How Well Do You Know Your Pearl? Part 1: A Short Guide to Natural Pearls in Jewelry
- Mandira Das
- Oct 1, 2021
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 15, 2021
INTRODUCTION:
Pearls are the only gems on earth that come from a living creature. Technically speaking, any mollusks can produce a substance similar to a pearl; however, only a few varieties can produce quality pearls. From ancient times, this sea-based gem is revered as a precious adornment for humankind. It is believed that the first discovery of a pearl was an accident when our distant ancestor was foraging for food by the ocean.
Natural pearls are two types; wild natural and cultured natural. Furthermore, there are a whole lot of different types in each of these two categories. Let’s dive into this and learn about them.
WILD NATURAL PEARL:
WHAT IS IT: Oysters, clams, and many other kinds of mollusks can form pearls. When foreign substances such as parasites, grit, coral, or bone are stuck within these mollusks, they secrete a combination of crystalline and organic substances also known as nacre. This is a self-defense mechanism of the creature where their secretion covers the foreign object with layers upon layers to protect their sensitive inner tissue. A natural pearl can form only this way. The size of the pearl depends on the time it gets to form underwater as well as the type of host and its size. A reasonable size pearl can take anywhere from six months to a few years to form.
WHERE TO FIND: The Persian Gulf, the Pacific Ocean, and regions near the south sea are the main sources of pearls created by mother nature herself. Wild pearls created without any intervention of human hands are very rare and expensive. Pearl divers collect potential oysters or other mollusks by freediving and open them. Due to extensive harvesting, these pearls are very hard to find currently. In 10,000 or more oysters you may find one of a decent size and quality if you are lucky! That means wild natural pearls whatever is available in the market are mostly as antique pieces of jewelry or sourced from an existing one.
PROS: They are valuable and can be a piece of heirloom for generations.
CONS: It is very expensive and unattainable for most people. Since harvesting pearls involves breaking open the shell, many mollusks get killed unnecessarily to find a single pearl. Retail value is going down since cultured pearls have flooded the market. Without proper care, natural pearls can lose their shine, or ‘die’, losing their value.
CULTURED NATURAL PEARL:
WHAT IS IT: Nowadays, what we get as natural pearls in the market are mostly products of pearl farming. Farmers insert foreign materials in the shells of clams or oysters and much like in the case of a wild pearl, they form protective layers around the materials within the shell. These pearls look exactly like naturally formed pearls. Even scientific studies proved that there is no difference between them structurally or chemically. Kokichi Mikimoto of Japan first successfully induced a special type of oyster to create pearls around the end of the 19th century and soon the procedure became popular, causing the pearl industry to boom.
Cultured pearls can come naturally in varieties of color depending on their host mollusks, similar to naturally formed pearls. They can be pink, grey, dark silver, black and white, and even come with beautiful overtones of blue, pink, silver, gold, teal on white or dark grey. Sometimes cheaper cultured pearls are dyed to give them a desired aesthetic. Quality varies depending on how they are cultured and their appearance, with perfectly round white pearls with lustrous smooth finishes to be the most traditionally coveted. Akoya pearls, White South Sea Pearl, and Golden South Sea pearls are most sought after for their quality and beauty. Tahitian pearls are famous for black and dark-colored pearls with different undertones. These are the most expensive varieties of cultured pearls, but even Baroque pearls are gaining lots of attention with their uneven organic appearance.
WHERE TO FIND: Cultured pearls can be cultivated in seawater as well as in freshwater rivers or lakes. Typically, specific types of oysters are used for marine culture, and clams are used for freshwater culture. There are some differences between these two types in appearance, quality, and price.
PROS: The biggest positive point is that there is no more guessing which mollusks are holding pearls, and there is no unnecessary waste of collecting and opening up tens of thousands of mollusks to find a quality pearl. Pearl farming creates lots of jobs in a locality and is an extremely sustainable method of gathering these beautiful, naturally occurring gems.
CONS: Mass production brought the price of natural pearls down and the retail value of old heirlooms too.
Seawater Cultured Pearl: At the gulf area, or inlets where water movement is gentle, deep-sea divers swim under the water and implant oysters with seeds to initiate the process. Japan, China, Australia, India, Myanmar, and Indonesia are just a few of the countries that produce deep-sea pearls. These pearls are normally bigger as the host mollusks are bigger; however, the size can depend on the time it gets to grow.
PROS: Less expensive than naturally grown pearl but the quality, luster, and appearance can be the same.
CONS: Price is normally higher than freshwater pearls and out of reach for the majority, and they can lose their luster without proper care.
Freshwater Cultured Pearl: Any lake, pond, or slow-moving river can be used for this purpose. Most of the aforementioned countries and regions produce this type of pearl in an inland water body with clear water.
PROS: With mass production, these pearls are very affordable now, with a wide variety of shapes, sizes, qualities, and luster to choose from.
CONS: If you aren’t aware of the differences, you can be conned into believing it to be a more precious variety. Like all types of natural pearls, it can lose its luster without proper care.
USE: The main use of pearls is in jewelry and to adorn clothes. However, there are other uses as well; Traditional Chinese and Indian medicine has a special use of pearl powder where, for thousands of years, it has been used to treat skin, bone, heart disorders, epilepsy, insomnia, and many other conditions. Pearl is also used in cosmetics, health food supplements and it has been used in some paint formulations too.
Beautiful shells of pearls, popularly known as the 'mother of pearls' (M.O.P), have various uses other than jewelry. They are used in mosaic tiles, inlays in decorative items, furniture, and musical instruments. In some coastal areas, shells can be used for controlling erosion and filtering water.
EFFECTS AND BELIEFS: Pearls are considered the ultimate symbol of wisdom. They represent purity, integrity, and undying love. There are stories about kings or emperors giving precious pearl necklaces as a reward to loyal followers. In days of old, some warriors used to wear pearls believing it would keep them from harm in a war.
CARE: Even though natural pearls come from water, keep your pearls away from them because the thread and metal parts can be damaged by water or other liquid.
For more care information, follow the jewelry care guide here.
Check out freshwater cultured pearl jewelry in our collection @
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