Let’s discover the World of pearls together. Did you know pearl is the associated gemstone of June? In Astrology each of the 12 signs of the zodiac has one or two associated gemstones. Accordingly the astrologists thought that the gemstones resonate with the essential characteristic trait of the person born under specific sign.
Organic Gems
Pearls belong to organic gems family. Organic gems are those gems that were generated by organic processes and hence have organic origin. Pearls and amber are examples of organic gems. Beauty and ease of work make them so attractive in the jewellery industry. Organic gems were popular since the very early times because they were softer than minerals. Hence ancient masters could shape and polish them with primitive tools.
Pearls
Pearl is a concretion formed by a mollusc and therefore consisting of the same material as the mollusc’s shell, which is principally the mineral aragonite. In addition to aragonite, the shell contains small amounts of conchiolin, a horn-like organic substance. The name of these materials together is mother-of-pearl or nacre.
Created naturally by a living creature over many years, every pearl is indeed unique in its colour, lustre, size and shape. Pearl is one of the most beautiful and surprising gemstone materials available to jewellery makers. The design opportunities for pearls are limitless. Their flexibility and timeless appeal have earned them an enduring and worldwide popularity and jewellery buyers.
The most valuable pearls are spherical or drop-like, with a deep lustre and good colour play. In jewellery industry, Oriental pearls is the name of salt-water pearls. While freshwater molluscs produce freshwater pearls. The cultured pearls are pearls that grow on farms.
The colour of pearls varies with the mollusc and its environment. The pearl can be any delicate shade from black to white, cream, grey, blue, yellow, green, lavender, and mauve. Specialists particularly prize rose-tinted Indian pearls.
World of Pearls: Sources
One can find pearls in Persian Gulf from Oman to Qatar, the waters between India and Sri Lanka, and the islands of the South Pacific. The Gulf of California, the Gulf of Mexico, and the waters of the Pacific coasts of Mexico produce dark-hued pearls with metallic sheen, as well as good-quality white pearls. It is possible to find freshwater pearls in Mississippi River in the USA and several rivers in England and Ireland.
World of Pearls: Cultivation
The cultivation of pearls began in 13th century China. These pearls were ‘blister’ pearls – hemispherical pearls formed between the mussel and its shell. The production of whole cultured pearls, and its subsequent industry, started in the 1890s by the Japanese Mikimoto Kokichi.
Jewellery, pearls, silver, gold, gems are always amazing. They are giving us endless possibilities to create beautiful things for you to underline your uniqueness. If you’re looking for a gift then don’t forget that we have a range of fab items in our online shop.