A Primer On The Precious Pearl

A Primer on the Precious Pearl

A pearl is a special gemstone among all others, since it is created from living tissue. Natural pearls are the result of a tiny grain of sand or other irritant inside an oyster or mussel, which grows layers of calcium carbonate to protect the mollusk from the sand. Fine quality natural pearls have been the object of fascination and beauty for centuries, and the word pearl itself has come to mean something rare and valuable.
The rarest pearls (natural pearls) grow in the wild, but they are hard to find and are of course the most expensive. Cultured or farmed pearls make up the bulk of those that are seen on the market today. Cultured pearls are just as “real” as wild, natural pearls, and are created the same way – just with a little help. A tiny bit of shell, a bead or a piece of a living shell’s mantle is inserted into a freshwater oyster or mussel, and the shell is left for a period of time to naturally form the layers that eventually result in a pearl. Cultured pearls can only be distinguished from natural pearls by use of an x-ray.  Imitation pearls are also widely used in costume jewellery, and these artificial pearls are usually easy to tell apart from the real thing simply by its less-iridescent appearance or depth of luster.

Pearls in Jewellery

The value of pearl jewellery is set by a combination of luster, color, size, symmetry and number of surface flaws; luster is considered the top consideration – after size. Big, perfectly round pearls are rare and therefore quite costly.
Pearls come in eight basic shapes: round, semi-round, button, drop, pear, oval, baroque, and circled. Drop and pear shaped pearls, or teardrop pearls, are commonly used in earrings, pendants, or as a centerpiece in a necklace. Baroque pearls are quite different – they come in very irregular shapes and are often used in one-of-a-kind art jewellery. Circled pearls are also unusual in appearance, with rows of rings around the outside edges.
There is a special terminology used to describe pearl necklace length. Instead of simply citing their length in inches or centimeters the way other necklaces are, they are given names that describe where they are worn on the neck. A collar is a necklace that measures from 10 to 13 inches, and lies directly against the throat. A choker measures from 14 to 16 inches in length and rests at the base of the neck. Princess length is 17 to 19 inches; matinee length is 20 to 24 inches, and opera length is 28 to 35 inches, reaching the breastbone. The dramatic pearl rope is anything measuring over 45 inches.

Imitation pearls

Some imitation pearls are made from mother-of-pearl, conch shells or coral, and are commonly called shell pearls. Other imitation pearls are simply made of glass, which is coated with a solution made from finely-ground fish scales. While pretty, imitation pearls tend to be lighter in weight and not as lustrous, nor do they last as long as real pearls. But due to advances in modern costume jewellery production, the quality of imitation pearls has increased of late, and some costume pearl jewellery is simply gorgeous -- and well worth keeping and preserving. We recommend you take care of your costume pearl jewellery just as you would fine fashion jewellery . Do not wear them overnight or in the shower, and store them in a proper jewellery box or bags. And of course careful cleaning will help them last for years. In our next blog post we’ll talk some more about how to clean pearl jewellery. See you then!

Cheers,

Your MizEllie Team