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Pearls Gemstone Property Chart

the birth of a pearl

Mythology.

According to Persian mythology, pearls are tears of the Gods. According to Chinese myth, it is moonlight that makes pearls grow. The Greeks thought that pearls are created when the moon puts dewdrops into oysters as they float open on the sea during the night. The Romans attributed pearls to Venus.

Tahitian pearls.

Cultured pearls.

"Tifone" pearl-diamonds

Pearl Farm, Japan

Invention One hundred years ago, three men had the same idea at the same time without realizing it. They were Tokichi Nishikawa, a biologist for the Imperial Japanese Navy, Tatsuhei Mise, a carpenter, and Kochimi Mikimoto, the son of a noodle shop owner. Each of them invented the techniques used today for pearl culturing. Before, attempts had been made in several other countries: China, Sweded, Finland, Ceylon, the United States, Australia and Tahiti. These efforts only succeeded in creating half-pearls.

The pearl culturing process The process begins by choosing mature healthy mother-oysters. They are taken carefully from their natural surroundings with small pieces of wood keeping them open. They are seeded with a mother-of-pearl, which is a little piece of mantle taken from a Sama oyster. Each oyster receives only one stone. Even though it seems to be a simple procedure, it is as delicate as surgery. The oysters are then put back in their natural surroundings. Assuming optimum conditions, a few weeks is enough for the transplanted tissue to develop a pearl bag, separating the stone from the oyster's organs. A large percentage of oysters reject the implant, and don't develop a pearl bag. To make things even harder, for every one hundred South Sea pearls, only a few will be completely round. The others will be in numerous different shapes. There are several explanations for this phenomenon. The quality and quantity of a pearl harvest is closely linked to the skill of the transplant technician. The time needed to grow a pearl is approximately two or three years. During this time, the oyster must be protected and cleaned regularly. Its natural surroundings allow it to feed itself. After harvesting the pearls, if an oyster healthy, another piece of mantle can be placed in each pre-existing pearl bag. Each oyster is placed back in water, and one hopes to find another pearl, even more beautiful, at the next harvest some years later. In rare instances, it is possible to seed an oyster with a third stone, considering health and age, but it is exceptional.

Freshwater cultured pearls. Because of the great number of different shapes, colors, and sizes, their abundance and attractive prices, freshwater pearls are very popular. They are generally from 2 to 8 mm, most being between 4 and 5 mm. Exceptionally, some hit 10 mm. Their brilliance and luster is limitless. Some are dull and milky, others have a silky brilliance, while others are very shiny. Most of freshwater cultured pearls don't have any seed. Freshwater culturing process The oyster is carefully opened and a series of little slits are made in its mantle. Then, a tiny piece of oyster shell is inserted in each slit. A single oyster receives from twenty to thirty transplants. A little while later, pearl bags appear around each piece of shell. After this, the pearls begin to grow. Patience is an important element. The longer the farmer waits, the bigger the pearl. After one and a half years, the pearls will be about 3 mm. After three years, about 30 % of the pearls measure 7 mm. If the farmer waits for another year, about 80 % of his pearls measure 7 mm or more. After the first harvest, the oysters are placed back in their natural surroundings to be gathered again several years later. The transplant procedure doesn't need to be repeated. The pearl bags are still producing, but the second harvest gives a lower yield. These pearls are generally too flat, but can be more shiny and colorful. Upon a third harvest, the oysters slow down and the quality is lower. Colors The freshwater pearl has a very wide color range that includes white, champagne, cream, orangey-pink, crimson, lilac, mauve, dark blue and brown. Shapes Fresh water pearls range greatly in shape. The most frequent are egg-, button-, pear-, and potato-shaped. A perfectly round freshwater pearl is very rare, especially in larger sizes.

Price The price of freshwater pearls depends on supply and demand. Considering the high quality, wide variation in color, shape and size, prices tend to be moderate. There is a reason: Chinese production has flooded the market. Ironically, since freshwater pearls are composed purely of mother-of-pearl, freshwater pearls are the closest to the finest natural pearls, considering as well appearance and structure. Nevertheless, they are quite inexpensive.

Natural Pearls. Natural pearls occur only by accident, when a foreign body gets imbedded in an oyster. Today natural pearls traders number less than a dozen, and are centered in Paris, London and Switzerland Glossary Akoya The Japanese name for mollusk, used in seawater culturing Baroque Pearl A pearl in an irregular shape, due to some accident of nature Button A natural or cultured pearl with a semi-spherical shape. These pearls are flat and button-shaped. Choker A row of pearls, "round-neck", between 30 and 35 cm long (14 to 16 inches), composed by pearls in an even number. The pearls are uniform: the diameters must vary less than 0.5 mm for Akoya pearls, and 1 mm for South Sea pearls. Culture Procedure of inducing a seed, natural or not within an oyster to produce a pearl. Grain Former weight measure, used for natural pearls. 1 grain = 0.053 gram or 1/4 carat. There are 75 grains in a momme. Késhi From Japanese word meaning "poppy". These are pearls without a stone, of tiny diameter, appearing naturally in mother-oysters Mabé A hemispheric cultured pearl, also called "half-pearl". Mother-of-pearls The smooth and iridescent substance that lines the some mollusks, composed of microscopic crystals of aragonite (calcium carbonate) that are bound by an organic cement called conchyoline. Orient The property of light breaking up in an internal layer of a pearl, which lends a particular radiance.

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