ABOUT THE PEARLS

What Is A Pearl?

Freshwater pearls are formed in the same manner as a saltwater pearl, whether natural or cultured. The term freshwater refers to where the pearl is formed, not how. The distinction between saltwater and freshwater is not as important in assessing pearls' desirability and durability as whether the pearls are natural or cultured.

Pearls are basically an irritant inside the mollusk.  The mollusk needs to protect itself from the irritant and builds up nacre, which then becomes a pearl.  These cultured pearls are a product of a man-made production process.  Humans insert a tiny shell piece along with a piece of mantle (mollusk ‘meat’) into the mollusk; thus the irritant.  The mollusks are returned back to the water to start growing the pearl.  Pearl growth can take any where from months to years to grow to a decent size. 

A Brief History

Pearls have been known to be one of the first and most coveted gemstone across the world.  Throughout history, pearls have shown themselves in practically every civilization imaginable. One of the reasons why pearls are adorned and coveted is for their beauty.  From the days of Cleopatra, pearls adorned head-dresses, necklaces, bracelets and clothing.  But the beauty is the reason why pearls have their place in history.  The King and Queen of Spain commanded Christopher Columbus to search the West Indies for an array of goods; and pearls was on this list.  Current day, the “ever-so-coveted” Tahitian pearl market has seen a decline and one of the reasons is the growth of other South Sea Island pearls.  This type of history really fascinates me.  Therefore, it was really obvious to me why all pearls appeal to me.  Not only because of the history but I’m attracted by the lure of pearls and their simple beauty.  As pearls earned their reputation as a treasure, they were also used as currency.  I’m fascinated by the structure and the growth of a pearl.   

Naturally, the most valued pearls are the roundest, largest, lustrous cleanest pearls; the most rare…but everyone has their own opinion on this matter.  Freshwater pearls are the product of mussels that inhabit freshwater lakes and rivers.  Saltwater pearls whose oyster's inhabit the oceans of the world are responsible for culturing the roundest most lustrous pearls in the world.  Technically, if freshwater pearls were the largest, roundest most lustrous pearls in the world, they could be worth as much as saltwater. Supply and demand also contribute to the value of pearls.

What are Fresh Water Pearls?

·        90% of ALL fresh water pearls come out of China.

·        Natural colors are pink, white, bluish/gray, light gold.

·        All other colors are enhancements…Latest technology is to “laser treat” or under go an “irradiantion process” which permanently enhances the color.  PEARLS ARE NO LONGER DIPPED.  This insures longevity.  (The irradiation treatment is a similar process which is commonly used to create yellow, chocolate and black diamonds and rubies, sapphires & topaz's to name a few.)

·        Grown in fresh water mollusks

·        Grown in fresh water lakes and streams

·        Human inserts a tiny “shell piece” along with a mantle back into mollusk to start “irritation process.”

·        Longer the pearl is left to grow, larger they become

·        Harvesting the pearl too quickly will encourage low quality pearls

Freshwater pearls are characterized by their irregular shapes and unusual colors. There is a huge amount of freshwater pearls available each year—unlike saltwater pearls whose perfectly round shapes and mirror-like lustre make them a true paragon. This is why freshwater pearls are so affordable. These days, the quality of a freshwater pearl is becoming as equal as a saltwater pearl; the lustre, the large size and the shape are getting as perfect as its competitor.  However, regardless of their price or rarity, freshwater pearls are nonetheless beautiful and very fashionable.

What are Salt Water Pearls?

·        Grown in various oysters.

·        Grown in salt water bays at different depths of water.

·        Through out Pacific Ocean (including Tahiti, Australia & Mexico)

·        Natural Color of pearl is determined by the type of oyster it’s grown in (example:  Blue Lip Oyster, Gold Lip Oyster helps with final color)

 Pearl SHAPES

In the process, sometimes pieces of dust or extra particles may fall into the mollusk (not planned).  These dust particles grow into pearls too.  These are called Keishi Pearls.  They are sometimes referred to as a natural pearl because of the naturalness of how it comes about.  Another natural process to the pearl growth are the rings you may sometimes see on pearls.  The rings are a natural process and are sometimes referred to as “Rings of Love” or “Circlé” pearls.

The pearl market has been drastically changing and therefore, pearl farmers have been creating different and unique shapes of pearls.  These are generally called “Boutique” pearls.  Boutique pearls are a specific shape and usually flat (thickness does vary).  They are not traditionally “round like a ball” but, these Boutique pearls are grown into flat shapes, such as ovals, squares, rectangles, diamonds and coin shapes.  The advancement in pearl shapes is also leading towards hearts, flowers, crosses and various other geometric shapes.

Pearl COLORS

Though now rare, natural color pearls are only pink, white, bluish/gray, light gold.  All other colors are enhancements through several different processes.  With fresh water pearls, one process is through a heat treatment.  Pearls are heated and pressured to effect desired alterations of color and clarity.  Bleaching is sometimes done using heat, light and/or other agents to lighten or remove colors.  Pearl color is also changed through an irradiation process.  Irradiation is a process using neutrons, gamma rays, beta particles or high energy electrons to alter the color.  This process may be followed by a heating process.  The same current technology is used with the new sapphire and diamond colors.

Pearl NACRE

Nacre or luster is determined by the “shine” to the pearl.  The experts say that this is determined by the length of time the pearl is in the mollusk.

METAPHYSICAL ASPECTS OF PEARLS

·        “Stone of Sincerity”, bringing truth to situations and loyalty to a “cause.”

·        Pearls signifies faith, charity and innocence, enhances personal integrity and helps to provide focus to ones attention.

·        Pearls symbolizes purity and can stimulate that condition in the body.

·        Treatment of digestive disorders, and to relieve conditions of biliousness and bloating, to treat the soft organs of the body, and to increase fertility and ease childbirth.