Pearl jewelry, Cultured pearls, South sea pearls, Pearl pendant

There are two types of pearls - natural and cultured .

Natural pearls are produced without any intervention by man - by certain types of mollusks (oysters and clams)

found in a number of both salt and fresh water sources including areas of the Pacific Ocean, the South Sea Islands and the Persian Gulf. Natural pearls are extremely rare and therefore, generally more costly than cultured pearls.
Cultured pearls which are judged by their luster, absence of blemishes, color, size and shape (round, irregular, baroque, pear, drop or button). The type carried in our stores - have almost completely replaced the natural variety on the market since the process was first discovered in the early 1900s. Perfected in Japan by Kokichi Mikimoto just prior to World War II, cultured-pearl farming yields pearls that are also produced by mollusks but their production is scientifically controlled. The process begins with the insertion of a mother-of-pearl bead inside the living tissue of the mollusk, which coats the bead with nacre, producing a cultured pearl within one to three years (depending on seasonal conditions and water temperatures). The advent of pearl cultivation has made pearls more affordable and thus more available to consumers. Cultured pearls come in a wide range of values.

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Not only are cultured pearls quality pearls, but many of the finest pearls in the world are the result of culturing. Consider South Sea pearls, Tahitian pearls and Akoya pearls. These pearls are all cultured pearls. This process helps ensure uniform quality and improve harvests.The past few years, Chinese Freshwater pearls have also entered the market of quality cultured pearls. The quality of these pearls has improved and has the availability of designer sizes, colors and shapes.

quality pearls

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