A Guide to Pearls

Records of commercial pearl harvesting go back 2500 years, makingpearls one of our most ancient and treasured gems. They are alsouniquely feminine gems. Attempts have been made at marketing pearls tomen, with little success. Pearls have always been and still areassociated with women, and with ladies in particular.There are almost endless variety when it comes to pearls.Pearls are available in almost unlimited colours, shapes, and sizes,qualities, and styles. This is a little general guide to help you workout at least some of the differences. Cultured Pearls Cultured pearls, whether done in saltwater or freshwater, are createdby oysters and sometimes other mollusks (including abalone, clams, andmussels), but these are shellfish that have had some help fromhumans. In brief, the shellfish has an irritant inserted in the shell,and it coats the irritant (the "seed") with secretions (known as"nacre") that become pearls. Naturally occurring pearls that are not cultured (i.e., that occurnaturally and without interference from human beings) are extremelyrare and very highly prized, as only one in several million shellfishever produce a pearl spontaneously. Freshwater PearlsFreshwater cultured pearls are farmed in fresh water and grown inpearl-producing freshwater mollusks.. The irritants used in makingfreshwater pearls are smaller than saltwater pearls, and freshwaterpearls have generally more solid pearl material (nacre). Freshwaterpearl cultivating technique usually produce twenty or more pearls inone oyster. Freshwater pearls have a special appeal since they come in a wide rangeof colours with much more variety than saltwater pearls. This isachieved by adding very small quantities of different metals to thewater on the pearl farm. The colours of freshwater pearls can be verydifferent, and many of these colors are not found in saltwater pearls.Freshwater pearls can be found in almost any shape that you canimagine: round, drop, rice, button, oval, semi-round, circle or ringed,baroque and semi-baroque. Because of its popularity, the round shape isusually the most expensive, but as always, personal preference dictatesthe shape each customer will find most beautiful.Saltwater PearlsSaltwater cultured pearls are farmed in salt water and most commonlygrown in oysters. Only one pearl is grown per oyster, so this makessaltwater pearls more expensive than freshwater pearls. Countries knownas producers of saltwater pearl are Japan, Burma, Indonesia, Thailand,Philippines, Australia, and Tahiti (Tahitian pearls are the mostexpensive and considered the finest in the world).Other saltwater mollusks such as clams and abalone are also sometimesused to produce pearls, as well, including "blister" pearls, which arecreated by attaching a bead or other seed to theshell of the mollusk (frequently an abalone) and then cutting it offthe shell after it hasbecome coated with nacre. Mabe pearls are assembled from blister pearls.Saltwater pearls do come in a variety of colours and shapes, but they're not as varied as those available in freshwater pearls.In the world of saltwater pearls, South Sea pearls some of the finestin the world, with prices to match (hundreds or thousands of dollars,dependingon the pearls and the jewellery item). Shell Pearls A good alternative to cultured pearls are the manufactured pearls knownas shell pearls. These are made from the pulverised shells of the SouthSea oyster, or may be made from the shells and mother-of-pearl of otherpearl-producing mollusks, and are sometimes known as "reconstructed"shell pearls. Good quality shell pearls are nearly flawless, tend to bebig, they're perfectly shaped, and they usually have a beautifullustre, either high-gloss or more satiny.High quality shell pearls can be difficult to tell from the real thing.Not long ago, a Japanese marketing firm reported that South Sea shellpearls were inserted into a lot of South Sea pearls as a marketingexperiment and buyers could not tell the difference.The biggest difference (other than price!) is the lack of a grittytexture. Shell pearls are smoother than pearls. This is because theyare created in a lab so the environment is cleaner than a lake or ocean.Pearl ShapesJust as pearls come in a variety of colours, they also come in avariety of shapes, including round, semi-round or near-round, button,drop or pear, oval, baroque, semi-baroque, and ringed or circle. Pearlsalso may go by names such as "rice pearls" (because they're shapedsomething like pieces of rice), "seed pearls" (because they're verysmall), "potato pearls" (because they're shaped like potatoes), and afew others. The names given to the shapes of pearls are varied andoften imaginative.Perfectly round pearls are the rarest and most expensive, and aregenerally used in necklaces, or strings of pearls.Semi-round are also used in necklaces or in pieces wherethe shape of the pearl can be disguised to look like it is a perfectlyround pearl, such as rings or brooches.Pear-shaped or drop pearls are used as pendants and are highly prized as earrings. Button pearls are like a slightly flattened round pearl and can alsomake a necklace, but are more often used in single pendants or earringswhere the back half of the pearl is covered, making it look like alarger, round pearl. Other pearl shapes are used in various ways, some of them quiteingenious and beautiful, and depend on the shape and size of the pearl.Baroque pearls are simply irregularly shaped pearls. Freshwater pearlsare most commonly baroque due to the nature and shape of the freshwatermolluscs that produce them.Other Pearls of WisdomAkoya pearls are cultured saltwater pearls. The term "Akoya" refers tothe original Japanese techniques used to farm them in oysters, but the term is now usedmore widely. Akoya pearls are still produced in Japan, but also inChina and the South Seas.Perfectly round, smooth pearls are very rare and very expensive. Mostpearls have some degree of natural irregularity on their surface or intheir shape. Many people feel that these irregularities and organicqualities enhance the beauty of the gems.The term "lustre" (or "luster") refers to the translucent, reflective quality of the surface of the pearl. Pearls absorb oils and other chemicals from the skin. While the oilscan be beneficial to the pearls, improve the lustre, and keep thepearls from drying out, chemicals (including perfume) can permanentlydamage pearls. (For more information see our Guide on Jewellery Care).