Pearls

A pearl is an organic gem that is treasured for it's striking beauty. Pearls can be used as a jewelry piece, either by itself, strung together as a necklace, bracelet, or adorned on gold and other precious metals.

They add a great touch to jewelry that is encrusted with diamonds, emerald, rubies and or other gemstones.

Pearls vary in color from white, silver, green blue, black, pink and cream, depending on the type of mollusk they form in. They are found in sizes ranging from a pin head to the size of a birds egg.

The Hope Pearl is one of the largest known to exist and is kept in the South Kensington Museum in London, England.

Regarded as one of the most valuable gems, pearls have been worn as jewelry for thousands of years.

Aside from being strung together as necklaces, pearls are popularly used in rings, earrings, pins and brooches.

The life spans of pearls has been estimated to be between one hundred and two hundred years but some have been around for much longer periods.

Since pearls are of organic origins, they can scratch easily and they are sensitive to acids and extreme cold or very hot temperatures.

The value of pearls is derived according to it's color, shape, size, luster and surface condition. They are also priced according to their weight in grains or by the number of carats they have.

Pearls have been bought and sold for centuries and as an industry, the pearl trade continues to grow and flourish.

Pearls are formed either naturally or they are cultured. Natural pearls are those that are formed in a mollusk without interference from humans and cultured pearls are developed when humans insert materials into the mollusk to intentionally provoke the formation of pearls.

They are created as a defense against irritants in the mollusk by a secretion of mother of pearl (nache) together with a bonding substance called conchiolin that bonds around the irritant and hardens into a smooth, silky, spherical pearl.

Today, most pearls are cultured and they are harvested in oceans and rivers, most notably in Japan, China, Indonesia, Australia, India, Myanmar, and in countries around the Persian Gulf.

The pearl industry is a thriving business and it provides jobs for skilled and unskilled laborers around the world.

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