Pearls – Unique and Precious

Pearls are cherished for their perfection and purity and they are symbolic of something very fine, very rare and valuable. It is no wonder then that the discerning woman chooses to adorn herself with pearls.

Throughout the ages, pearls have been used to denote elegance, prosperity and distinction of the wearer. Queen Elizabeth I was known to be a great lover of pearls, she was said to wear 7 ropes of pearls that reached up to her knees and owned thousands of pearl embroidered dresses. In those days, unless you were of a certain social stature, you were not even allowed to wear pearls. Such was the rare distinction that pearls possessed in the past.

Pearls are the only precious gems that grow inside a living organism. They are formed when a foreign substance enters the shell of a mollusc and irritates the soft inner tissue. The mollusc then secretes nacre around the irritant and thus forms the pearl.

Earlier, pearls were not accessible to all because they were extremely rare and only one out of several thousands of oysters perhaps held the precious gem. But now pearls do not just occur naturally, but they are also produced artificially. The process of how the pearl forms is essentially the same, but the irritant is surgically implanted into the mollusc when it is cultured artificially.

Choosing the Right Pearl

Now pearls are available in different colours and sizes. Any woman who chooses to complement her elegance with precious gems has access to a wide variety of pearls.

There are 6 important features that determine the quality of a pearl. When you buy pearl jewelry, look for these elements.

Size: Obviously, size does matter. The larger pearl is also rarer than the smaller ones. Pearls normally vary in size from 5 mm to 18 mm. A large natural pearl is an extremely rare find. Cultured pearls are usually bigger than the naturally occurring ones because the core tends to be larger.

Lustre: Perhaps the most alluring aspect of the pearl is how it seems to softly glow from within. This lustre forms an important part in determining the quality of the pearl. The clarity of images reflected on the surface of the pearl indicates the lustre; the clearer the images the better quality the pearl is.

Surface: The more flawless the surface of a pearl is, the more precious it is considered to be. But generally, an oyster tends to leave some sort of mark on the finished pearl and gems with a flawless surface are very rare, perhaps one in a million.

Shape: Pearls are normally round, but there are also the popular Baroque pearls with their linear shape. The more spherical the pearl is, the more expensive it will be. But pearls vary in shapes from round to semi-round, oval, drop or even completely asymmetrical. Irregularly shaped pearls are quite eye-catching and are usually less pricey than round pearls.

Colour: The traditional pearl is the silvery white, iridescent one. Today, colour is more of a personal choice and usually it does not have a significant bearing on the price. Cultured pearls are available in a wide variety of colours – from white to black and any colour in between. However, availability of certain colours can vary depending on the habitat and scarcity can have an impact on the price.

Weight: The weight of the pearl is generally expressed in carats. Jewellers will often include it in their descriptions of the pearl.

Considered to be one of the rarest and most precious gems of all times, pearls are timeless and pearl jewelry is sought after by women for the rare distinction it offers. When you buy pearl jewelry always buy it from a reputed jeweller to ensure quality.