The first pearl was probably discovered while early man was searching the seashore for food. Pearls have been revered as one of the most beautiful and magical gems on earth. Cultured pearls share the same properties as natural pearls and are grown by live oysters. The only difference is a little bit of encouragement by man. A natural pearl begins as a foreign object, such as a parasite or piece of sand that has accidentally lodged itself in the oyster's soft inner body where it cannot be expelled. In an effort to ease this irritant and to protect itself, the oyster's body takes defensive action and coats the intruding object with nacre. Nacre is a crystalline substance that builds up over time, resulting in a shimmering, iridescent creation. The oyster will continue to secrete nacre around the irritant, layer upon layer as long as the irritant remains within its body. After a few years, the irritant will be totally encased by the silky crystalline coatings. The result is the lovely and lustrous gem called a pearl. Cultured pearls are made by using the culturing process developed by man, which mimics nature. Pearl farmers implant a fine bead into the oyster where it cannot be expelled. The oyster does the rest and creates its lustrous pearl masterpiece. French Polynesia produces roughly 93 to 95% of all the pearls cultured worldwide in the black-lipped oyster, Pinctada Margaritifera. How to Judge a Pearl Luster: Luster is the shine and glow of the pearl, the way it handles light. It is a combination of surface brilliance and a deep glow that seems to emanate from within the pearl. The luster of a good quality pearl should be bright, enabling you to see your own reflection clearly on the surface and not dull. A pearl that appears too white, dull or chalky indicates poor quality. What make a pearl pearly? The pearl basically is reflecting light and refracting it through its translucent top layers of nacre at the same time. This double ability gives it a depth and a warm soft glow unlike any other material. Color: Pearl colors can range from pale pinkish, cream, gold, to silver-white, bluish gray, and black. There are also other color overtones that can be reflected across a pearl's surface. In fact, the color of a pearl is generally a meld of its body color and its overtone, just as the term "white-rose" will describe a white pearl with a rosy-colored hue. Surface: Refers to bumps, pits, cracks, or spots or other disfiguring surface blemishes that may be found on a pearl. Since pearls are grown by oysters in nature, it is rare to find a pearl whose surface is blemish free. The fewer blemishes on the surface of a pearl, the more valuable it will be. Shape: It is very rare to find a perfectly round pearl, but generally, the rounder the pearl, the more valuable it is. Pearls also come in oval, pear and baroque shapes. Baroque is the name given to off-round pearls. Size: Pearls are measured by their diameter in millimeters. They can be smaller than one millimeter, in the case of seed pearls, or as large as 20 millimeters for a big South Sea pearl. With all other quality factors being equal, the larger the pearl, the more valuable it will be since it is difficult for an oyster to grow a pearl larger than five millimeters. The most popular size of pearls sold around the world is about seven millimeters. Matching: When buying a strand of cultured pearls, matching is very important. A good quality strand should be evenly matched in terms of luster, surface, shape, color and size. Well-matched pearl necklaces command top prices. Pearl growers must harvest about 10,000 oysters in order to find enough pearls that match closely enough to make up a simple, 16-inch strand. Types of Pearls Akoya - This is the most familiar type of cultured pearl sold in necklaces. Akoyas from Japan and China are grown in saltwater pearl oysters (pinctada fucata martusii) and are known for their shimmering beauty and warm colors which range from rose, cream and gold to silvery/ white and blue/ gray. These pearls grow from 2-10mm in diameter. Their base colours are mainly white, cream and yellow (sometimes with a greenish tone). They sometimes are produced in grey colours. Most Akoya pearls are round in shape, however they are also produced in baroque, oval, drop and button. Black cultured Akoya pearls are not natural, they will be colored treated or scientifically colored. South Sea - Large (10mm and up) cultured pearls grown in tropical and semi-tropical oysters in the South Seas and around the coast of Australia. Their color ranges from silvery white to gold; they are quite costly due to their size and rarity. South Sea pearls are saltwater pearls cultivated using the Pinctada maxima oyster, also called the silver-lipped or gold-lipped oyster. The silver-lipped oyster is found in the South Seas an area centered around Northern Australia and South-East Asia including Myanmar and Indonesia. They produce 10-20 mm pearls of silver or gold color. For centuries, pearl divers harvested these exotic shells for their valuable Mother of Pearl shell to make buttons. Occasionally pearls were found inside, and these pearls were regarded as rare and valuable. The Balanice Set, in "The Collections" section has a South Sea pearl in the pendant. Tahitian Black - Large (10mm and up) cultured pearls grown in Black-Lipped oysters in French Polynesia. Colors range from silvery gray and green to deep purple and black. Their large sizes and unique colors command premium prices. Tahitian Black Pearls (also called South Sea Black pearls) are grown in the waters of French Polynesia. They are saltwater pearls from the Pinctada margaritifera or black-lipped oyster and can range from gray to black with red, green or blue overtones. This oyster also is found in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, New Caledonia, the Philippines, Panama, and the Gulf of Mexico. An adult Pinctada oyster can reach a diameter of 30 centimeters, with weight exceeding 5 kilograms (over 10 pounds). Rare specimens as large as 9 kilograms (over 19 pounds), have been harvested. It takes about two years before the oyster is ready for harvesting. Only about 30 percent of the oysters cultured produce a pearl. Mabe - Large, hemispherical cultured pearls grown against the inside shells of oysters rather than in the oysters' bodies. Less expensive than round cultured pearls due to their half-round shape, they are most popular in earrings, rings and brooches. Mabe pearls are grown by glueing a plastic hemisphere onto the inside of a mollusk's shell. Once the hemispherical nucleus is covered with a sufficient amount of nacre, the pearl is cut away from the inner shell, the bead taken out, and the cavity filled with a substance such as epoxy resin and backed by a mother-of-pearl plate. Mabe pearls are sometimes referred to as blister pearls. Freshwater - Pearls cultivated in mussels, not oysters, in freshwater lakes and rivers in China, Japan and the United States. Due to their easy cultivation, freshwater pearls are abundantly available at reasonable prices. Shapes can be freeform, rice shaped, off-round or spherical and colors range from milky white, to peach, pink, and lavender. The Luscious Necklace, in the "One of a Kind" section uses freshwater pearl sticks. The Molokai Set, in the "Feature Item" section has dyed turquoise, rice shaped freshwater pearls. Keshi - Known as the "Gifts of the Mermaid", Keshi Pearls are small natural seawater pearls. Associated with the ancient Princes of Arabia, they can take between 1 to 7 years to form naturally. Found primarily in the Sea of Japan, Keshi Pearls form naturally and come in many shapes, hues, luster, colors and sizes. Keshi are also known as seed pearls, these tiny pearls can be as small as a grain of sand and form accidentally in many cultured pearl oysters. Small Tahitian cultured pearls created by the oyster's premature rejection of the grafted nucleus have been given the Japanese name of keshi. The term means poppies, and the association is between the minuscule size of poppy seeds and the very small pearl beads that are naturally formed in the soft tissue of the mollusk. In contrast to freshwater pearls, which are produced by the ton, natural Keshi production makes up only 1 to 2 % of Japanese Akoya pearls. Each Keshi pearl is unique and, when drilled and strung, forms a one-of-a-kind hand crafted piece for the discriminating buyer. Baroque - Cultured pearls that are irregularly-shaped, yet are often lustrous and appealing. Baroque pearls do not have any axis of rotation. Baroque is an industry expression used to describe any pearl that is not symmetrical. Necklace Lengths Choker - A necklace 14 inches to 15 inches in length that rests on the collarbone. Princess - An 18-inch necklace strung with either graduated or uniform pearls. Matinee - A slightly longer necklace, usually 20 to 24 inches in length. Opera - A 30- to 36-inch necklace, this length should fall to the breastbone and can often be worn long or doubled. Rope or Sautoir - Any necklace longer than opera length. Ropes are often worn knotted or with a shortener for added versatility of style. Basic terminology Graduated - A necklace with pearls of gradually increasing size with the smallest at the back and the largest at the center. Uniform - A necklace in which all pearls appear to be the same size, although there is usually a slight difference between the center and end pearls. Lariat - A lariat necklace is defined as an open ended long strand necklace that doubles over on itself, ties or loops in the front, no clasp used. Dog collar - A multiple strand pearl necklace that fits closely around the neck. Bib - A single necklace with multiple strands of pearls of varying lengths that are worn nested together. Torsade - A necklace in which several strands of pearls (usually freshwater) are twisted together and held with a special clasp. Pearl Care A pearl is a natural object and is not designed to be in contact with most manufactured chemicals such as perfume, makeup, skin care products, hair spray, or similar compounds. Some people have skin that is more acid than others. If a pearl necklace is regularly worn, some of the pearls will constantly be in close contact with a person's neck at the shoulder line. It is best to put your pearls on after applying makeup, perfume and hair spray. Contact with these items can affect a pearl's luster and color. Pearl pendants do not always have such constant contact with a person's skin. The pearls in the necklace will gradually absorb acid from the skin and the acid will slowly eat into the spherical pearl. Over time the pearl will not only lose its luster, but will become barrel-shaped. You can slow this process by wiping the pearls with a soft cloth or chamois after wearing them. This will prevent dirt from accumulating and keep perspiration, which is slightly acidic, from eating away at the pearl nacre. With this in mind, it's best to make pearls the last thing you put on and the first thing you take off. If pearls have not been kept clean and are very dirty, your jeweler can clean them or they can be cleaned using special pearl cleaner. Be careful when using jewelry cleaner or soap. Use only pearl safe jewelry cleaner. Some liquid soaps, such as Dawn, can damage pearls. Pay attention to the areas around the drill holes where dirt may tend to collect. Never soak pearls, rather clean them with a damp cloth or the drill holes may discolor. Lay them flat in a moist kitchen towel to dry. Do not hang to dry or store because if they are strung on silk this may stretch the cord. Pearls are also easily damaged by chemicals like vinegar and lemon juice. Heat can turn pearls brown or dry them out and make them crack. Dry air can also damage pearls. Most safe deposit vaults have very dry air and can damage pearls. When taking off a pearl ring, grasp the shank, or metal part, rather than the pearl. This will prevent the pearl from loosening and coming into contact with skin oil on your hand. Because pearls are delicate by nature, special care must be taken when cleaning. Pearls are relatively soft compared to other gemstones and precious metals and need special care. It is important to take special care of them to ensure they will remain bright and beautiful for generations to come. They never should be tossed on top of or next to other gems in a jewelry box. Store them alone in a jewelry pouch as other gemstones may scratch them. If you wear your pearls several times a week, it is best to have them evaluated at your jeweler to check the stringing integrity to prevent possible breakage. Once a year have a jewelry professional verify that the pearls on your jewelry are securely mounted and that the string is still good. When having your pearls re-strung, many experts advise silk thread. However, nylon thread is an acceptable alternative. Make sure that the string is knotted between each pearl. Individual knotting will prevent all the pearls in a strand from falling off should a break occur. Knotting also prevents the pearls from rubbing against each other. The Do's and Don'ts of Pearl Care Don't: Don't expose pearls to acid-based hair sprays, cosmetics or perfumes, or clean them with chemicals or abrasives. Don't ever soak your pearls as this may discolor them near the drill hole. Don't toss pearls into a pocket book or jewelry box where they can become scratched by metal or other gem stones. Don't ever use an ultrasonic cleaner. Don't ever steam-clean pearls. Don't ever use (or expose pearls) to dish or wash detergents (like Dawn), bleaches, powdered cleansers, baking soda, or ammonia-based cleaners (like Windex). Don't ever use toothbrushes, scouring pads or abrasive materials to clean pearls. Don't ever wear pearls when their string is wet. Wet strings stretch and attract dirt, which is hard to remove. Don't ever hang pearls to dry or store as it may stretch the cord they are strung on. Don't wearing pearls with rough fabrics like Shetland wool. Do: Do use jewelry cleaners labeled as safe for pearls. Do pat your pearls gently with a damp cloth with mild soap and water when you take them off. This will remove any traces of hair spray or perfume. Do treat your pearls gently by keeping them in a chamois bag or wrap them in tissue when you put them away. Remember that cultured pearls are precious jewels and should always be treated as such. Take your pearls off when applying cosmetics, hair spray, and perfume, or when showering or swimming. Have your pearls restrung once a year if you wear them often. If your pearls do require cleaning, it's best to use a very soft, non-abrasive soap such as a mild liquid hand soap. Do store your pearls in a soft pouch, separate from your other jewelry as diamonds and other gemstones may scratch them. Do make pearls the last thing you put on and the first thing you take off. Please email Loewe if you have any questions.