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 The beauty
and magic of pearls have been a source of fascination and
desire since their discovery in ancient times. Viewed as magic
charms, symbols of purity and love, or sources of wisdom and
power, pearls are one of the oldest known gems and have been
revered by countless civilizations.
 Legend has it that Cleopatra
dissolved a large pearl in a glass of wine and drank it to
impress Marc Antony with her wealth and power - a ploy that
worked all too well. Knights in the Middle Ages wore pearls
onto the battlefield to protect themselves from harm. Queen
Elizabeth I so loved the white gems that she had them sewn
on all her clothing and wore ropes of them around her neck.
In addition to its fascinating beauty, the pearl occupies
a unique spot in the world of precious gemstones. Instead
of being found in a core of rock, a pearl is made over time
by a living creature, an oyster.
Prized by man, the pearl begins its
life as an irritant to the oyster. To protect itself, the
oyster coats an intruding object or grain of sand with nacre,
a crystalline substance that builds up over time, resulting
in a shimmering, iridescent creation. The culturing process
developed by man mimics nature. Pearl farmers implant a fine
bead into the oyster where it cannot be expelled. The oyster
does the rest and creates its lustrous masterpiece.
- This is the most familiar
type of pearl sold in necklaces. Akoyas from Japan and China
are grown in pearl oysters and are known for their shimmering
beauty and warm colors which range from rose, cream and gold
to silvery white and blue/gray.
- Large (10mm and up) cultured pearls grown
in tropical and semi-tropical oysters in the South Seas and
around the coast of Australia. Their color ranges from silvery
white to gold; they are quite costly due to their size and
rarity.
- Large (10mm and up) cultured pearls grown
in black-lipped oysters in French Polynesia. Colors range
from silvery gray and green to deep purple and black. Their
large sizes and unique colors command premium prices.
- Large, hemispherical cultured pearls grown against
the inside shells of oysters rather than in the oysters' bodies.
Less expensive than round cultured pearls due to their half-round
shape, they are most popular in earrings, rings and brooches.
- Pearls cultivated in mussels, not oysters, in freshwater
lakes and rivers in China, Japan and the United States. Due
to their easy cultivation, freshwaters are fairly inexpensive.
Shapes can be freeform, rice shaped, off-round or spherical
and colors range from milky white, to peach, pink, and lavender.
- Also known as seed pearls, these tiny pearls can
be as small as a grain of sand and form accidentally in many
cultured pearl oysters.
- Cultured pearls that are irregularly-shaped, yet
often lustrous and appealing. Due to their shapes, baroque
pearls are often less costly than round, cultured pearls.
When purchasing a piece of cultured pearl
jewelry, it's best to buy pearls from a knowledgeable, professional
jeweler who can explain how to make the most of your purchase
and ensure that you are getting the best quality cultured
pearls within your budget. But always remember that the better
the quality of pearls you select, the more valued they will
be over time. Use the following quality factors to evaluate
any piece of cultured pearl jewelry.
- A combination of surface brilliance and a deep glow
that seems to emanate from within the heart of a pearl. The
lustre of a good quality pearl should be bright, not dull,
enabling you to see your own reflection clearly on the surface
of a pearl. A pearl that appears too white, dull or chalky
indicates poor quality.
- Since cultured pearls are
grown by oysters in nature, it is rare to find a pearl whose
surface is free from any type of blemish. Blemishes can include
disfiguring spots, bumps, pits and cracks on the surface of
a pearl. The fewer blemishes on the surface of a pearl, the
more valuable it will be.
- It is very rare to find a perfectly round pearl,
but generally, the rounder the pearl, the more valuable it
is. Cultured pearls also come in oval, pear and baroque shapes.
- Cultured pearls come in a wide range of colors from
pink to black. While the color of a pearl is often a matter
of personal preference, people with fair skin tend to look
best in slightly pink or silvery white pearls, while cream
and golden pearls look best on those with darker complexions.
- Cultured pearls are measured by their diameter in
millimeters. They can be smaller than one millimeter, in the
case of seed pearls, or as large as 20 millimeters for a big
South Sea pearl. With all other quality factors being equal,
the larger the pearl, the more valuable it will be since it
is difficult for an oyster to grow a pearl larger than five
millimeters. The most popular size of pearls sold around the
world is about seven millimeters.
- When buying a strand of cultured pearls, matching
is very important. All the pearls in a good quality strand
should be evenly matched in terms of luster, surface, shape,
color and size. Well-matched pearl necklaces command top prices
because pearl growers must harvest about 10,000 oysters in
order to find enough pearls that match closely enough to make
up a simple, 16-inch strand.
Choose your cultured pearl necklace based
on your appearance, personality and style. For example, short
necklaces are best with long necks; longer lengths tend to
slenderize and elongate the body. Fair-skinned women look
best in rose-hued pearls, deeper skin tones are more flattered
by cream or golden hues. Let your expert jeweler customize
a necklace so its proportions and color are exactly matched
to yours. Use this guide to necklace lengths and terminology:
- A necklace 14 inches to 15 inches in length that
rests on the collarbone.
- An 18-inch necklace strung with either graduated
or uniform pearls.
- A slightly longer necklace, usually 20 to 24 inches
in length.
- A 30- to 36-inch necklace, this length should fall
to the breastbone and can often be worn long or doubled.
- Any necklace longer than opera length.
Ropes are often worn knotted or with a shortener for added
versatility of style.
- A multiple strand pearl necklace that
fits closely around the neck.
- A single necklace with multiple strands of pearls
of varying lengths that are worn nested together.
- A necklace in which several strands of pearls (usually
freshwater) are twisted together and held with a special clasp.
- A necklace with pearls of gradually increasing size
with the smallest at the back and the largest at the center.
- A necklace in which all pearls appear to be the
same size, although there is usually a slight difference between
the center and end pearls.
Begin your pearl wardrobe with a matching
pearl necklace, earrings and bracelet. The necklace can be
lengthened to a rope or sautoir by letting your jeweler match
new pearls to the size and color of existing ones or it can
be updated with a pendant or jeweled clasp. Add a ring, pin
or earrings set with dramatic mabé pearls or South Sea pearls.
Or, consider a long cultured pearl strand with several invisible
clasps that allow it to be worn in different lengths or combined
with a matching bracelet. Go for high drama with a ring or
earrings set with one white pearl, one black.
Remember that cultured pearls are precious
jewels and should always be treated as such.
Don't toss them in a purse or jewelry box
where they can become scratched by metal or stones.
Do treat your pearls gently; keep them in
a chamois bag or wrap them in tissue when you put them away.
Don't expose pearls to acid-based hair sprays,
cosmetics or perfumes, or clean them with chemicals or abrasives.
Do wash them with mild soap and water when
you take them off. This will remove any traces of hair spray
or perfume.
Always have pearls strung with a knot
between each pearl to avoid abrasion and to prevent loss if
the string should break. Be sure to bring your pearl necklace
to your jeweler for restringing once a year, as cosmetics
and ordinary wear can damage or stretch the nylon threads
on which the pearls are strung.
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