Cultured Pearls: A World of Their Own

A Slideshare Brought to You by Bergamot Gems

Photo Courtesy www.sustainablepearls.org

As mentioned in an earlier post…

Cultured pearls are the result of human intervention. Generally, a nucleated bead made of freshwater mussel along with a sacrificial graft from another mollusc are inserted into the mollusc; there, a pearl sac will form. In some varieties of pearls, only the graft is inserted, which explains in part the unusual shapes yielded.

Technician inserting bead into mollusc. Photo Courtesy www.sustainablepearls.org

Cultured Pearls

Salt Water (SW) Fresh Water (FW)

Akoya Pearls

South Sea Pearls

Tahitian Pearls

« Rice Krispies »Potato-ShapedPetal-ShapedCoin-Shaped« Fireballs »Biwa Pearls

Bead-Nucleated FW Pearls

SW Cultured: Akoya PearlsAkoyas are the type of pearls we

see in classic pearl strands. They are a product of cold salt

water molluscs, meaning that the layers of nacre develop considerably slower. This also renders a better lustre.

They range in approx 4-8mm sizes. Larger beads in smaller shells run the risk of killing the host.

Finer quality Akoyas are white or cream with overtones of pink and possibly green. Photo Courtesy

www.mikimoto.co.uk

SW Cultured: South Sea PearlsSouth Sea Pearls are found

in the warm waters of the southern Pacific Ocean.

Both the warm water and larger shell size contribute to the larger pearl size, usually 12-13mm.

They are typically white, silver or gold with subtle overtones.

White pearls generally command the highest price.Photo Courtesy of

www.mikimotoamerica.com

SW Cultured: Tahitian Pearls

Don’t let the name fool you: black pearls are not only fished in Tahiti, but can be found throughout French Polynesia.

Also from warm waters and larger shells; expect sizes 9-15mm.Colors range from light silver- grey to black with overtones of

green, pink & aubergine. The most sought after black pearl is called « Peacock » and has

considerable overtones of green.

Photo Courtesy of www.pearlacce.com

Freshwater Cultured Pearls Freshwater pearls are generally not nucleated. This

means that there is no bead which will be covered with nacre. For this reason, freshwater pearls tend to be impefectly shaped.

These shapes range widely: potato-shaped (1), petal-like (2) even coin shaped (3).

Some freshwater pearls are the product of triangle mussels, which can hold as many as 15 pearls at a time!

They secrete pastel colored and sometimes white nacre, making the pearls an array of different colors.

3. Photo Courtesy www.julesandcompany.com

2. Photo Courtesy www.jewellerytechnology.com

1. Photo Courtesy of www.evelynesjewellery.com

FW Cultured: The « Rice Krispies »The first cultured freshwater

pearls came into the market during the 1960’s.

They were given the name « Rice Krispies » due to their resemblance to the shriveled and bumpy, but beloved cereal brand.

Though considered low-grade to today’s standards, they are often used in coils of pearls as well as in vintage jewelry.

They come in numerous colors including pastels and white.

Photo Courtesy www.pearl-guide.com

FW Cultured: Biwa Pearls Biwa pearls are named

in honor of the lake in which they were originally fished out of. Due to pollution in the above mentioned lake, pearl fishing is no longer viable there. However, the practice has grown popularity in China.

Long and flat, they are also generally used in coils.

Found in various shapes and colors; pastels of course and white.Photo Courtesy of www.bellomodo.com

FW Cultured: Fireballs

Fireballs, as the name suggests, are comet-shaped pearls. They have this appearance because a bead is inserted into the pearl sac and the mollusc is reintroduced to the water, creating the oddly shaped pearl. Like all cultured pearls, they can come in many colors.

Photo courtesy of http://blog.pearlparadise.com

The Future of FW Cultured Pearls

Today, it is possible for freshwater mussels to sustain the process of bead nucleation, whereas previously an inserted bead would kill the host.

This makes for more perfectly round pearls, with the array of colors as seen in the FW variety; making them increasingly difficult to detect if undrilled.

Photo Courtesy www.pearlsofjoy.com