Pearls - Beautiful & Elegant
Looking for something more elegant? We have an entire selection of pearls from necklaces to rings and bracelets even beautiful brooches just like this gold and brown quartz piece.
Pearls -Precious Gemstone Jewelry
For centuries, pearls have been a symbol of beauty and purity. Today, they are regarded as both classic and contemporary, coming in many more fashionable styles than your grandmother’s traditional strand of pearls.
Pearls are unique among gemstones because they don't arise from the depths of the earth but from the sea. They require no special cutting or polishing to maximize their lustrous beauty, which has been treasured since ancient times and ensures that pearl jewelry is always in style.
While shopping for pearls, there are various lengths available:
A collar fits directly against the throat
A choker rests at the base of the neck
The princess length reaches near the collarbone
A matinee length is usually 20-24 inches
The Opera length is 30-36 inches
The longest length, known as a rope, refers to all strands longer than 36 inches
Necklaces can also be classified as uniform (where all pearls are about the same size) or graduated (pearls change uniformly from ends to center).
Pearls are the Only Gemstone to Come from a Living Creature
Despite being classified as a gemstone, pearls differ significantly from all others (including sapphires, rubies, emeralds, etc.) due to the fact that they are the only gems to come from a living creature. All other gemstones form in the Earth’s crust as magma cools under high pressure.
So, pearls come from oysters and mussels, but exactly how are they created by them? The process begins when a particle, or what is referred to as an irritant, gets inside the mollusk. This particle in essence functions as the nucleus of the pearl from a very early stage. Once the irritant becomes trapped, the mollusk begins to coat to it with nacre as a defense mechanism. Nacre is a composite made mostly of aragonite that is strong and iridescent.
The unique luster (or glow) of pearls comes from this nacre. The mollusk coats the nucleus with thousands upon thousands of layers of nacre, and over time, a pearl begins to slowly form. How long it takes for a pearl to form is dependent on the growth rate of the nacre. Most pearls typically take anywhere between two to four years to fully develop.
How are Pearls Prepared for Jewelry?
Before pearls are sold to jewelers, they have to be prepared. The preparation process is divided into five sequential steps: finishing, sorting, drilling, matching, and threading.
First, the pearls are soaked for a couple days in a mild cleaning solution under fluorescent light. This removes any unwanted residue and enhances the pearls shine.
Next, pearls are sorted by size, shape, color, luster, and grade to determine their value.
The third step is drilling the pearls, which is done by an expert using a complex machine to create perfectly aligned holes. Pearls that will be used for bracelets and necklaces are drilled all the way through, while pearls for earrings are only half drilled. Because each pearl is unique and there are no two exactly the same, matching is an extremely time-consuming process in which an expert looks through thousands of pearls to put together a matching set.
The last step in preparing the pearls is threading the gemstones onto strands.
Once the pearl is in the hands of a jeweler, they will rethread the pearls using silk thread. During this, jewelers create a knot between each pearl, for a few different reasons. One reason is to prevent the pearls from rubbing together, which can damage them. Another is to avoid losing multiple pearls in the case that the string breaks.
Finally, depending on the type of jewelry (and if it’s a necklace, the pearl necklace length), the pearls have specific spacing and tension which is accomplished with these knots. At this point, the pearls are ready to be sold to the public.
What are Lab Created Pearls?
Natural and cultured pearls are the only types of pearls that experts consider authentic. They are produced by mollusks and the pearl formation is entirely organic, all occurring inside the creature. Lab created pearls are man-made and regarded as fake pearls in the pearl industry. Lab created pearls are typically created using oyster shells, though plastic and glass are also sometimes used. Because imitation pearls, as they are sometimes referred to as, are mass-produced, they are very inexpensive, especially when compared to authentic pearls.
Significance
Since ages, pearls have been associated with purity, humility and innocence. So it can be said that the June birthstone signifies ‘simplicity’. As such, pearls were used by royals for their precious gemstone jewellery and also traditionally given as a wedding gift.
The pearl birthstone was also believed to have beneficial powers. In Asia, pearls were believed to help recover indigestion and haemorrhages. Some Arab physicians of the 19th century also thought that pearls could improve eyesight, quiet nervous tremors and ease the effect of depression.
In India, a pearl gem is worn to get the blessings of Laksmi, the goddess of prosperity. People believe it bestows long life and well-being and is a symbol of positivity, vitality and intelligence. Wearing a pearl is also said to help achieve much renown and come to a high position by utmost wisdom.
Finding the perfect piece which you absolutely can’t live without. Fortunately, there are endless options. We suggest by starting your search by first choosing the type of pearl you are interested in.
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