All About Pearls

The world's oldest gem...

A pearl is one of the few jewels that are created underneath water within a living creature. Pearls have been harvested and worn for more than 4,000 years. The way they are acquired, and their appearance, has really changed over time, but pearl jewelry continues to be a classic. They are highly valued by people of many cultures and symbolize things such as love, good fortune, prosperity, purity, and wisdom.

Pearls are currently cultivated by inserting a tiny bead into the mantle of the oyster. Upon insertion, the oyster releases nacre material that surrounds the foreign object and protects the oyster's environment. Numerous layers of secreted nacre material result in the creation of a beautiful pearl. The longer the pearl stays in the oyster, the larger the pearl and thicker the nacre.

Almost all pearls used in jewelry today are cultured pearls and they are cultivated all over the world. Freshwater pearls are usually cultivated in Asian countries in artificial water pools. South Sea Pearls are cultivated in natural ocean lagoons in countries such as Australia, the Philippines, and Tahiti. Different types of oysters/mollusks raised in different environments create cultured pearls with different sizes, colors and other qualities.

Cultured pearls are rated on five different qualities:

Luster and orient ~ Luster is the brilliance on the surface of a pearl placed under a direct light. It is the sharpness and intensity of reflections on the pearl's surface. Orient is the iridescent colors seen within the pearl and the play of light in the depths of the nacreous layers of the pearl. The higher the luster and orient, the more valuable the pearl is.

Color ~ Color describes both the main color (usually white, black or yellow) and the overtone (pink, green, blue, etc.)

Cleanliness ~ Describes how many imperfections are found on the surface of the pearl. Some imperfections are expected on all real pearls, natural or cultured, but the fewer and less noticeable they are, the more valuable the pearl.

Shape ~ Pearls come in a variety of shapes. Tahitian pearls probably come in the widest variety of shapes. While, perfectly balanced spherical pearls are the most rare and expensive, a pearl's unique shape lends to beautiful and individual pieces of art. Pearl shapes are divided into the following categories:

Round (perfectly spherical), Semi-Round (includes Oval shapes), Semi-Baroque (Drop, Button, & Pear), Baroque (having no symetrical shape), Semi-Ringed (only one or 2 rings), Cercle'/Ringed/Circled (Rings covering most of the pearl).

Size ~ A cultured pearl's size is the diameter measured in millimeters(mm). In general, larger cultured pearls are rarer and more costly. Prices rise significantly with the larger size of a pearl. Tahitian Pearls reach the largest sizes and cost quite a bit once they are past 15mm.

Purotu Designs uses only the finest quality of Freshwater and Tahitian pearls.

Getting Specific about the "Tahitian Black Pearl"...

This term is used to describe a pearl that is grown in the small islands off of Tahiti in French Polynesia. The pearls of Purotu Designs come from a family owned farm on the tiny atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago called Arutua. Although they are known as "Black Pearls," the color spectrum is wide including black, iridescent greens, ocean blues, champagne, silver, and rose. These pearls also vary widely in shape making it very interesting and inspiring to work with. Each pearl has its own personality.

Facts:

~ Tahitian Pearls are some of the most valuable and rare pearls in the world.

~ Tahitian Pearls are produced by the large Black Lipped Oyster, Pinctada Margaritifera, which is the only oyster that produces naturally black pearls.

~ They are indigenous to the remote lagoons of French Polynesia in the South Pacific.

~ Out of every hundred oysters nucleated, only fifty will produce pearls. Out of these fifty pearls, only one or two will be perfect gems.

~ The color of the pearl comes from the mantle of the shell, which secretes the nacre required to develop the pearl. Since the mantle comes in a variety of colors, the pearl will also have a variety of colors.

~ Sizes generally range from 9mm-18mm. Except for Keshi which are much smaller.

Frequently Asked Questions:

~ Why are Tahitian Pearls so much more expensive than Freshwater Pearls?

Tahitian Pearls are grown in the ocean, a natural environment subject to natural forces that can interfere with successful harvesting. Freshwater Pearls are grown in artificial ponds where the environment is controlled by humans.

Tahitian Pearls take much longer than Freshwater Pearls to harvest. The book, The French Polynesia Jewelers' Guidebook, describes the process of raising a Tahitian Pearl:

The process of raising a pearl oyster is a long one and requires considerable care and attention.

At certain times of the year the black-lipped oyster, which lives attached to coral found in Polynesian lagoons, produces spawn that is then fertilised in the water. After floating freely for a month, the baby oysters, known as "spat", either fix themselves to the coral or perish.

The pearl farmer collects the spat by submerging artificial collectors in the lagoon. They are then reared on underwater lines for more than three years. During this time, the oysters are meticulously cared for to ensure their health and vitality.

When the oyster reaches maturity it is ready for grafting or nucleation. The introduction of a nucleus (small shell bead) stimulates the natural secretion of a pearly substance called "nacre", which is applied in layers by the oyster to the nucleus. After two years of nacre secretion over the nucleus a pearl is formed. The pearl is then carefully removed and the oyster put back in the lagoon to recuperate.