10 Need To Know Facts About Pearls
1 | Where do pearls come from?
All real pearls come from fresh or saltwater oysters. There are several species of oysters around the world that are coveted for their exceptional pearls but most oysters will never produce a pearl let alone a pearl worth setting in jewelry. With a little help from humans and modern ingenuity, pearls are now successfully farmed transforming this jewel from a rarity to a commodity in the global market.
Note: Pearls are a natural animal product made by oysters so they are one of the only common gemstones that is not vegan.
La Peregrina, a famous natural pearl of unparalleled provenance, set with diamonds and rubies by Cartier. (Christies, 2011)
2 | Is pearl a birthstone?
Pearls are one of three birthstones for the month of June. The other two birthstones of June are alexandrite and moonstone.
3 | Are pearls minerals?
A mineral must meet the following criteria to qualify as a true mineral:
Naturally Occurring
Inorganic
Specific Chemical Formula
Defined Atomic Structure
Solid At Room Temperature
Although pearls check off 80% of the requirements they are not true minerals because pearls are organically formed by living oysters.
4 | What are the biggest quality factors to consider when shopping for pearls?
The value of pearls is based on the following seven factors:
Shape: Pearls vary widely in shape but round and symmetrical pearls are usually the most sought after.
Surface Quality: Pearls can form with blemishes that take form as divots or bumps because they are products of nature which makes smooth, blemish free pearls all the more valuable.
Nacre: Nacre is a mineral-like substance excreted and crystallized by oysters to form pearls. It is chemically equivalent to the mineral aragonite. The quality of nacre is based on the uniformity and thickness of this deposited material.
Size: larger pearls are rare and highly valuable because they typically take so long to grow. The size of pearls is also limited by the size of the oysters.
Luster: Luster is the gorgeous sheen pearls are known for that is created from light interacting with and reflecting off the nacre. Also known as orient. Luster can range from poor to excellent.
Color: Pearls can be sourced in a wide variety of colors and certain species of oysters are known for producing specific colors. Value depends on the vibrancy, intensity, and rarity of color.
Matching: Finding one pearl is a challenge, but sourcing an entire strand that matches perfectly according to the value factors above is an exceptional feat which is why pearls demand their value. Even finding a matching pair of pearls for earrings is difficult and time consuming. Pearl graders will spend hundreds of hours sorting thousands of pearls to find matches worthy of the retail market. Every piece of pearl jewelry holds a pearl that has gone through some of the most rigorous sorting processes known to human kind. Now that’s pretty remarkable!
5 | Why are some pearls shiny and some matte?
Pearls that grow in cold water typically have a higher shine to them. The nacre, or crystalline surface, of Akoya pearls crystallizes at a faster rate in the cold waters off of Japan creating a shinier pearl whereas the more tropically sourced South Sea pearls have more of a matte sheen because they crystallize slower.
6 | Are pearls a sustainable gemstone?
Most pearls on the market today are bead nucleated cultured pearls that are grown in small to medium sized commercial farms. The oysters are most often bred in captivity with the exception of some south sea pearls. The oyster meat is sold as food or recycled as fertilizer and the shells are further processed for their mother of pearl (the shiny inside of the shells) which is used in jewelry, objects of art, and fashion. Shells can also be pulverized and sold to cosmetics and agricultural companies for reuse. Very little goes to waste in modern pearl farming which makes pearls a sustainable and renewable gemstone worthy of everyone’s jewelry box.
7 | What kind of pearls are the most expensive?
Historically all pearls were reserved for royalty and the extremely wealthy because of their rarity, which in turn made pearls one of the most valuable gemstones. The development of Perliculture, the science of growing and cultivating pearls, in the early 1900‘s has led to a surge in availability and use of pearls for those of us who are not royalty.
The most expensive pearls today are wild caught natural pearls that are not cultivated or bead nucleated. These pearls form in nature without any human interference and were historically harvested by the thousands for the chance to find a single pearl of useable size. Because of this, most of the documented naturally occurring pearl producing oyster beds are now depleted making this method of collecting pearls a relic of the past.
Look to the jewelry boxes of today’s royal families for these wild caught heirloom pearls. You’ll notice that some of the pearls do not exactly meet today’s quality standards but that just speaks to the historical rarity and importance of these gemstones. The more organic feel of these wild caught pearls along with the exorbitant value they still demand makes them an unpopular choice in modern times for anyone other than a pearl connoisseur or collector of high end antique jewelry but they are by far the most valuable pearls out there.
8 | Can men wear pearl jewelry?
Totally! Historically pearls were worn by all genders but were typically reserved for the highest echelons of the economy like regents, royalty, and clergy. Instead of thinking of pearls as a woman thing, maybe we should all be thinking of them as a kingly rich people thing.
9 | How can you tell if your pearls are cultured and what species of oyster your pearls are from?
A gemologist will be able to tell you a lot about your pearl jewelry, but the best way to get the most information about your pearls is to send them to an accredited gemstone laboratory like the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). For a reasonable fee you can submit your jewelry to their network of world class laboratories for expert examination and receive a grading certificate.
10 | Can pearls be faceted like diamonds?
Yes, pearls can be faceted. It takes plenty of talent and patience to place each tiny facet on a pearl’s round surface to achieve the desired effect with the pearl’s nacre. In order for a pearl to qualify for faceting, it must have enough nacre present to account for the facet placement without getting too close to the bead used for cultivation. Most pearls are not cultivated long enough to have sufficient nacre for faceting so great care and expertise must be used when selecting which pearls to cut.
Although pearls can be cut with traditional lapidary tools like a faceting machine, additional special care must be taken while cutting pearls to maintain a safe cutting environment for the cutter.