As a jeweler, I love pearls! Especially the black ones with a blue overtone and the white ones with a pink glow. They give character and nobility. Hence, my logo features a flagship and one of the first - a square ring with a pearl!
A DROP OF HISTORY
Pearls have been known and popular for a long time. Mention of them can be found in the ancient Hindu religious text "Rigveda", as well as in the Old Testament, including in texts attributed to King Solomon. Two thousand years BC in ancient China, pearls were used as a tax payment. Pearls from China continue to be the most popular as China is one of their largest producers. Although the method of breeding on a larger scale was initiated in Japan by Kōkichi Mikimoto.
HOW PEARLS ARE FORMED
The fascinating process of creating natural pearls begins when a parasite enters the clam's mantle, irritating it. It can be a speck of a shell or some parasites (and ie, as we hear most often - a grain of a pen). The clam, defending itself against irritation, deposits aragonite plates, consisting of calcium carbonate, on the surface of this lesion. This is the beginning of pearl growth. It takes twelve years for a pearl to grow to the size of a pea. The mineral plates are joined together by the organic agent - conchiolin, and so the pearl slowly grows. After catching a clam with a pearl, you have to open the shell and retrieve the pearl, trying not to damage the clam. The largest pearls can be found in the shells of large clams. The only drawback of such pearls is their rather irregular forms. The appearance of these pearls differs from others by the porcelain surface structure.
WHERE TO BUY PEARLS AND HOW TO CHOOSE THEM
My advice is to buy pearls from a seller who is familiar with them a little bit. The price of a natural pearl depends on its size and color, and above all, on its gloss. Pearl prices will also depend on the clam's living environment. The cheaper ones are freshwater pearls, and the more expensive ones are among the saltwater pearls. The value of the best quality pearls is often compared to the value of the most beautiful diamonds. Pearls are not only white in color - it must be added here that it is not pure snow white, but many shades of it. There are also colored pearls: yellow, pink, gray and black! These are not intense shades. The colorful, intense, often found among mass jewelry - these are artificially colored pearls.
The pearl color impression consists of: the basic color, i.e. the color of the mother-of-pearl, and the visual effects, depending on the refraction of the light: the so-called overton - i.e. the impression of an additional color, and the orient - the color glow that forms. The shade usually depends on the type of clam and the shell in which the pearl is made. Fun fact: out of thirteen thousand colored pearls, only one is pink! The most beautiful specimens of white pearls are among the Akoya pearls. And the most beautiful of blacks are the pearls of Tahiti. These pearls are named after the place where they occur. The clam from which they come has a characteristic black rim of the shell, hence the basic color of the mother-of-pearl is dark. The most appreciated of them is the so-called "peacock" with a beautiful green sheen.
The rarest pink pearls are called Conch. Such pearls are not typical pearls because they do not have a characteristic pearly shell and are called a pearl only because of the characteristic mechanism of formation inside the shell. But it is the shell of the protected snail -Strombus gigas. Pearl extracted from such a shell rarely has any jewelery value. Therefore, these specimens are very expensive. The price of such a pearl can reach a hundred and twenty thousand dollars!
The colors of natural pearls allow you to match them to the type of beauty of the owner. The beauty of women with a cool type of beauty, with a light eye color, will be highlighted by gray or dark pearls with a metallic, iridescent glow. Ladies with light spring and summer complexions look beautiful in pink shades of pearls, the color of which enlivens the pale skin. Warm complexion will be beautifully highlighted with a golden shade of pearl and its black variation.
HOW TO CHECK THAT A PEARLS ARE AUTHENTIC
The price of pearls dropped significantly after people discovered a method of growing pearls in shells on special offshore farms. It is practically impossible to distinguish a cultured pearl from a pearl found by chance, because in both cases it was formed in the shell of the clam. Experts judge pearls depending on the degree of gloss. Here is the classification according to this criterion: diamond, glassy, greasy (waxy), pearl (silky), and matte. In the photo below, you can see the differences in pearl shine.
COCO CHANEL PEARLS
When to wear pearls? "Pearls are perfect for every occasion", Coco Chanel used to say, and I agree with her. The famous designer not only overtook the era with a modern style of dress, but also introduced a pearl necklace to everyday styling. Once associated with a decoration for a special occasion, pearls have ceased to act as evening jewels and have become a part of everyday stylizations of both women and men. Today we no longer associate pearls with boring necklaces made of pearls of the same size and color, worn by our great-grandmothers. The contemporary jeweler wants to weave a pearl into a jewelery composition alongside other natural stones, various metals and materials. Undoubtedly, such an ornament as a pearl ring with an original shade, delicate gold earrings with a pearl or a gold bracelet with pearls shimmering on the hand will work as an addition to everyday styling.
PEARL COCKTAIL
The famous ruler Cleopatra was said to have received two of the most expensive pearls in the world from the rulers of the East. To demonstrate her wealth and power, she made a bet with her lover, Marc Antony (Roman politician and commander) that she would be able to eat a dish for 10 million sesterces (Roman coin) in one feast. Pliny The Elder in his "Natural History" describes it as follows: "She ordered the servants to put a vessel with vinegar in front of her. She took off the earring, and put the pearl in the vinegar, and when it melted, she drank all the mixture. Pliny calls this pearl the greatest in the world, a truly unique work of nature. Can pearls really be dissolved in vinegar? How could Cleopatra drink such a sour drink? These questions were answered by Prudence Jones from Montclair State University, who performed the experiment. Mr. Jones used a five percent acetic acid solution in which he tried to dissolve a pearl weighing about 1 gram. The entire process took 24-36 hours. After this process, a small amount of a clear, slightly jelly-like liquid remained on the surface of the vinegar. Such a drink would, of course, be less palatable than wine, but just as acceptable to drink. The lime carbonate of the pearl additionally neutralizes some of the acidity of the vinegar. A later experiment using heated vinegar and chopped pearls proved the possibility of dissolving it in several minutes, which probably took place at Cleopatra's feast. Anyway, in Pliny's account we are dealing with a much larger specimen of the pearl, and a smaller time frame, anyway - the result is unequivocal: the pearl has been dissolved, the drink has been drunk and the money from the plant has been spent, there is no doubt.
HOW TO CLEAN THE PEARLS
Pearls can not stand bright light, moisture, heat and dust. Even domestic dust can negatively affect the appearance of pearls, on the surface of which micro-scratches can form, which will noticeably reduce their shine over time. So if you own high-quality pearls, I don't advise you to take them with you on exotic trips to walk in them in full sun. I also do not recommend swimming in the sea in jewelery that contains elements made of such pearls. You should also not put on pearls immediately after bathing. It is worth choosing cheaper cultured pearls for such styling. I also recommend that you get into the habit of keeping pearl jewelery always in a separate box, preferably with a soft lining.
It is also worth knowing how to clean your pearls at home. The most convenient way of cleaning is to wipe each pearl with a soft cloth soaked in a well-foamed soapy solution. After such a bath, wipe each pearl with a cloth soaked in clean water, and dry it in a horizontal position to prevent the thread from stretching. Another way is to rub each pearl with dry potato starch applied to a piece of clean cloth. Starch will perfectly collect all impurities from the surface of the pearl without scratching it. Olive oil can be used to restore the luster lost by the pearl, which can work with very old pearl necklaces, by rubbing each pearl with a piece of cloth soaked in olive oil. After this treatment, dry wipe each pearl separately.
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