Pearl Jewellery - A Brief History
How Pearls are formed
Types of Pearl
Freshwater Pearls
Akoya Pearls
Tahitian Pearls
White South Sea & Golden South Sea Pearls
Mother of Pearl
Abalone
Real Pearls or Faux Pearls? - The 'Tooth Test'
How to Care for your Pearl Jewellery
Pearl Jewellery - A Brief History
It is difficult for us to believe these days, but hundreds of years ago pearls were once considered more valuable than diamonds, since only 1 oyster in 10,000 is likely to contain a natural round pearl.
In the 1890's's, however, Kokichi Mikimoto, the founder of Mikimoto Pearls, developed a method of successfully culturing pearls, opening his first shop in Tokyo in 1899. Since then, his methods have been successfully replicated and there are now many pearl farms in both Japan and China.
Pearls became particularly fashionable after CoCo Chanel wore layers of long pearl necklaces back in the 1920's. In fact Christian Dior once said "With a black pullover and ten rows of pearls she revolutionized fashion".
Pearl jewellery diminished in popularity during the latter part of the 20th Century with the younger generation, who thought them staid and boring, and quite unsuitable with their outlandish outfits! Fashion or costume jewellery became massively popular catering for all price ranges although much of it was cheap and throwaway.
Over the last few years though, there has been a massive revival in pearl jewellery, with designers incorporating pearls into every style and price of jewellery and combining them with other gemstones and materials that were unimaginable in Chanel's day.
Today you can find a huge array of pearl jewellery in every imaginable colour and design ranging from the classical to completely outrageous and funky, and at prices everyone can afford!
A Few Facts
A pearl is formed when a small shell bead or irritant is introduced into the fleshy tissue of an oyster or mussel. The mollusc responds by secreting a substance called 'nacre' (Mother of Pearl) which it coats over the irritant in layers eventually forming a pearl. This is the same substance that lines the inside of the shell, hence its name, Mother of Pearl.
Freshwater Pearls
Freshwater pearls are best known for their wonderful shapes, sizes and natural colours, and this is why they have become a favourite both with jewellery designers and jewellery wearers alike. The natural colours are white to pink and lilac, but of course they can by dyed to match other gemstones. They are generally cheaper than sea water cultured pearls, but are in no way inferior in quality. In fact because they are 100% nacre, large round lustrous freshwater pearls are so rare they are very expensive!
Akoya Pearls
Akoya sea water pearls are the pearls generally used in many traditionall pearl necklace designs. They are almost always perfectly round, being nucleated with a small bead, and have a beautiful lustre. Akoya pearls are frequently referred to as 'Cultured Pearls' and have an average size of 7mm. Kokichi Mikimoto was the first to developed a successful method of culturing Akoya pearls.
Tahitian Pearls
Tahitian pearls are the only pearls that are naturally black, with colours range from grey to green to dark black. The Black-Lipped Oysters that produces these beautiful an much sought after pearls can grow as large as a dinner plate! The pearls themselves are on average 9 - 14mm but can grow much larger.
White South Sea & Golden South Sea Pearls
The pearls from the Silver-Lipped Oyster and the Golden Lipped Oysters are some of the most treasured pearls of all because of their unique lustre. They can grow huge, to 20mm or more, but the average is around 12 - 13mm. South Sea Pearls are the rarest of pearls and therefore the most expensive. A high quality South Sea Pearl necklace would cost tens of thousands of pounds!
Mother of Pearl
Nacre or Mother of Pearl is the internal coating of a Pearl Oyster shell. This smoothes the shell and defends the mollusc from parasites. Mother of Pearl can be in as many colours as pearls, but is usually creamy-white to pink or lilac. Because it has the same iridescent quality as pearls it makes beautiful jewellery.
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Abalone
The Abalone is mollusc prized for its flesh which is considered a delicacy in some parts of the world, and for the beautiful shell interior which is coated in nacre or Mother of Pearl. The Mother of Pearl can range in colour from silvery white to pink, red, blue, green and purple, depending on the species. In New Zealand the Abalone is more commonly known as the Paua.
Real Pearls or Faux Pearls - the Tooth Test!
The simplest and quickest (but perhaps not the most hygeinic!) way to tell if a pearl is real, is ro rub it gently against your front teeth. If it feels gritty or grainy it is very likely to be real. If it feels smooth it is probably imitation. This isn't completely foolproof of course, especially if the pearls have been heavily dyed, but it is certainly a very good guideline.
Simply Pearls do not sell faux or imitation pearls. All of our pearl jewellery, even the red, blue and green pearls, are real freshwater pearls, they have just been dyed!
How to Care For Your Pearl Jewellery
Pearls are natural organic substances coming from oysters or molluscs. As such they need a little care and attention to remain at their best. To keep your jewellery in the best condition, we recommend the following care:
- Do not immerse your jewellery in water.
- Never spray perfume, cosmetics or hairspray on, or near your jewellery.
- Store your pearl jewellery in a soft material such as a satin or velvet pouch, away from other jewellery which may rub and cause damage.
- Store silver jewellery in a dry area to reduce the risk of tarnishing. To keep that rich shine, lightly polish your jewellery with a soft dry cotton or jewellery cloth.
- Always remember, jewellery should be put on last and taken off first!
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