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What Are South
Sea Shell Pearls? |
South Sea
Shell Pearls are imitation or simulated pearls. South Sea Shell
Pearls are not made of wax, plastic, glass, fish scales, or other
inexpensive materials commonly used to make imitation pearls. |
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How Are South Sea
Shell Pearls Made? |
My South Sea Shell Pearls are made in a laboratory from South Sea oyster
shells - the same mollusks expensive South Sea pearls come from.
The shells are cut and pulverized into powder.
High powered sprayers and ovens are used to coat a mother-of-pearl
nucleus (remember - this nucleus can be glass, stone, plastic or shell
on lesser quality shell pearls).
Mother-of-Pearl nucleus, modern technology, and strict quality control
come together to create a beautiful shell pearl product. |
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Why Are South Sea
Shell Pearls Made? |
If you
have ever priced a 10mm - 16mm South Sea pearl necklace, you know it can
cost multiple thousands of dollars. Most consumers cannot afford
this luxury. I know I can't afford a strand, even at my wholesale cost!
In addition to cost, pearls are organic
gems. The size and quality is controlled by the oyster or mollusk.
South Sea Shell pearls offer an alternative to the consumer looking for
a bold strand of pearls. They are nearly flawless, big, round,
beautiful, and lustrous at an affordable price. |
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Are There
Different "Grades" of South Sea Shell Pearls? |
Absolutely! Make
sure you know what type of bead nucleus was used for your strand of
South Sea Shell Pearls. Your preference is the mother-of-pearl
(shell) bead. The mother-of-pearl bead nucleus adds value, weight
and durability to your strand of South Sea Shell Pearls. A
manufacturer who starts with a mother-of-pearl bead for the nucleus will
have a high-quality finished pearl.
We will only purchase gem-grade South Sea
Shell Pearls that have mother-of-pearl nuclei. Our South Sea Shell
Pearls also have the highest amount of coating available - up to 20x.
This means the mother-of-pearl nucleus is coated up to approx. 20 times
(some colors require more coatings and some colors require less).
The industry standard is 2x - 7x. Our South Sea Shell Pearls
should never fade, peel or crack when properly cared for.
We look for a smooth surface, strong
luster, size consistency, center drill holes and beautiful color when
purchasing South Sea Shell Pearls. We want only the best to offer
our customers. |
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Can You Tell the
Difference Between South Sea Shell Pearls and South Sea Pearls? |
Actually, it is very
hard to tell the difference. A Japanese marketing firm reported
that South Sea Shell Pearls were inserted into a lot of South Sea pearls
as a marketing experiment and buyers could not tell the difference.
The give-a-way is the lack of a gritty
texture. South Sea Shell Pearls are more smooth than South Sea
pearls. This is because they are created in a lab so the
environment is cleaner than a lake or ocean. |
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What Colors Do
South Sea Shell Pearls Come In? |
Shell pearls are
available in 8mm - 16mm smooth round pearls. Click here to go to the
shell
pearl color chart. |
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Are South Sea
Shell Pearls Popular? |
Are you kidding?
Just in the last month, I have seen famous women wearing them on
television, the movie screen, national news broadcasts, magazines, and
more! And why not? These pearls are big, bold, beautiful and
very affordable. This is the natural alternative to expensive
South Sea pearl we have been waiting for!
South Sea Shell Pearls will be more than just a passing en-vogue fashion
statement. They will become more popular and more expensive in the
months and years to follow. Genuine cultured
pearls will always be a must for the well-dressed woman;
but. with water pollution and changing environmental conditions,
cultured pearls will become more expensive and hard to come by. |
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What About the
Price of South Sea Shell Pearls? |
South Sea Shell Pearls
are sometimes selling in retail shops and boutiques for $500 and more.
This may sound expensive, but just remember how much South Sea pearls
sell for (thousands!).
Click here to go to the
shell
pearl price table.
Our
South Sea Shell Pearl pieces are not cheap, but they are much less
expensive than the retail shops. They are even less expensive than
"discounters" who sell just the necklace strands for a couple hundred
dollars each.
Each strand is hand-strung on pure
heavy silk thread and hand-knotted. We use a beautiful sterling
silver filigree clasp (lots of other clasp styles available upon special
request - just email me)
to finish each strand. We also have sterling silver stud dangle
earrings (optional Leverback earrings for additional charge). Our
standard necklace length is 16"-18" (longer lengths available).
Our standard bracelet length is approx. 7" (custom lengths available).
This is an example our "standard" sterling silver clasp, but a lot of our strands
are made with special request clasps. This sterling silver clasp
is a round open-work security close clasp and is available (filigree
pattern may be different) on our 8mm, 10mm and 12mm necklaces and
bracelets. On the 14mm and 16mm necklaces and bracelets, there is
a solid round sterling silver magnetic close clasp (you can also request
a special clasp).
Go to the
Shell
Pearl Price Table |
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How Do You Care
For South Sea Shell Pearls? |
As a rule of thumb -
follow the same care and cleaning guidelines for
Cultured Pearls. |
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Email me or call me at
1-877-572-0735 with
questions, requests, orders, etc. |
14mm white shell pearl necklace and stud earrings |
14mm "bright" golden shell pearl necklace and earrings |
14mm rose shell pearl necklace bracelet and leverback earrings |
Graduated (10mm-16mm) "bright" golden
shell pearl necklace, 10mm shell pearl bracelet and 10mm stud shell
pearl earrings jewelry set |
Special Request:
10mm white shell pearl earrings on 18K gold clips (for non-pierced ears)
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12mm black shell pearl stud dangle earrings |
Special Order Set:
24" 12mm white shell pearl necklace, bracelet and sterling silver
rhinestone clasps:
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Special Order
Necklace: 20" 12mm
golden shell pearl necklace with
14k gold-filled clasp:
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Special Order Request: This customer had
this beautiful vintage 14k
gold clasp and wanted me to make her a
shorter necklace for her small neck line using her clasp. The 16mm
rainbow white
shell pearls look like they were made to go with her
beautiful 16mm Mabe' Pearl clasp:
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Special Request:
2-piece necklace and bracelet set in
white, dark
gray and silver shell
pearls (customer had a specific pattern she wanted me to follow):
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Special Request: 14mm
white shell pearl
longer length necklace with 14k Gold
"Glitter" Clasp:
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10mm black shell pearl necklace and stud dangle earrings |
16mm
chocolate brown shell pearl necklace with a gorgeous special request
sterling silver toggle clasp:
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12mm
midnight black
shell pearl necklace with special request sterling silver oval filigree
clasp:
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12mm peach shell pearl necklace, bracelet and optional Leverback
earrings |
10mm "light" golden shell pearl necklace, bracelet and stud dangle
earrings |
Special Request:
12mm white shell pearl necklace, bracelet and stud earrings set with
sterling silver oval rhinestone clasps:
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Special Request:
8mm white and dark gray triple-strand shell pearl necklaces (notice the
beautiful sterling silver clasps and spacer bars):
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Special Request: 12mm
"light" golden shell
pearl necklace (20" long) and stud earrings in
14k Gold:
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Special Request:
Opera length
(32") 12mm "light" golden shell pearl necklace with a sterling silver
leaf-design toggle clasp:
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Special Request:
Multi-color 14mm
shell pearl necklace (customer selected colors and layout) and
midnight
blue stud earrings:
The following year, this customer requested another
Multi-color
14mm shell pearl necklace:
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8mm white shell pearl necklace |
10mm
turquoise shell
pearl necklace with a sterling silver enameled clasp and dangle
earrings:
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12mm midnight blue shell pearl necklace |
14mm
bronze shell
pearl necklace and earrings set with upgraded sterling silver
scroll-work clasp:
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Special Request:
14mm multi-color shell pearl necklace (colors and pattern selected by
customer) with a beautiful sterling silver rhinestone ball clasp:
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Special Request:
Graduated (10-16mm) "bright" golden shell pearl necklace with
18k gold clasp, 18k
gold Leverback earrings and 14k gold
stud earrings:
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19" 12mm black shell pearl necklace |
18" 12mm white shell pearl
necklace with gold-filled clasp and stud earrings |
12mm light pink shell pearl
earrings |
Special Order Necklace: 18" 12mm-16mm (12mm, 14mm, 16mm) graduated
strand in white shell pearls
This customer was so pleased with her necklace, she later ordered:
Graduated (12-16mm) "bright" golden
shell pearl necklace with a sterling silver rhinestone ball clasp
and
Graduated (12-16mm)
midnight black shell pearl necklace with a sterling silver rhinestone ball clasp |
Special request 20" 16mm multi-color (colors and pattern requested by
customer in rose/mauve,
chocolate brown,
black,
silver,
bronze,
golden green, and
midnight blue) south
sea shell pearl necklace with sterling silver rhinestone clasp,
additional 5" extender (with same clasp), and 5 pairs of sterling silver
leverback earrings
the necklace is pictured here with the 5" extender added for additional
necklace length
Special request: matching sterling silver leverback earrings in
chocolate brown,
midnight blue,
rose/mauve,
golden green, and
black 16mm shell pearls |
Special request: 20" 12mm white
shell pearl necklace with rhinestone ball clasp and matching sterling
silver stud 12mm shell pearl earrings |
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Email me or call me at
1-877-572-0735 with
questions, requests, orders, etc. |
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