Like wearing Champagne Bubbles around the Neck - Fresh Water Pearls
Pearls have been highly valued as objects of beauty for many centuries, and because of this, the word pearl is synonymous for something very rare, fine, beautiful and valuable. Extremely rare, the most valuable pearls are the ones that grow naturally in the wild. Cultured or farmed pearls from fresh water mussels or sea water oysters make up the majority of pearl jewelry sold today. Fresh water refers to rivers and lakes as opposed to oceans and seas.
How are Fresh Water Pearls formed?
Ever ordered mussels for lunch? If you've ever taken some time in between feasting on these tasty morsels, you might have noticed that the inside of the mussel shell has a type of pearl like lustre. That is a type of calcium that is naturally secreted by Fresh Water Muscles and is called Nacre. Pearls are formed when foreign material, like a grain of sand, enters the mussel. The nacre secreted by the mussel naturally covers and hardens on the foreign substance. Over a bit of time and many layers of nacre, a pearl will slowly start to form. It takes approximately 2 to 5 years for the pearl to be ready for harvesting. Cultivation normally results in 0 to 20 pearls per mussel.
How are Fresh Water Pearls graded?
The quality and characteristic of fresh water pearls are determined by its size, shape, surface, lustre and colour.
|
Size |
Varies from approximately 3mm – 15mm |
|
Shapes |
Round, semi-round, baroque, semi-baroque |
|
Surface |
Spotless, slightly spotted, lightly spotted and spotted |
|
Lustre |
Very bright, bright, medium, slightly dull |
|
Colour |
White, cream white, different shades of light pink and light orange |
The grading is ranked AAA, AA, A, B, C, etc where AAA is the best grading a pearl can get.
The bigger the size, the better the roundness, the more spotless the surface and the higher the lustre – the more valuable the pearl.
How do I know that my fresh water pearls are not imitation/fake pearls?
This can be very challenging to the untrained eye. Firstly, we always recommend purchasing all your pearls from a reputable jeweller. Maslov Jewels only deals with authentic and genuine pearls and gemstones. We do NOT deal or sell any imitation products.
Secondly, if you are inexperienced but would like to try test whether the pearl is authentic, a popular method used is to rub the pearl gently along the biting edge of your teeth. Genuine pearls will always feel gritty against the tooth. If it feels smooth the authenticity of the pearl could be questionable.
Pearl care
The pearl coating is soft and can be easily scratched, thus they should always be store separately, away from other jewellery which could scratch it.
Pearls are made of organic material and are sensitive to heat and acid. People’s perspiration and perfume contains small traces of acid, which can be harmful to the pearls over time. We recommend you lightly wipe your pearls with a soft cloth after wearing them.
Avoid putting your pearls under water. Do not wash with any soap or detergent.