Pearls are naturally created when foreign particles enter oyster shells. The oysters produce a calcium-type substance around the foreigner and this substance coats the particle in thin concentric layers, creating a pearl. Naturally formed pears are rarely symmetrical or well shaped enough to be used as jewelry. As such, pearls are generally cultured and grown so that their shape and size can be regulated.

If you want to know how to choose the right kind of pearl earrings for the right occasion, then you should equip yourself with knowledge on how to judge a pearl’s standard. From the color, the overtone, the size and shape to a pearl’s luster and surface quality, pearls can vary from the inexpensive to the extremely rare and valuable.

When choosing the right pearl earrings for the right occasion, it is also important to determine your budget as pearls that have greater luster or have more reflective surfaces are more highly prized. The smoothness of a pearl’s surface is also a qualifying factor in judging its quality. From cream, champagne, pink, gold, blue and even black, choosing the right pearl earrings will depend on the occasion you intend to wear them to.

A pearl, unlike other gemstones, is delicate and can easily be cracked and scratched by other gems. Substances such as sweat, perfume and the like can affect its soft, porous covering. Taking good care of your pearl earrings involve wiping them down with a soft damp cloth and wearing them only after you’ve put on your makeup and your perfume.

Earrings worn as accessories are designed to draw attention to the face and should be carefully chosen to flatter your features, depending on the shape of your specific face. Learning how to choose the right pearl earrings for the right occasion begins with determining your face shape.

Subscribe to our feed

However, there are 6 different types of pearl necklace to choose from. These necklaces have different lengths and are used on various specific events. A pearl necklace can come as a choker, dog collar, princess, matinee, opera, or rope.

The dog collar necklace is the shortest type of pearl necklaces that has a length of 10 to 13 inches. It is the one that is usually worn closest to the neck and is often used on various casual occasions.

The choker pearl necklace has a length of 16 to 18 inches and is the perfect jewelry for formal attire on formal events.

The princess pearl necklace on the other hand extends to about 17 to 20 inches in length. The princess necklace serves as the teens and young adult’s favorite which best displays their youthful glow. This is often worn on night outs which give a significant radiance on the one wearing it.

The matinee pearl necklace serves as the perfect match for business suits and corporate attires. This is often seen on business meetings as it effectively adds on the person’s authority and power. This type of necklace usually has a length of 20 to 24 inches.

Opera pearl necklace on the other hand reaches to a length of 28 to 34 inches. Opera pearl necklaces are often used on special occasions like grand weddings and formal birthday parties.

The longest type of pearl necklaces is the rope pearl necklace which has a length of 45 inches and over. It is the perfect match for pant suits and the perfect symbol for elegance and style.

Pearl necklaces like pure pearls are also available in various color like gold, pink, white, black, cream, and white rose. White and white rose colored pearls seem to be the favorite color as it serves as the perfect pearl for any range of skin color. Golden colored pearl necklaces on the other hand are the best choice for those that have darker skin tones.  Freshwater pearls also come in two different diameter ranges. The smaller range measures to about 6 to 8 mm which is good for almost all types of occasion while the bigger one is 10 mm. The smaller version of a pearl is more frequently worn as it can go on various occasions while the bigger one is specifically intended for special occasions.

Subscribe to our feed

The Tahitian pearls are a creation by the best of what the Pacific can offer.  It is made into perfection from mere sand by the black-lipped oyster or the Pinctada Margaritifera. It is truly an achievement of the harmonious bond between a living thing and an inert mineral. Despite their mastery over technology, humans could not replicate the deed. What they could do is only to further the intensity of the Tahitian pearl’s beauty. By making wonderful jewelry items with it is as the centerpiece, they could only pay respect to the Tahitian pearl.

Others insist, though mistakenly, that Tahitian pearls are always black. Tahitian pearls are in a variety of wonderful natural colors. These can be in white with a silvery luster, in shiny metallic grey, or in radiant green, yellow and even purple. However, no matter what color it comes in, it still preserves the aura of royalty it is worthy of as the queen of pearls.  Even if it is just as big as other regular pearls, it is still worthy of the label. Normally, it is only seven to eight millimeters.

These may have the same colors when gathered for a certain jewelry design but freshwater pearls are all quite different from each other. To search for genuinely similar pieces can only cause frustration. Every Tahitian pearl is exceptional like the mother-of-pearls they respectively come from, a bona fide treasure for its owners.

Just like every thing, else mortal, Tahitian pearls also have flaws. Nevertheless, it continues to hold to its royal crown for it smoothness, sheen, and nacre thickness. Small imperfections cannot dent its majesty.

Many have hunted the black-lipped oyster’s mother-of-pearl to near-extinction for its shell, which, due to its size, is itself a treasure. However, efforts are being made to protect it, just as it did to its valuable conception. It is now the humans’ obligation to make certain that the next generations will marvel at the existence of the Tahitian pearl.

Subscribe to our feed

The key to success when making handmade jewellery is in the quality of materials that you use in your designs. You will be able to find the material for your jewellery in speciality shops selling beads and stones. Experiment in your designs with inexpensive material before using pearl on the final design. You can experiment with special designs personable to your bridesmaids by using inexpensive materials before finalising your designs with pearls.   Once you feel more confident about your skills and designs, you can start buying those materials that are of higher quality.

To say thank you to your bridesmaids, handmade jewellery is a personalised present for your bridesmaids.  Memories of your special day will be rekindled when wearing the jewellery.

Finding the right handmaid pearl jewellery can be very difficult, especially if looking on the internet, the choice is vast and it is very difficult to know where to start looking. Also, because each piece is individually made how do you know that you are getting good value for money and that the quality if going to be exceptional. Maybe the fact that the jewellery is handmaid and each piece will have its own quirks will make it special enough. However, make sure that you do plenty of research before making the final decision because if you get the right piece of jewellery it will be very special and treasured for years.

Subscribe to our feed

The most common type of pearl available today are freshwater pearls, which are mostly produced in China using freshwater mussels and come in a huge variety of shapes, sizes and colours. Freshwater pearls come in the natural colours of whites, pinks, creams and lilacs but they can be easily dyed any other colour to be used for jewellery. Freshwater pearls are easier to farm succesfully than saltwater pearls, making them cheaper to buy as jewellery, though it is rare for them to be perfectly round and a necklace of cultured freshwater pearls will hardly ever be all the same size and shape.

Subscribe to our feed

The Tooth Test
Many people say that by rubbing a pearl against your teeth you can tell whether it’s real or fake by the feel of its surface. Real pearls normally have a more rough, irregular texture in contrast to imitation pearls which are usually very smooth or even glassy. This isn’t really the most reliable method of testing, as many fake pearls are created to feel as real as possible and some real pearls can sometimes be smooth, particularly if the surface has been dyed.

The Sun Test
Another indicator is to take the pearls into full daylight and look closely at the lustre, or iridescence, that you see on the surface. Unless they are extremely rare and expensive, real pearls hardly ever appear perfectly matched in full daylight and have clear differences in shine, iridescence and colour.

Surface Magnification
Don’t underestimate the power of a magnifying glass – a closeup look at the pearl earrings, necklace or brooch can tell you a lot, and is one of the most effective ways of distinguishing between genuine and fake pearls. Genuine pearls are covered in tiny, almost indistinguishable lines, making it look almost scaly when placed under the microscope. It also helps to look closely at the drill holes in the pearl, which are normally as small as possible in a real pearl as larger holes devalue the gem. The holes are usually drilled from both ends and meet in the middle, making the passage narrower at the centre of the pearl.

Shape
One of the most obvious ways to identify real pearl sets is to look closely at the shape of each pearl and whether or not they are close to being identical – real pearls are hardly ever perfectly round, and it is almost unheard of to find a whole string of pearls of exactly the same size, shape and weight. Those which are will be very expensive, or they are more than likely imitations.

X-Ray
The best way to be absolutely positive of a pearl’s authenticiety is to pay a certified gemologist to verify it. You can have the pearl x-rayed for a price, showing any variations in density and identifying the nucleus to determine how the pearl was originally formed. To be worth paying the price you need to first be fairly sure that the pearl is genuine, but some fakes can be very convincing and without damaging the pearl it really is the only way to be completely sure.

Subscribe to our feed

Anniversary rings, no matter if combined with diamonds, rubies, sapphires, or any other sort of amazing gem on the market were at one time save for certain occasions like the 25th Now days a lot of people choose to celebrate not just with such rings, but also with other dazzling items reminiscent of the way they feel towards the one that they love.

While diamonds are indeed a popular choice, they aren’t the favorite of everyone and anniversary rings can be found in all different gemstones and styles . To begin narrowing down your many options, first choose from popular metals such as white or yellow gold, silver, and platinum for the band itself and then decide on the actual style or setting of the ring .

A couple styles that you might was to consider when making this decision are antique, modern, and traditional in many different settings. Remember that there is no restriction on what type of diamond you can use, therefore you don’t have to use white diamonds. As a matter of fact you can get the gems in several different colors.

If you have the understanding that her preferences do not involve diamonds, then you can pick a different type of rock such as sapphire or even ruby. These rocks will stand out in a crowd and mesh well with anything else that she happens to wear.

Or, some women prefer to wear their rings on their right hand alone instead of on the left with their bridal set. If this is the case and the ring will be worn alone or with just a plain wedding band, you’ll have more options in terms of settings and size as you won’t want the new piece to dwarf or overpower the others. And, if the new ring is a completely different style than the bridal rings, she may also want to wear it separately on the right hand .

In addition to diamond rings, you may also want to consider other options for an anniversary gift such as diamond earrings in any number of carat weights and shapes, or perhaps one of the gorgeous types of diamond pendants to choose from. Pendants may be ornate and elaborate or dainty and delicate and can be found in varying lengths .

Pearl jewelry is yet another option for an anniversary gift that’s sure to be a cherished keepsake for many years to come. Pearls convey a timeless sense of elegance that’s unrivaled by few other types of jewelry.

Perhaps one of the very best things about shopping for anniversary rings is simply the sheer number of choices you’ll find available. This gives you plenty of unique options to consider, and allows you to choose that one perfect piece that will complement her personal style as well as pay testament to the joyous memory of your wedding day.

Subscribe to our feed

The cultured pearl was born out of Japan during the 1900’s as the result of many years of conducting trials and tests by three Japanese men: Nishikawa Mikimoto, Tatsuhei Mise and Tokishi Nishikawa. Experimenting independently on various nucleation methods with the Pinctada martensii oyster (the indigenous saltwater oyster that produces Akoya pearls) the researchers each discovered the surgical nucleation techniques that will force the oyster to create a pearl- this is the same technique used to this very day by nucleation technicians worldwide, known as the Nise-Mishekawa method. However, Mikimoto was the person who intuitively used his business proess to gain worldwide attention and has made a worldwide brand based off of his name.

For almost a century the Japanese maintained a monopoly on the Akoya pearl trade, guarding their cultivation and processing techniques jealously. These people have been revered for being the big players in pearls; the Japanese pearls are known to be the top pearls to be found. Growth times for the pearls (the amount of time that the oyster was allowed to secrete nacre over the nucleus) were approximately 3-5 years per pearl, ensuring thick, lustrous nacre layers that gave the pearls their renowned glow and shine. Due to this, the pearls are much more likely to withstand elements that may cause damage to the nacre such as sweat and perfumes.

However, as with any monopoly, it would not last forever. In order to satisfy a growing demand for their wonderful pearls- which had quickly staked their place as a staple of every woman’s wardrobe throughout the 1940’s and 50’s- the Japanese began cutting their growth times in order to accommodate the burgeoning market’s requirements, and quality began to suffer. Also, pollution and disease wreaked havoc and played a large part in the decline of Japanese pearl quality. With an eye toward the future, the Japanese have begun to culture larger pearls measuring over 8.0mm almost exclusively, focusing their efforts on maintaining their position as a leader, and the best source for gem-quality cultured pearls today.

China began culturing Akoya pearls as well starting in the 1960’s, although quality was acknowledged to be quite inferior to that of their Japanese neighbors. However, over the years the Chinese have rapidly gained ground in terms of quality and market share in an industry that was considered to be unshakeable. Concentrating their efforts on perfecting the smaller pearl sizes of 4.0mm to 8.0mm- as they have not yet mastered culturing the larger sizes that Japan is renowned for.  Utilizing their vastly cheaper production costs than that of Japan, and adopting a wiser, more long-term approach in terms of pearl quality and reputation, China has proved that it is a force to be reckoned with in the pearling world.

Subscribe to our feed

Unfortunately for fashionistas who are loving the current revival of pearl jewellery though, there’s no chance of a giant hidden gem inside the shell, because Shelly is the wrong type of oyster. Although it’s an exceptionally large specimen, it is a species called the edible oyster, which live in the English Channel. Although edible oysters do secrete a hard substance called ‘pearls’ it is of no value, unlike those which come from other species of oyster.

The valuable pearls used to make pearl earrings, necklaces, bracelets and other jewellery are found in Pteriidae or feathered oysters, which nowadays are farmed on large pearl farms across the world, mainly in China. Pearls are formed when an irritant gets into the oyster’s shell and it coats it with layers of a substance called nacre to make it smooth. Natural pearls are a lot more highly valued than the cultured variety as they are difficult to find and fully formed, perfectly round natural pearls are rare.

Pearls have been worn for hundreds of years, traditionally by brides on their wedding day and they have constantly featured in the wardrobes of the rich and glamorous for generations. They are a sign of purity and love, and large pearls are a way of publicly displaying wealth and class. The introduction of cultured pearls to the jewellery market has made them more widely available in recent years, and the popular vintage fashion revival along with a number of high profile celebrities publicly displaying their love for pearl sets and other classic jewellery means pearls are as desirable as ever. The most recent celebrity flashing her pearls on the fashion pages is America’s first lady Michelle Obama, who is becoming famous for her unique style and ‘imaginative’ choice of accessories combining pearls, brooches and waisted belts.

Subscribe to our feed

Type of pearl – There are two types of pearl, saltwater and freshwater. Saltwater pearls are found in oysters in the sea, and are usually larger, rounder and clearer than the freshwater variety. Because of this they are also often more expensive. Freshwater pearls are farmed in lakes and rivers, usually smaller and often less regular in shape, though they come in a large range of different colours.

Size – When it comes to pearls, size makes a huge difference. The bigger the pearl, the more expensive it will be. Saltwater pearls are generally the bigger variety, and are more highly sought after.

Nacre – Pearls take years to form inside the shell of an oyster. When an irritant is introduced into the shell the oyster produces layers of nacre, which gradually build up forming the pearl. The thicker the coating of nacre, the longer the pearl will last as jewellery. Some cultured saltwater pearls are made with a ‘beaded’ large nucleus used to speed up the process and ensure a round shape. Natural pearls are formed entirely of nacre, which is why their shape is often less regular.

Luster – No pearl is perfectly shiny like glass but they should have a certain reflective quality to them, called the lustre. Pearls that have this shimmery surface are the most popular type.

Colour – The natural colours of pearls are various shades of white, pink and lilac although nowadays cultured pearls are often dyed so they are available in almost any colour. A pearl necklace made of matching naturally-coloured pearls will cost more than dyed ones, as it can take a long time to collect enough matching pearls for a whole string.

Shape – When we think of pearls, we usually picture them to be perfectly round and smooth. In reality round pearls are rare, and these round pearls are highly in demand and so can be very expensive. Small cultured pearls are more likely to be round and some larger ones are formed around a bead to create an artificial round shape. Irregularly shaped pearls are still used and made into unique jewellery and pendants.

Matching – It can be difficult to find enough matching pearls to make a whole necklace, so a string of regular pearls will cost more as it is rarer and more desirable.

Subscribe to our feed