Have you ever wondered from where your pearl earrings or pearl studs actually came from? You might think that the company or the store from whom you have purchased the pearl jewellery actually made the pearls in the pearls in their manufacturing facilities. But this is not how it happens. Pearls are one of the most acclaimed, ravishingly beautiful and stunning pieces which have been a solid companion of the metals in making the jewellery. Sterling silver earrings with pearls are to die for and it’s hard to resist the gold plated pearl studs in any way. No amount of money can match the shine, beauty and class which comes with pearl jewellery but if you have ever wondered from where this jewellery has come from, you might find your answers today.
Sources of pearls
If you are one of the avid fans of pearl jewellery, you might keno the various types of pearls and how they are made a part of the jewelry. For the ones who don’t know, pearls are either natural or cultured. They could be imitation pearls as well.
The natural pearls come from clams, oysters or mussels which when get infected by a bacteria start the production of nacre which is a coating around the bacteria for protection. This gives birth to the pearl. This pearl is the most expensive one and is a part of the luxury pearl jewellery. So if you are looking to grab one of these, you have to be a little heavy on the pocket as well.
The cultured pearls are like the natural ones except that they are grown by using s piece of the original shell called the Mother of Shell and mostly mussels are the carriers of such shells. They might take even years to completely grow and mature. By surgically implanting the bead, the Quality cultured pearls are acquired. The maximum amount of time which they might take is about 3 years in which the nacre is deposited around the bacteria. Once it is fully mature, you will get a high quality cultured pearl. But rushing out on the maturing process will only lead to the low quality of pearl which will wear out of its shine very quickly. Cultured pearls are the main type of the pearls which have been a part of the pearls jewellery nowadays. If you are looking to grab pearl studs or pearl rings or pearl earrings, this is the type of the pearls you should aim to buy since they would be quite affordable.
Imitation pearls are a whole different story and are a lot cheaper in terms of money as well as quality. So if you are looking for cheaper options, these are the ones to choose from. Imitation pearls are basically the glass beads which are immersed in a solution of fish scales. The beads are coated to give a shine like natural pearls but since the coating is of low quality, it wears off easily and in less time. If you want to one of your pearl jewellery is cultured or imitation, rub them across your teeth. If they glide, they are imitation ones and if they feel or give a gritty texture, they are the cultured or natural ones. The "Mallorca Pearls" or "Majorica Pearls" are the imitation pearl which have a huge customer base all across the world due to their affordability.
Freshwater or saltwater
This is one of the questions which many jewellery owners always look to get answers to. There are two types of natural pearls. This includes the freshwater pearls and saltwater pearls. The freshwater pearls are slightly different from the saltwater ones considering the fact that they have a shape like a puffed rice. They are a bit elongated in their shape. They are not the traditionally round ones. While the saltwater pearls are the ones which have the traditional round shape. Jewelry makers have been using the modern tools and techniques to modify the shape of the freshwater ones to make them more round and as much alike to the saltwater ones as possible.
Conclusion
Pearl jewellery is an accessory that many people especially women take pride to own in. They give a sense of class and elegance that cannot come with sterling silver jewellery or gold plated jewellery. Knowing your pearls will allow you to value them accordingly. Pearl jewellery always needs good care and maximum cleanness to make them last longer. So if you have pearl jewellery, make sure that you take maximum care of it. Besides that, having knowledge of testing the fake and the real pearls will help you not to get scammed from someone saying they’re offering the real pearls in the fraudulent manner.
