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PEARLS
The
beauty and magic of pearls have been a source of fascination and
desire since their discovery in ancient times. Viewed as magic charms,
symbols of purity and love, or sources of wisdom and power, pearls
are one of the oldest known gems and have been revered by countless
civilizations.
Legend has it that Cleopatra dissolved a large pearl in a glass
of wine and drank it to impress Marc Antony with her wealth and
power - a ploy that worked all too well. Knights in the Middle Ages
wore pearls onto the battlefield to protect themselves from harm.
Queen Elizabeth I so loved the white gems that she had them sewn
on all her clothing and wore ropes of them around her neck. In addition
to its fascinating beauty, the pearl occupies a unique spot in the
world of precious gemstones. Instead of being found in a core of
rock, a pearl is made over time by a living creature, an oyster.
Prized
by man, the pearl begins its life as an irritant to the oyster.
To protect itself, the oyster coats an intruding object or grain
of sand with nacre, a crystalline substance that builds up over
time, resulting in a shimmering, iridescent creation. The culturing
process developed by man mimics nature. Pearl farmers implant a
fine bead into the oyster where it cannot be expelled. The oyster
does the rest and creates its lustrous masterpiece.
TYPES
OF PEARLS
Akoya:
This is the most familiar type of pearl sold in necklaces.
Akoyas from Japan and China are grown in pearl oysters and are
known for their shimmering beauty and warm colors which range
from rose, cream and gold to silvery white and blue/gray.
South
Sea: Large (10mm and up) cultured pearls grown
in tropical and semi-tropical oysters in the South Seas and around
the coast of Australia. Their color ranges from silvery white
to gold; they are quite costly due to their size and rarity.
Tahitian
Black: Large (10mm and up) cultured pearls grown
in black-lipped oysters in French Polynesia. Colors range from
silvery gray and green to deep purple and black. Their large sizes
and unique colors command premium prices.
Mabe:
Large, hemispherical cultured pearls grown against the
inside shells of oysters rather than in the oysters' bodies. Less
expensive than round cultured pearls due to their half-round shape,
they are most popular in earrings, rings and brooches.
Freshwater:
Pearls cultivated in mussels, not oysters, in freshwater
lakes and rivers in China, Japan and the United States. Due to
their easy cultivation, freshwaters are fairly inexpensive. Shapes
can be freeform, rice shaped, off-round or spherical and colors
range from milky white, to peach, pink, and lavender.
Keshi:
Also known as seed pearls, these tiny pearls can be
as small as a grain of sand and form accidentally in many cultured
pearl oysters.
Baroque:
Cultured pearls that are irregularly-shaped, yet often
lustrous and appealing. Due to their shapes, baroque pearls are
often less costly than round, cultured pearls.
HOW
TO BUY CULTURED PEARLS
When
purchasing a piece of cultured pearl jewelry, it's best to buy pearls
from a knowledgeable, professional jeweler who can explain how to
make the most of your purchase and ensure that you are getting the
best quality cultured pearls within your budget. But always remember
that the better the quality of pearls you select, the more valued
they will be over time. Use the following quality factors to evaluate
any piece of cultured pearl jewelry.
Lustre
— A combination of surface brilliance and
a deep glow that seems to emanate from within the heart of a pearl.
The lustre of a good quality pearl should be bright, not dull,
enabling you to see your own reflection clearly on the surface
of a pearl. A pearl that appears too white, dull or chalky indicates
poor quality.
Surface
— Since cultured pearls are grown by oysters
in nature, it is rare to find a pearl whose surface is free from
any type of blemish. Blemishes can include disfiguring spots,
bumps, pits and cracks on the surface of a pearl. The fewer blemishes
on the surface of a pearl, the more valuable it will be.
Shape
— It is very rare to find a perfectly round
pearl, but generally, the rounder the pearl, the more valuable
it is. Cultured pearls also come in oval, pear and baroque shapes.
Color
— Cultured pearls come in a wide range of
colors from pink to black. While the color of a pearl is often
a matter of personal preference, people with fair skin tend to
look best in slightly pink or silvery white pearls, while cream
and golden pearls look best on those with darker complexions.
Size
— Cultured pearls are measured by their diameter
in millimeters. They can be smaller than one millimeter, in the
case of seed pearls, or as large as 20 millimeters for a big South
Sea pearl. With all other quality factors being equal, the larger
the pearl, the more valuable it will be since it is difficult
for an oyster to grow a pearl larger than five millimeters. The
most popular size of pearls sold around the world is about seven
millimeters.
Matching
— When buying a strand of cultured pearls,
matching is very important. All the pearls in a good quality strand
should be evenly matched in terms of luster, surface, shape, color
and size. Well-matched pearl necklaces command top prices because
pearl growers must harvest about 10,000 oysters in order to find
enough pearls that match closely enough to make up a simple, 16-inch
strand.
SELECTING
A CULTURED PEARL NECKLACE
Choose
your cultured pearl necklace based on your appearance, personality
and style. For example, short necklaces are best with long necks;
longer lengths tend to slenderize and elongate the body. Fair-skinned
women look best in rose-hued pearls, deeper skin tones are more
flattered by cream or golden hues. Let your expert jeweler customize
a necklace so its proportions and color are exactly matched to yours.
Use this guide to necklace lengths and terminology:
Choker:
A necklace 14 inches to 15 inches in length that rests on the
collarbone.
Princess:
An 18-inch necklace strung with either graduated or uniform
pearls.
Matinee:
A slightly longer necklace, usually 20 to 24 inches in length.
Opera:
A 30- to 36-inch necklace, this length should fall to the breastbone
and can often be worn long or doubled.
Rope
or sautoir: Any necklace longer than opera
length. Ropes are often worn knotted or with a shortener for added
versatility of style.
Dog
collar: A multiple strand pearl necklace that
fits closely around the neck.
Bib:
A single necklace with multiple strands of pearls of varying lengths
that are worn nested together.
Torsade:
A necklace in which several strands of pearls (usually freshwater)
are twisted together and held with a special clasp.
Graduated:
A necklace with pearls of gradually increasing size with the
smallest at the back and the largest at the center.
Uniform:
A necklace in which all pearls appear to be the same size,
although there is usually a slight difference between the center
and end pearls.
YOUR
CULTURED PEARL WARDROBE
Begin
your pearl wardrobe with a matching pearl necklace, earrings and
bracelet. The necklace can be lengthened to a rope or sautoir by
letting your jeweler match new pearls to the size and color of existing
ones or it can be updated with a pendant or jeweled clasp. Add a
ring, pin or earrings set with dramatic mabé pearls or South
Sea pearls. Or, consider a long cultured pearl strand with several
invisible clasps that allow it to be worn in different lengths or
combined with a matching bracelet. Go for high drama with a ring
or earrings set with one white pearl, one black.
CARING
FOR YOUR CULTURED PEARLS
- Remember
that cultured pearls are precious jewels and should always be
treated as such.
- Don't
toss them in a purse or jewelry box where they can become scratched
by metal or stones.
- Do
treat your pearls gently; keep them in a chamois bag or wrap them
in tissue when you put them away.
- Don't
expose pearls to acid-based hair sprays, cosmetics or perfumes,
or clean them with chemicals or abrasives.
- Do
wash them with mild soap and water when you take them off. This
will remove any traces of hair spray or perfume.
- Always
have pearls strung with a knot between each pearl to avoid abrasion
and to prevent loss if the string should break. Be sure to bring
your pearl necklace to your jeweler for restringing once a year,
as cosmetics and ordinary wear can damage or stretch the nylon
threads on which the pearls are strung.
WHERE
TO BUY CULTURED PEARLS
Now
that you are ready to buy, the question that comes to mind is where?
To make sure that you buy pearls you will be happy with for years
to come, follow this simple rule: buy from a professional you can
trust. Someone who has been serving the community for a number of
years and has an established reputation.
Argenti
Designer Jewelers is a member of Jewelers of America, the national
association for retail jewelers. This is your guarantee that Argenti
Designer Jewelers are knowledgeable, with a wide selection that
will make putting your pearl wardrobe together easy and fun. They
will not only help you with this purchase but they will be there
in the future to answer all your questions and help you with your
purchases, repairs, and custom design.
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