We have all seen the great marketing programs for pearls. A scantily clad Asian girl dives without masks and air for shelled creatures. She comes to the surface with oysters galore. It is a nice picture, but does not represent what really goes on with most pearls.
Pearls are known as refined jewelry. The process by which they are made, however, is rather more organic. Foreign material gets stuck within a mollusk and the animal reacts. To protect itself, it surrounds the material in nacre.
The nacre is the important part of the pearl. The thicker it is, the better when it comes to jewelry. Getting it started and the correct thickness is a very hit and miss affair in nature. Pearl cultivators leave nothing to chance.
A farmed pearl is known as a cultured pearl. No, it is not a snob or any such thing. Instead, it is a pearl that was created by shooting microscopic foreign materials into mollusks and oysters, which are then given optimal growing environments.
Although farmed pearls are referred to as cultured, the word is really a catch all. If you are shopping for pearls, you will soon learn there are actually four categories of cultured pearls to choose from.
Size matters with pearls. South Sea cultured pearls have it. They are the largest on average, coming in at a whopping 13 millimeters. They are known for being perfectly round, but are priced on their luster.
Tahitian cultured pearls run a close second when it comes to size. They tend to be in the 10 to 12 millimeter range. They tend to be dark green in color with a high luster. They are fairly rare. This makes their price the highest on average among the cultured pearls.
Akoya cultured pearls are a popular choice with many people. These are your classic white pearls and come with a nice luster and average price compared to other pearls. They are farmed in the rivers and lakes of China and Japan.
If the name is bland, you know the product is as well. This is the case with freshwater cultured pearls. They are average pretty much through and through. There big advantage is they tend to be affordable.
Now that you know the choices, you just have to choose the one you want. The right answer is really a matter of taste. Personally, I like to go big. That makes the South Sea cultured pearls the choice for me.
Pearls are known as refined jewelry. The process by which they are made, however, is rather more organic. Foreign material gets stuck within a mollusk and the animal reacts. To protect itself, it surrounds the material in nacre.
The nacre is the important part of the pearl. The thicker it is, the better when it comes to jewelry. Getting it started and the correct thickness is a very hit and miss affair in nature. Pearl cultivators leave nothing to chance.
A farmed pearl is known as a cultured pearl. No, it is not a snob or any such thing. Instead, it is a pearl that was created by shooting microscopic foreign materials into mollusks and oysters, which are then given optimal growing environments.
Although farmed pearls are referred to as cultured, the word is really a catch all. If you are shopping for pearls, you will soon learn there are actually four categories of cultured pearls to choose from.
Size matters with pearls. South Sea cultured pearls have it. They are the largest on average, coming in at a whopping 13 millimeters. They are known for being perfectly round, but are priced on their luster.
Tahitian cultured pearls run a close second when it comes to size. They tend to be in the 10 to 12 millimeter range. They tend to be dark green in color with a high luster. They are fairly rare. This makes their price the highest on average among the cultured pearls.
Akoya cultured pearls are a popular choice with many people. These are your classic white pearls and come with a nice luster and average price compared to other pearls. They are farmed in the rivers and lakes of China and Japan.
If the name is bland, you know the product is as well. This is the case with freshwater cultured pearls. They are average pretty much through and through. There big advantage is they tend to be affordable.
Now that you know the choices, you just have to choose the one you want. The right answer is really a matter of taste. Personally, I like to go big. That makes the South Sea cultured pearls the choice for me.
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