Posts Tagged ‘pearls’

There are many different colours and types of pearls on the market today that even pearl connoisseurs get a little confused! Those that want to buy pearl earrings just don’t know where to start. For those interested in buying pearls, or for gem enthusiasts who wish to learn more, here are answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about pearls.

Can You Buy Various Colours Of Tahitian Pearls?

You would think that these pearls come from Tahiti but actually they don’t, and they’re also not exclusively black in colour. Called “black” because of their exotic dark colours, Tahitian cultured pearls can also be grey, blue, green and brown. This type of pearl comes from a group of islands known as the French Polynesian range.

What’s The Difference Between Cultured Pearl Earrings And Natural Pearl Earrings?

If there is an oyster or mollusc on the seabed and something makes its way inside, like a parasite, then this is how natural pearls are formed. The oyster or mollusc tries to protect itself and to do this it coats the intruder in a substance which then creates the mother of pearl. It takes time for the nacre layers to build up, but when the newly-formed pearl is retrieved, it proves that it is worth the wait.

The difference between cultured and natural is that the two are formed in slightly different ways, with cultured pearls having man’s input in the formation process. Man’s input is such that he will place something inside the oyster which speeds up the pearl-making process. Once this is completed, pearls will then get made into jewellery and people like you and I can buy pearl earrings.

Saltwater Pearls Vs Freshwater Pearls

Many people would say that the quality of cultured freshwater pearls are better value than the saltwater versions. Over the years, improved pearl culturing processes have meant that freshwater pearls are now being produced that are large, rounded and stunningly beautiful.

With so many colours to choose from, freshwater cultured pearls are now the best option for people who like to express themselves through colourful jewellery. Universally flattering lavender pearls are very popular right now. If you like white pearls, these are also popular. Bold black pearls are actually treated with dye to produce their colour, and yet these remain a very popular choice for jewellery buyers.

You definitely get more value for money with freshwater pearls. You can buy pearl earrings in any colour you like, as long as you have the cash to splash.

Whether for decorations or jewellery, mother of pearl has been used throughout history to adorn musical instruments, marble, and ceramics – anything that can benefit from its artistic shine is fair game. Their gorgeous colors are created by carving out mollusk shells, which can cast some amazing reflections that produce a new artistic effect that changes based on the angle from which it is being viewed. Though it used to be worn primarily by royalty, these days it is so affordable that average people can own it, yet it retains the beauty that has prompted families to keep unique pieces over generations.

Mother of pearl loses its luster easily, but it can be maintained with the proper care.

Adhere to the following directions to keep your mother of pearl pretty for many years to come.

Your jewellery is delicate, so be gentle with it. Wear and take off this item carefully, without permitting the pearls to rub together. Any friction you allow may wind up damaging the nacre over time, which will leave you with dull chunks of pearl.

Activities that are strenuous should be avoided at all costs. Don’t allow your jewellery to be jostled. In other words, don’t run, don’t crawl, don’t act in any manner that will cause your mother of pearl jewellery to grate against itself. By being overly active, you run the risk of allowing your jewellery to catch on objects as you pass by, which could rip any string holding your pearls together and cause you to lose your mother of pearl or damage it beyond recognition. Necklace strings will deteriorate when exposed to sweat from your body, which will also cause damaging friction.

Don’t shower or bathe while wearing mother of pearl jewellery. It’s for the best to avoid plunging jewellery into standing water, and mother of pearl is not excused from this rule. Dunking your jewellery can cause similar problems to the previous suggestions – the water can ruin any strings (for instance in a necklace) which can produce grating among the pearls. Play it safe and take off all jewellery before bathing or showering.

Wet jewellery should dry out completely before being stored. That being said, jewellery can and will get wet if you wear it enough, so if your mother of pearl does get wet you have to let it dry thoroughly before dumping it into storage. This will help out because it stops wear and tear on your jewellery and also stops bacteria from growing out of control on your mother of pearl. You’re putting this on naked skin, after all. Don’t let it become a germ factory.

If your jewellery becomes dirty, be sure to clean it carefully. Mother of pearl being as delicate as it is, most chemicals are too abrasive and powerful to clean jewellery properly. Never put any mother of pearl in an ultrasonic cleaner for the same reason. If you are able, wipe any dirt from your jewellery with a piece of gentle cloth to clean your piece, but if you need something a little more heavy duty use a mixture of water and mild soap, and then allow it to sit and dry.

Keep your mother of pearl jewellery in its own bag. Only store mother of pearl jewellery in its own gentle cloth bag. Moving your pieces away from other jewellery helps to keep dust away and also minimizes potentially nacre-destroying friction.

There are few accessories that are as beautiful as mother of pearl jewellery. Pay attention to the details listed above and you’ll have your mother of pearl bright and shining for as long as you need it.

Are you curious about Mother of Pearl jewellery and how to craft incredible jewellery that can compete with the pros? Then make sure you browse the many Mother of Pearl webpages to learn more about these brilliant beauties.

Pearls are gems that have been loved and admired for centuries. Pearls are produced in the soft tissue of an oyster, where they are protected by the hard shell. The highest quality pearl will be perfectly round and smooth. It is common though for pearls to grow into many different shapes. Some of the largest pearls in the world are South Sea pearls.

Pinctada maxima is the mollusk that produces the South Sea pearl. Farmed mostly off the coast of Australia, they are also grown in Myanmar, the Philippines and Indonesia. Although pearls can be found growing wild, the majority of pearls today are cultivated in farms in the depths of the sea. South Sea pearls are cultivated this way too.

A primary reason for the large size of the South Sea pearl is the length of time the pearl will grow. Other pearls grow for up to sixteen months, but South Sea pearls have a growth period of no less than two years. The clean waters found in the South Sea make abundant food supplies available for all sea life. This perfect setting goes a long way in producing the perfect gems.

Farming of South Sea pearls is a very technical operation today. Nuclei are implanted into the mollusks by technicians. As the pearls grow inside, the oysters are carefully monitored by a team of professionals. While other pearls are harvested in just over a year or less, it is common for some South Sea pearls to grow for six years.

After they are harvested, pearls are sorted and then put through a grading process. Pearls that are not perfect are separated from the perfect gems, allowing only the best to be sent to market. Perhaps the most difficult process is matching. Pearls are matched by their size and their shape, which will create the perfect strand.

Although pearl cultivation is a high tech process in the world today, nature gets all the credit for the beauty of the pearl. As South Sea pearls come in different shapes and sizes, they also come in different colors too. Two varieties of South Sea pearls exist, the silver-lipped and the gold-lipped. The variety of the mollusk that produces the pearl will determine the color the pearl will grow to be. Another deciding factors of color is the location it is cultivated.

Hands down, South Sea pearls are among the most beautiful in the world. They will be admired by the entire family and will be family heirlooms for generations far into the future. If you have not yet discovered the beauty nature produces in these fine gems, do so today.

Before you buy your next gorgeous golden south sea pearlonline, have a look at other people’s comments at the south sea pearl blog and forum at the Golden South Sea Pearl site. There you will find many discussions on Pearl Collections , Braceletsand other fine jewellery pieces.

Pearl jewelry is timeless and elegant as well as hip and modern. They are often preferred by many because they are simply the most elegant adornment to finish off every outfit for every occasion. Pearl has been valued as objects of beauty and became a metaphor for something very admirable, very valuable, very fine and very rare. Pearl is the June birthstone and is also considered as a symbol showing deep love.

A pearl is made up of calcium carbonate, a common substance found in rocks and shells of mollusks. Calcium carbonate deposited in concentric layers found in pearls is in minute crystalline form. A pearl is roundish, hard object produced within the soft tissue of living shelled mollusks. It is secreted by the epithelial cells of the mantle, a curtain of tissue between the shell and body mass.

A pearl is eventually formed through a process called encystations. This process begins when a parasite or an irritating microscopic object is trapped inside the mollusk’s mantle folds. The mollusks, being irritated by the intruder, secrete the calcium carbonate and conchiolin to cover the irritant. As long as the animal lives, the pearl keeps growing because the secretion process continues.

The mother of pearl, Nacre, is an inner shell layer that is iridescent, resilient and strong. Nacre secretion around the irritating object forms a pearl within the body of the mollusk. But not all mollusks have nacre, some have porcellaneous inner shell layer. This type of mollusks also produces pearl, which may even have a higher commercial value.

There are freshwater pearls and saltwater pearls. Pearls from the sea are valued higher than freshwater pearls. Freshwater pearls are a kind of pearl that comes from freshwater mussels, while several species of marine pearl oysters produces saltwater pearls. Cultured pearls are pearls grown by humans in pearl-producing mollusks. Scarcity of pearl supply is the main reason why culturing and farming of pearls became popular. Still, the valuable pearls are those that come from the wild.

Pearls can be cultured or farmed, but valuable pearls are those that occur in the wild. Culturing or farming of pearls has become successful because of its scarcity. Cultured pearls are pearls grown in pearl-producing mollusks with the aid of human intervention. These are also considered genuine pearls as they do not differ from their natural pearl counterparts.

There are saltwater and freshwater cultured pearls. Saltwater cultured pearls are those cultured in a saline environment. They are created by introducing a rounded bead of freshwater mussel shell into the gonad of the host mollusk. By creating small incisions to the mantle organ of a host mussel a freshwater cultured pearl is produced.

Pearls are considered to be gemstones and are valued for their translucence and luster and for the delicate play of surface color. Pearls come in different shapes. There are round, rice-shaped, pear-shaped, button-shaped, or irregular (baroque). But, the ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth.

The quality of pearl, or pearl grade, is determined by its size, luster, shape, color, orient, and surface perfection. Luster depends upon the reflection, refraction and diffraction of light from the translucent layers. A pearl’s luster is finer if it has thinner and more numerous layers. If successive layers overlap, the light falling on the surface breaks up and the pearl displays iridescence.

The largest pearl was discovered by an anonymous Filipino Muslim diver in Palawan, Philippines in 1934. It was found from a non-nacreous giant clam. The pearl has a china plate like gloss but is not pearly as it did not come from a pearl oyster. It has a weight of 14 lbs. or 6.4 kilograms. It is known as the “Pearl of Allah”.

A pearl, although delicate, has been successfully used in jewelry for many years already. It is the only gem created by humans who can be used without cutting or polishing. For centuries, pearl is considered to be the most valuable oldest known and organic gem.

About the Author: Fred Gagnon specializes in providing tips and information on jewelries. He owns a wide collection of stunning, glamorous and chic jewelries. To learn more about jewelries, accessories, precious metals and gemstones, visit Black Pearl Earrings and Hip Hop Jewelry.