|
| |
|
 Information
About Pearls |
|
"The Queen Gem" |
 Pearls
always make a fashion statement - an essential for the well-dressed
woman. They are elegant, chic and glamorous. Any woman can
wear them for any occasion. |
| Pearls are Organic
Gems. They are not man-produced ceramic. They are not
perfect. Pearls almost always have dents, pits, grooves, circles
etc. Luster is a product of many layers of nacre overlapping in a
varying formation. No two pearls will ever be an exact match -
this is part of their uniqueness. |
| A pearl is a gem
produced by oysters in saltwater or by mollusk (scallop) in freshwater.
An irritant (ex: sand) finds its way into the shell. The oyster
can't rid itself of it. To ease the discomfort, conchiolin and
nacre (calcium, also called
mother-of-pearl) are
secreted. The nacre is composed of microscopic crystals. If
this happens in nature (very rare), it is know as a natural pearl.
The result is the build-up of layer after layer of nacre to form a
pearl. |
| Cultured pearls
undergo the same process. They are real pearls. Cultured
pearls are formed because the irritant is planted in the oyster to form
the pearls. Producers of cultured pearls wash, feed, maintain
water temperature and control pollutants; but, the oyster still
has control of the pearl product it produces. It takes several
years to raise the oyster and produce a cultured pearl. Almost
every pearl on the market now is cultured, salt water and freshwater
pearls. Natural pearls are very rare. |
| Pearls are the
oldest known gem and for centuries were considered to be the most
valuable. A pearl is truly unique because it is the only gem
created by a living creature. The oldest known natural pearl
necklace is more than 4,000 years old. It was found in the
sarcophagus of a Persian princess who died in 520 BC. This pearl
is now displayed at the Louvre in Paris. |
| Records of our
fascination with pearls go back for thousands of years. Their
perfection (they need no cutting nor polishing to reveal their beauty)
and the fact they are " born " has continued to amaze and delight us.
The shape and color of the pearl have linked it with the moon, taking on
the magic of serenity and romance. Pearls will last a
lifetime with proper care and
will become more beautiful with age. |
| The largest known
pearl is called the Hope Pearl, once owned by Henry Hope. This
pearl is now on display at the British Museum of Natural History. |
| It is believed that
Roman women took pearls to bed with them to sweeten dreams. During
the Classical Rome era, only people of certain "status" were allowed to
wear pearls. |
| Long ago, it was
believed pearls were moonbeams with magical powers that fell from heaven
into the ocean and were swallowed by oysters. |
| Gallant knights wore
pearls during the Dark Ages Crusades to protect them from harm.
During the Middle Ages, pearls were the gift of choice for a Knight to
give his Lady. |
| The Roman General
Vitellius allegedly financed an entire military campaign with just one
of his mother's pearl earrings. Queen Isabella (having hocked her
impressive jewelry collection to fund Christopher Columbus' expedition)
regained her investment from a discovery of pearls in Central America
that added to the wealth of Spain. |
| The Latin word for
pearl means "unique". The Romans used the word "margaritae" (from
the Greek word for pearl) to indicate something cherished or of
unusually high value. That's why names Margaret, Margarita,
Marguerite, Marjorie, etc. in the Romance languages (Spanish, French and
Italian) mean "pearl" and are associated with pearl-like qualities such
as purity, spirituality, virtue and chastity. |
| Chinese use pearls
in medicinal ways. In India, it is believed that pearls give peace
of mind and strength to body and soul. Europeans believed
swallowing pearls whole would calm nerves. Incas, Aztecs and North
American Indians prize pearls for beauty and mystical powers. |
| |
 "Aphrodite's Tears of Joy",
"Cleopatra's Love Potion" |
| Pearls are strongly
associated with LOVE. Pearls are linked to Aphrodite, the Greek
goddess of love and mother of Eros (Cupid) and Venus, the Roman goddess
of love. Legend has it that in the first century AD, Cleopatra
crushed an expensive pearl at a banquet and drank it to impress Marc
Anthony. |
| Some other names for
pearls: "Luxury on Your Skin", "Dewdrops of the Gods", "The Gem
That Dims The Moon" |
| |
 "The Wedding Gem" |
| Pearls are
associated with love, success, happiness, modesty, chastity and purity.
In ancient Greece, pearls were believed to promote marital happiness and
prevent a newlywed woman from crying. The Greeks even called
pearls the "wedding gem". For these reasons, pearls are a popular
choice for brides on their wedding day.
Pearl jewelry is an ideal wedding gift
(from a father to his daughter on her wedding day, from a groom to his
new wife, from a bride to her attendants, for the mother of the bride,
etc.). The tradition of pearls on your wedding day was started
around 1000 BC in Hindu culture. Pearls are still considered a
valued engagement/wedding gift. |
| Pearls are great for
other occasions, too! Pearls also make a great Valentine's Day
gift. Pearls are a perfect gift for the graduate, the birthday
girl or for an anniversary gift for your wife. |
| During the 14th,
15th and 16th centuries, everyone in the French House of Burgundy royal
wedding - even male guests - wore pearl jewelry. In England, from
Queen Elizabeth I to today's Queen
Elizabeth continues the tradition of wearing pearls on their wedding
day. |
|
Look for the following when
purchasing pearls: |
| Luster - the
reflection on the surface of a pearl. You do not want it to look dull
and chalky. |
| Surface - no
blemishes or pits. No pearl is completely blemish-free, just look
for fewer spots. |
| Color and Size -
personal preference |
| Shape - traditional
shape has always been round; however, there are many more
beautiful shapes |
| |
| Do the tooth test!
Fake pearls are usually made from ground fish scales and can be easily
detected with the simple tooth test. Gently scrape the pearls
along the ridges of your top teeth. If it glides easily, it's
fake. If you feel a slight gritty abrasiveness, it's most likely
cultured. |
| |
|
Types of pearl necklaces: |
Pearl Collar Necklace, 12-13"
Collars are usually made up of 3 (or more) pearl strands and fit very
snugly on the neck. This style looks great with "V" or scooped
necklines - very demure and sophisticated. |
Pearl Choker Necklace, 14-16"
A choker is the most classic of the single strand pearl necklaces.
It is simple and can go with just about any outfit and neckline. A
choker will enhance a long neck. |
Pearl Princess Necklace, 17-19"
The princess length is great for high necklines, low plunging necklines
and to hang a pendant from. Longer necklaces will slenderize and
elongate the neck. |
Pearl Matinee Necklace, 20-24"
The matinee is somewhere in between the princess and the opera lengths.
This is a perfect length for casual, business and evening dress. A
matinee necklace should fall to the top of the cleavage. |
Pearl Opera Necklace, 28-34"
The opera pearl strand is refined and perfect for high necklines as a
single strand. An opera-length necklace should reach the bottom of
the breast bone. You may also double an opera strand for a
2-strand choker. |
Pearl Rope Necklace, more than 45"
Coco Chanel introduced us to the sexy rope length.
Rope pearl
strands usually have "mystery clasps" that allow you to break this
single strand necklace into many different necklace and bracelet
combinations, a complete pearl wardrobe. |
| |
|
Skin Tones and Pearl
Overtones: |
| You may have heard
in the past that certain skin tones should look for rose, cream, gold or
silver overtones when buying white pearls. Actually, pearls absorb
surrounding colors because they are reflective. Honestly, once the
pearls are around your neck, the overtones of the pearls is very subtle.
Just remember, buy what you like! |
|
Pearl Care and Cleaning: |
| Pearls are very soft
and need special care. Wear your pearls often to keep them from
drying out. |
| After wearing your
pearls, wipe them gently with a damp soft cloth to remove perspiration
and skin oils. You may even use a drop of olive oil on the cloth
to help maintain the pearl luster. Pearls also absorb acids in our
skin that will slowly eat away at the pearls. There are commercial
products available today specifically designed to clean pearls or have
them professionally cleaned by a reputable jeweler. |
| Do not use hot
water, a steamer or an ultrasonic cleaner. Do not soak in water. |
| Store your pearls
separately (preferably wrapped in a soft cloth) from other jewelry.
Do not store pearls in a plastic bag, this will trap moisture. Make
sure pearls are dry before storing them. Lay them flat so the silk
string sill not stretch. Do not hang your pearls. |
| Do not expose your
pearls to cosmetics, chemicals, perfumes and hairsprays. Put your
pearls on AFTER your beauty routine.
Pearls are very porous and will soak up just about any substance they
come in contact with. Never expose pearls to dish or wash detergents. |
| Do not wear your
pearls in swimming pools with chlorinated water and do not wear your
pearls with sun block/tan products. |
| Long periods of
exposure to direct sunlight, halogen lights, or other very bright lights
can fade pearl colors. |
| Take
a look at my products made for cleaning pearls: |
|
HagertyŽ
Delicate Jewel Clean |
|
HagertyŽ
Jewel Clean Concentrate |
|
3M High
Performance Polishing Cloth |
|
Town Talk Pearl Care
Kit |
 About
Freshwater Pearls: |
Freshwater Pearls are grown (farmed) in freshwater lakes and rivers
where mussels simultaneously produce many pearls. Each mollusk can
yield up to a 30 pearl harvest! This is why they are less
expensive than saltwater pearls. Freshwater pearls are all pearl (all
nacre) and the proper name is Cultured Freshwater Pearls. |
The irritants used in making freshwater
pearls are often smaller than those used in saltwater pearls, which
results in a pearl with more nacre, or pearl, and less core irritant.
Most Cultured Freshwater Pearls today have a
mother of pearl
nucleus: 95% to 98% of these pearls are composed only of nacre.
For seeding , the oyster is gently opened. Tiny slits are cut into
its Mantle (flesh) and small pieces of living tissue from a donor oyster
are then carefully inserted into the slits. Depending on the age
and size of the oyster, between 20 to 60 pieces of tissue are used to
seed it. Soon after seeding, pearl sacs begin to form around the
soft irritants. The mantle tissue eventually dissolves away and
pearls grow in its place. |
After harvesting, the oysters can be seeded again and put back in the
water to produce again. |
| Cultured freshwater
pearls come in a beautiful range of un-dyed (natural) colors:
cream (natural creamy off-white), peach/pink, gray, black, lavender, and
white. The oystered pearls are nursed for two or three more years
after the insertion of the mantle tissue into the oyster. During
the cultivation period, the oysters receive constant attention and care
to help assure they will thrive and produce the best possible pearl
crop; but, there are no guarantees. The culturing process is
very delicate and fragile, and after all of the effort, the pearl
farmers have little control over the final result. Each individual
oyster determines the quality of the pearl - its luster, shape, color,
surface smoothness and so on. Despite the best efforts of pearl
farmers, it is really the oyster and nature that determine whether or
not there will be a pearl at all, and if so, whether or not it will be
beautiful and valuable. |
| We are used to
seeing freshwater pearls as long, narrow rice-shaped pearls with a
"wrinkle" surface. There are more rounded shapes and a wide range of
colors available (much more variety than saltwater pearls). The
species of mussel, water and pearl position in the shell determine the
pearl color. The shape of the nucleus determines the pearl shape.
The amount of pollution in the water determines the size of the pearl.
For interest in your next jewelry piece, opt for a more non-rounded
shaped freshwater pearl shape - such as baroque, coin, pear, drop,
button, nugget, etc. The quality of freshwater pearls is
determined by luster, smoothness, size and shape. Look for
freshwater pearls to be matched as closely as possible in shape, size
and color. |
| Cultured Freshwater
Pearls come in a variety of shapes such as baroque, potato (off-round),
round, oval, button, flat coin, teardrop, keshi (rice-crispy), or stick.
The round pearl is the most popular and the most expensive - only about
2% of the entire freshwater pearl crop is round. |
| Native Americans of
the Atlantic Coastal areas and the Mississippi River basin were the
first to collect and use US freshwater mussel pearls. Pearl
pendants and ear pendants were worn by both men and women. Pearl
shell was used to decorate clothing, make armlets, pendants and gambling
pieces. Powhattan (the father of Pocahontas) had a large stash of
pearls he received as tributes. |
Kokichi Mikimoto (1858-1954) stands out as the most recognized
contributor to the modern cultured pearl. His marketing techniques
and business savvy made him a household name, and to this day people
associate Mikimoto with fine pearls. He is still considered to be
The Pearl King and the Father of Periculture. |
|
Pearl Processing Practices: |
| Pearls are often
polished by hand or tumbled with cork powder to bring up the luster. |
| Some white pearls
are bleached using mild bleach and bright fluorescent lights. |
| Most dark shades of
pearls (ex: Peacock) are the result of irradiation. This process
involves immersing the pearls in the desired dye color and heating them
in a type of micro-wave oven. The resulting color is permanently
bonded to the outer layers of the pearl. |
|
Go
to 
