Seven Types of Pearls
NATURAL PEARLS are made by oysters when an outside irritant injures the oyster’s soft mantle tissue. This may be caused by sand, dust, a shell fragment, a parasite or even an attack by another fish. To heal the injury, the oyster creates a pearl sac around the unwanted irritant. The oyster’s mantle tissue then secretes layers of nacre into the pearl sac, which eventually forms a pearl. Natural pearls are very rare and extremely expensive. A natural strand of pearls could easily cost $100,000. Pearls are considered gemstones, and they are the only gemstone created by a living creature.
Fortunately, since most of us cannot afford a $100,000 strand of pearls, in Japan in the late 1800’s, Kokichi Mikimoto, Shinpei Mise and Tokichi Nishikawa invented the world’s first cultured pearl. A cultured pearl is a genuine pearl created in a manmade pearl farm using either a freshwater river mussel (i.e., the Edison pearl) or a saltwater oyster (i.e., Akoya, South Sea and Tahiti). Cultured South Sea pearls are the most valuable cultured pearl.
CULTURED PEARLS are natural pearls which are created with the assistance of pearl farmers. There are two types of cultured pearls, saltwater and freshwater.
Cultured saltwater pearls are created by coating a tiny mother-of-pearl bead with a small amount of oyster mantle tissue and then implanting it into the oyster. The oyster coats the bead with nacre, and the bead remains inside the pearl forever. Different shapes of pearls can be created by using different shapes of beads. Cultured freshwater pearls are created in the same manner, except instead of using a bead, the farmer uses a small piece of mantle tissue. The mussel secretes layers of nacre around the mantle tissue, which eventually deteriorates, leaving a pearl made entirely of nacre.
Most of the world’s cultured pearl farms are in China and Japan. Cultured pearls are safe for the oysters and mussels and can be used to create just about any size, color or shape of pearl, for a fraction of the price of a natural pearl.
SHELL PEARLS are man-made imitation pearls which look very much like natural pearls and come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors. Shell pearls are made with finely ground-up mother of pearl, which is the inner lining of oyster shells. The mother-of-pearl powder is then shaped, buffed and/or dyed. It is then coated with natural pearl nacre. A final protective coating is then added to make it more lustrous. I personally love shell pearls and think they have their own type of beauty.
COTTON PEARLS are man-made imitation pearls, which are made in Japan by coating compressed cotton beads with a pearly lacquer coating. They are extremely lightweight and very pretty.
CRYSTAL PEARLS are man-made imitation pearls, which are made with a crystal core bead which is coated with several layers of mother of pearl. Different shapes and sizes of pearls can be created simply by changing the size and/or shape of the core bead. Swarovski® and Preciosa® make a lovely variety of crystal pearls. Crystal pearls are the perfect choice when looking to save money and attain consistency. Crystal pearls are very sturdy, and the coating does not chip or flake off with normal wear. They are also washable and very affordable.
GLASS PEARLS are man-made imitation pearls, which are made by either dipping or spraying a glass bead with a pearlescent finish. The Spanish Majorica® pearls are the most famous glass pearls, but you can find many varieties of glass pearls ranging in shapes, colors and sizes. Some glass pearls are quite lovely and, if they are made well, can be very durable. However, all glass pearls should be handled carefully, so as to preserve the coating.
ACRYLIC PEARLS are man-made imitation pearls, which are made with a plastic bead which is dipped or sprayed with a pearlescent coating. Some acrylic pearls are quite nice, and some are not. It just depends on the manufacturer and how they’ve been packaged and cared for since production.
HOW TO TELL IF YOUR PEARLS ARE REAL – Gently rub the pearl in the middle of one of your front teeth. If it feels sandy and gritty, it is real. If it feels smooth and slippery, it is an imitation.
HOW TO CLEAN NATURAL PEARLS – Dissolve a couple of drops of mild dish soap in 1 cup of lukewarm water (not too hot and not too cold). Dip a soft cotton cloth into the mixture and gently wipe the pearls clean. Do not submerge your pearls into this mixture or any liquid cleanser.
FUN FACT - Did you know that the best way to keep your pearls looking lustrous is by wearing them? It is true, because unworn pearls will fade over time and lose their natural luster.
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