 5.0 mm, while others like larger pearls, 6mm and up. Size does affect price; usually the larger the pearl, the more valuable it is.
Shape
For many people, roundness in cultured pearls equals perfection, and it is the traditional sublime shape. But modern tastes vary, and you may want to explore baroque, or irregularly-shaped, cultured pearls. Baroque pearls, for example, more often flash with "orient," a display of iridescent colors that moves across a pearl's surface.
Value
Pearl's value is most related to the thickness and quality of the nacre. Other factors include size, shape, and color. In general, the highest prices will be paid for large, round, well colored, unenhanced gems. Factors that influence value in pearl jewelry pieces would add to these general considerations, quality of stringing and degree of matching in size and color.
Care
Pearl jewelry should not be exposed to acid-alkali substances and high temperature.
It should also be kept from direct contact with chemical substances such as perfume, hair spray or to minerals such as oil and salt.
It is also advisable to wear pearls to keep them from drying out. The body's natural oils keep pearls lustrous, which is why, in the Orient, it's said the more you wear it, the more lively a pearl jewelry becomes. When washing or bathing one should remove pearl jewelry.
If pearl jewelry becomes contaminated with perspiration and dirt, use neutral cleaning detergents to wash it and rinse it with clean water. Then use a soft cotton cloth for drying.
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