Pearls | June Birthstone

If you are a June baby then you are very lucky! You have not one but three gemstones to choose from for your birthstone; Alexandrite, Moonstone and Pearls. These three gemstones are completely different so you decide which is you favourite and they vary in style, colour and price.

This blog will discuss some of the many different types of pearls available and helpful information to use when choosing a pearl. 

  

 

Pearls

Pearls are organic gemstones and they grow inside a salt or freshwater mollusk which can be either an oyster or mussel. Pearls have been used as adornment for centuries, as far back as ancient Greece, where they believed pearls were the tears of the gods. In recent years, pearl jewellery has seen a massive revival. They are not only timeless and traditional but also unique and dynamic. 

 

Cultured vs Natural Pearls

Cultured Pearls 

These are made by implanting a small piece of mantel tissue. This acts as an irritant and so the mollusk covers it with nacre. These type of pearls are created in pearl farms, the majority of which are in China. This method were first discovered by Kokichi Mikimoto in 1893. Thousands of years of pearl fishing have decimated the natural pearl beds, so cultured pearls account for the vast majority of pearl sales today. In fact, 95% of pearl production is cultured. 

Natural Pearls

Natural pearls form when the mollusk secretes a substance called nacre around an irritant such as a piece of sand or a parasite that has invaded its shell. Thousands of years of pearl fishing have decimated the natural pearl beds, so cultured pearls account for the vast majority of pearl sales today. Natural pearls are extremely rare and expensive. Only one in approximately 10,000 oysters in the wild will ever produce a pearl of gem-grade quality
 

Bespoke pearl and diamond earrings

 

Saltwater Pearls

Akoya Pearls

These come from the Akoya oyster and are typically round with bright lustre and shine. Akoya pearls have neutral colours and overtones (unless colour treated). Most pearls are white to grey, with pink, green, or silver overtones. Occasionally, they are blue with silver and pink overtones, but these are extremely rare. They are never naturally black, to achieve this colour they treated with an organic dye or Cobalt-60 radiation. The average size harvested is 7mm but they can be up to 10-11mm but are very rare. 

South Sea and Tahitian Pearls

These are cultured in a large mussel shell (Pinctada Maxima) and normally take longer to grow then Akoya pearls. The colours vary from white with a rose or green tint, green, blue/grey, pale yellow or golden. The later is the most sought after and therefore more expensive. Tahitian Pearls from the black-lip mussel (Pinctada Margaritifera) are the only natural black pearls that exist, all others are dyed. 

Black Tahitian Pearls by Katherine Seaman 

Keshi Pearls

They are a variety of baroque pearls and are the rarest type. Keshi pearls are a bi-product of pearl cultivation. They are non-nucleated pearls that are 100% solid nacre resulting in irregular shapes and high in lustre. 

White Keshi Pearl Drop Earrings

 

What to consider when buying a pearl?

Nacre 

This is the organic crystalline substance that mollusks produce to create the interior of their shells and protect themselves from irritants and parasites by smoothing them over with this substance and eventually creating a pearl. The thickness of the nacre and its quality will effect the longevity of the pearl. If there is high lustre this generally means that the nacre layer is thick and the pearls will last. 

Shapes

Pearls come in a variety of different shapes which include:

• Baroque
• Fancy
• Button
• Round/off round
• Drop 
• Potato
• Rice

Colour

The colour of the pearl depends on the variety of mollusk it comes from and also the type of water. The colour is a mixture of of body colour and lustre (or overtone). Pearls are available to buy natural in colour or dyed. This can include a colour treatment to enhance natural colours. The majority of black, peacock and grey pearls are dyed. If a pearl is irregular in shape it is possible to see if its been dyed as there may be pockets of dye residue, also if you have a string of pearls that are identical in colour its possible that they have been dyed. 

Peacock (dyed) hand knotted pearl necklace

 

Caring for Your Pearls

Pearls are organic and are therefore affected by heat and water. Pearls should be kept away from sunlight, chemicals and lotions. When not worn they should be kept in a cloth pouch.