Pearls

Pearls have long been considered valuable gemstones.  Pearl necklaces are the quintessential fashion jewelry.  In the past, have been sewn on to costumes for royalty, in addition to being used in jewelry.  Today though, the use of pearls is largely confined to the jewelry industry.  In some rare instances, pearls today are also sometimes incorporated into cosmetics.  Pearls continue to remain popular because of their luster and iridescence.

Prior to the 20^th century, the introduction of the irritant to trigger pearl development was left up to Mother Nature.  Pearls of this type are called “natural” pearls and are quite expensive.  Cultured pearls today are quite common in the world of fashion jewlery.  For cultured pearls, the stimulus needed to trigger pearl development is provided by man.  An external irritant such as a small bead or tissue from a “donor” mollusk is inserted into the tissue of the host mollusk.  The mollusk then coats the object with nacre, and a pearl is developed.  Each host mollusk can have up to a dozen such insertions, resulting in a dozen or more pearls from each host.  Pearl farms in Asia (primarily China) now mass produce cultured pearls.  Cultured pearls are significantly less expensive than natural pearls, and therefore very popular with fashion jewlery designers.

Pearls come in various colors, sizes, and shapes.  Most pearls are white or light cream in color.  The color can vary depending on the mollusk that produces the pearl.  Dark colored pearls such as Tahitian pearls are rare and quite expensive.  In general, other properties being the same, larger pearls are more expensive than smaller pearls.  Pearls can generally be found in eight basic shapes: round, semi-round, button, drop, pear, oval, baroque, and circled. Perfectly round pearls are the rarest and most valuable. Semi-rounds are also used in necklaces or in pieces where the shape of the pearl can be disguised to look like it is a perfectly round pearl. Button pearls are like a slightly flattened round pearl and can also make a necklace.  Drop and pear shaped pearls are largely used in pendants and earrings.