Learn About Pearls

HISTORY

Pearls are the only organic gems in the world – that is to say, they are created by living creatures. They have been revered and desired since their discovery, and have served as a status symbol for the rich and powerful for many centuries.

With modern culturing processes in practice, their beauty and elegance are now available to everyone – and are a highly desirable fashion item, having been worn by celebrities from Audrey Hepburn to Keira Knightly, from Marilyn Monroe to Kate Moss.

PEARL JEWELLERY - ATTRIBUTES EXPLAINED

This should help you to select, appreciate and value the perfect piece of pearl jewellery for you.

Length

Our necklaces are available in the following lengths:

35cm – 'Choker' length

40cm – 'Collar' length

50cm – 'Princess' length

90cm – 'Opera' length

The most common length for pearl necklaces is 40cm, also known as 'collar length'. This is flattering on most people. The longer 'opera' length is also very fashionable currently.

Pearl Type

All of our pearls are either cultured Akoya, or cultured Freshwater. These are distinguished as follows:

- Akoya

These are pearls formed from the Pinctada Fucata Oyster. They are 'nucleated', which means a round shell bead nucleus has been inserted into the oyster at the pearl farm along with a small piece of mantle tissue from another oyster, which the oyster then coats with 'nacre', the word for the substance that pearls are formed from. The pearls are then harvested one to two years later.

- Freshwater

The freshwater pearl is not bead nucleated, and is therefore purely composed of nacre. A small piece of mantle tissue is inserted into the mussel, generally of the Hyriopsis Cumingi breed. This is harvested around two to six years later. As there is no round bead at the centre, it is rarer for round pearls to be formed this way.

A note on natural pearls

Perhaps you are wondering why we sell cultured and not 'natural' pearls, i.e. pearls that occur naturally in the wild – this is because they are now extremely rare and expensive, due to centuries of over-fishing and pollution. The cultured pearls that we sell are from managed and sustainable sources.

Pearl Grade

All of our traditional round pearls are graded as the highest standard 'AAA' - we simply do not deal in lower quality pearls. There is no internationally recognised pearl grading standard, and some companies grade their pearls as AAA, but neglect to tell you that the system they are using recognises 'AAAAA' as the highest standard. We at Pearl Plum Ltd use the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) pearl description system to grade our pearls, and for us, AAA is defined as:

Lustre: Excellent

This is judged by the brightness and sharpness of reflected light from the pearl.

Surface Quality: Clean

This means that the majority of the pearls' surfaces are free from noticeable blemishes and abrasions.

Nacre Quality: Acceptable

This is the highest standard for nacre quality, and refers to cultured Akoya pearls only – which are formed by a shell bead nucleus being inserted into a oyster, which then coats it with a layer of 'pearl substance', or nacre, forming a beautiful Akoya pearl. In lower quality pearls, it is possible to see the shell bead nucleus through the nacre coating, in strong light, and the pearl can have a 'chalky' appearance.

Matching: Excellent

This is defined as the majority of the pearls being uniform in appearance, and drilled on-centre.

Pearl Shape

- Round

- is self explanatory – these pearls appear spherical to the eye. We also sell pearls with more unusual, contemporary shapes however, which are described as follows and are all very unique and beautiful pearls:-

- Baroque

This can describe any pearl which is non-symmetrical and irregular in appearance.

- Baroque Circled

Again this is a non-symmetrical pearl – but either approximately round or tear-drop shaped in appearance, with naturally occurring grooved rings running all the way round the circumference.

- Baroque Potato

This shape resembles nothing so much as that of a potato! Often off-round and slightly oval in shape.

Pearl Size

The majority of our round pearls are sized 6.5-7.0mm – this means that they will be between 6.5mm and 7.0mm in diameter. This is a standard Akoya pearl size. Other sizes are available on request.

Pearl Colour

All of our pearls are undyed, unless described as otherwise. As a general guide – common naturally occurring Akoya colours are white and cream, and freshwater are white, pink, lavender and peach. Common dyed freshwater colours are black and brown, for example.

Clasp Material

All of our pieces are available with either white or yellow gold (for Akoya), or silver or yellow plated gold clasps (for freshwater). Alternative clasps – both styles and materials - available on request.

CARING FOR YOUR PEARLS

As pearls are natural and organically formed, they can be damaged if they come into contact with substances such as perfume and makeup. As such, it's advisable to wipe them with a soft cloth after wearing, and also to store them in a jewellery box rather than in plastic, or hanging up – this can stretch the silk thread. Cared for properly, your pearls will continue to delight you for many, many years to come.

GIVING PEARLS

Suggested occasions on which it would be appropriate to give pearls:

• Birthdays – especially 16th, 18th, 21st, 30th, 40th etc
• Anniversaries – especially 30th wedding anniversaries, known as the 'pearl' anniversary
• Graduations
• Valentine's day
• Christmas
• Weddings – for example, as a gift from the groom to the bride

Please note:

If you have any questions or comments about any of our information, please do not hesitate to use our 'contact us' form, and we will respond to you within 24 hours by phone or email, whichever you prefer. We look forward to being in touch!