pearls

Formed in the sea, the pearl is the only gemstone that comes from a living creature. Because of this there are no two pearls exactly alike. Due to their uniqueness and preciousness, pearls have been prized over centuries for the romance, power and mystery that the ages have bestowed upon them.It is said that Cleopatra dissolved one of her pearl earrings in wine and drank it. The Greek mythological tale of Aphrodite states that when she was born and walked from the sea she shook her hair and the droplets that descended hardened and formed into lustrous pearls. Today because of modern culturing techniques, pearls have become an accessible piece of jewellery that is classical and modern at the same time.Cultured PearlsA cultured pearl is created by the combined endeavors of nature, the pearl oyster and man. The natural color of pearls varies from silver rose through many shades of cream to silvery blue grey and black. As a pearl possess the same nacreous substance which lines the shell of an oyster, coloration of this mother of pearl has a strong influence on the pearl color. Pearl coatings applied by the oysters consist of several thousand layers of micro-crystalline aragonite alternating with the thin sheets of protein binding the layers together. It is the composition, structure and thickness of this coating and its reaction to light shining upon it that create the individual colors and luster unique to pearls.Pearl ProductionThe process of producing cultured pearls begin by collecting newborn oysters and after a nursery period in a sea water tank the young oysters are transferred to breeding cages suspended from rafts in the sea. After around 3 years the oysters are implanted with a small square of mantle flesh taken from another oyster, alongside nucleus from a clam shell. The implanted oysters are left in the sea feeding on plankton for a minimum of 2 years before being harvested in the winter when the pearls are most beautiful. Unfortunately not every mother oyster nurtures a pearl, around half of the oysters losing their life.Varieties of PearlsThere are 5 main varieties of cultured pearls, all originating from different parts of the world. They are as follows:Akoya pearls have been produced in the Akoya oyster in the seas around Japan for over 100 years and are the most well-known cultured pearls. Akoya pearls can be round or baroque in shape and range in color from very pale grey to rich yellow. Naturally white or white/pink Akoya pearls are the most valuable with the largest sizes in this color rivaling the South Sea pearls for scarcity.Australia South Sea pearls are produced from some of the largest oysters and thus can range in size from 9-18mm and occasionally even larger. The colors of these pearls range from cool silver to pale cream and they vary in shape with very few in a harvest being of gem quality, however the ones that are, are very valuable due to their rarity.