Diamonds • Precious Gemstones • Jewelry • Gemology

If you break a strand of natural or cultured pearls, chances are you won’t see a torrent of beads cascade onto the floor. Fine strands of natural and cultured pearls are individually knotted between each gem.

In addition, to keeping them from falling to the floor in disaster, individual knots keep pearls from rubbing together and damaging each other. how pearls are formed

Types of Pearls

Akoya: the traditional pearl from Japan and more recently grown in China
White South Sea: large and rare cultured pearls from Australia, Myanmar, Indonesia and the Philippines
Tahitian: pearls in beautiful, striking colors from green to purple and neutral tones from light gray to black.
Freshwater: found in bays and rivers throughout the world, fresh water pearls are more abundant and less lustrous than salt water pearls, but unique shapes and colors as well as low prices contribute to their growing popularity.
Mabe: from Japan, Indonesia, French Polynesia, and Australia. Mabe pearls are grown against the inside shell of the mollusk rather than within its body, which gives the pearl a flat back.

Pearl Value Factors

The value of a pearl depends upon several factors in addition to whether it is fresh or salt water, natural or cultured:

1. Lustre: a combination of surface brilliance and iridescence
2. Cleanliness: the absence of disfiguring spots, bumps, or cracks on the pearl’s surface
3. Shape: Since pearls are organic by nature, a perfectly round pearl is a rare and expensive find.
4. Size: Natural pearls are measured by carat weight. Cultured pearls are measured by their diameter in millimeters. An average sized cultured pearl is between 7 and 7.5 millimeters, but tiny seed pearls may be less than one millimeter in size and some South Sea pearls have been harvested as large as twenty millimeters.

Pearl String Styles

Although they adorn bracelets, rings, earrings, and are set into pendants, pearls show their utmost in versatility when they get to gather in a stylish strand

• Bib: Several lavish strands of pearls in varying lengths.
• Pearl Collar: Three or more strands of pearls each 12 to 13 inches in length caress the throat and complement low necklines and off-the-shoulder fashions.
• Pearl Choker: A single strand of pearls, 14 to 16 inches long. One of the most popular pearl lengths, the choker compliments any neckline and can travel from work to evening with ease.
• Princess: 17 to19 inches in length and the most common length for pearl necklaces, the princess lays regally over crew and other high necklines.
• Matinee: The matinee is the traditional choice to compliment semi-formal occasions. The 20 to 25 inch length also enhances business attire, adding a look of confidence as well as the allure of luxury.
• Opera: Originally most often seen at formal occasions and the perfect accompaniment to high and crew necklines, the 26 to 36 inch length of the opera gives this strand added versatility that can dress up any occasion. Long enough to loop for a double strand choker, the opera can also be knotted at the neckline or above the bust.
• Rope: Elegant and sexy, the rope is that wonderful strand of pearls that spans 36 inches to eternity. It can be doubled (or tripled if it’s long enough) as well as knotted. Some ropes have “mystery” or concealed clasps that let you break it into multiple strands or even bracelets.

How Pearls are Formed

Among the most fragile of gems, pearls are organic gems that begin in an irritating fashion. A pearl is born when a parasite, a piece of grit, or another intruder finds its way into the body of an oyster or other mollusk. To protect itself from harm, the mollusk covers the invader with a smooth crystalline substance called nacre.

As each layer hardens, the mollusk covers it with yet another layer, each crystal perfectly aligned with the next creating the spheric and shimmering iridescence we call a pearl. Natural pearls are those created totally at the whim of nature and the mollusk.

Cultured pearls are created when an irritant is planted inside the shell of a mollusk. Both fresh-water and salt-water mollusks create pearls and cultured pearls are grown and harvested in many locations around the world.