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Jewelry News09/05/2008 09/05/2008 Refer a FriendStore Information |
The Magic of Pearls
 Pearls have been treasured by civilizations in all parts of the world from the remotest ages. To this day, natural pearls are among the most precious of gemstones. They are always included under this designation although they are not 'stones' or minerals at all. Everybody knows that they are produced by shell fish but few realize that almost any mollusc, including some snails, is capable of producing a 'pearl' of sorts and that, in addition to the truly precious pearls produced by oysters, there are numerous other kinds molluscs, both marine and freshwater, which produce quite attractive pearls of many colors.  The size of the pearl depends on the duration of growth and on the type of mollusc, its shape and the anatomical environment in which it originated. The fines perarls come from the Persian Golf and the straits between India and Ceylon. These pearls are not large but their lustre is exceptional and they are fine white color, sometimes with a rosy tinge. Larger white pearls are found in the waters north of Australia up to Baruma and the Philippines. Yellow pearls come from Western Australia, black ones from the Gulf of California. Naturally grown pearls are scarce. You might be lucky to find only one pearl in 10,000 oysters. Most pearls today are cultured pearls. Cultured pearls made by inserting a bead, together with a piece of the inner skin (mantle) of an oyster into the body of another oyster. The mantle is the organ that forms nacre and when the wound has healed, the oyster covers the bead as it would any irritant, first with conchiolin, then with nacre. The treated oysters are nursed for three years or more in cages suspended from rafts.  A cultured pearl is therefore a bead, usually of mother-of-pearl, covered by a thin veneer of nacre. Apart from occasional marks on their surface and the dark conhiolin line visible below the drill holes, only X-rays and certain optical instruments can distinguish cultured pearls from natural with certainty. To the unaided eye they are often indistinguishable. Their value is, however, only a small fraction of that of natural pearls. Very much cheaper still are imitation pearls. They are merely glass beads coated with a varnish containing guanine, the silvery substance on the scales of herrings and other fish. Hollow beads coated on the inside were formerly made as well as imitations of high quality that had many coatings of extreme thinness. Modern methods give acceptable results with just one dipping on varnish. Imitation pearls look rather different from natural or cultured pearls. They can also be distinguished by the tendency of the varnish to peel away, especially near the drill holes.  The most highly prized pearls are perfectly round. They are by no means the most common. Most pearls have more or less obvious deformities and are then called 'baroque'. They are found even among cultured pearls. Drop-shaped pearls are much in demand; they are made to dangle from earrings and necklaces and flat 'button' pearls' are made into ear-studs and collar-studs. Very tiny pearls, called 'seed pearls', may be strung into thin chains or formed into jewels on backing of mother-of-pearl and metal, or used in embroidery. Small pearls may also be cut in half and cemented on to brooches and other pieces of jewelry as a surround for stones or to form a design. Pearls Care. Pearls are very soft and porous, it is not advisable to wear pearls in a ring. Nor should they be exposed to sprays of any kind, cosmetics, soap or water. Some pearls, even if used only in a necklace, are liable to wear down to a barrel shape at the back of the neck after much wear, especially on an acid skin. For this reason it is important to have a valuable necklace restrung at regular intervals every six to twelve month if it is worn frequently. The cleaning of pearls is best left to experts. 
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