Cultured pearls

“What are cultured pearls?”

Cultured pearls are pearls created by a pearl farmer who grows them under controlled conditions.

There are two kinds of pearls.

A cultured pearl is developed by humans and not by nature. Pearl farmers take a helping hand by actually inserting a foreign object into the tissue of an oyster and wait for it to form into a pearl to be created. Pearl farmers actually induce the creation of a pearl .

 

The discovery of cultured pearls was discovered in the 19th and 20th century by Japanese researches by Mikimoto . Mikimoto discovered a technique where the creation of a round pearl within the tissue of an oyster could be cultivated. Cultured pearls are designed to be round and flawless. The oyster is usually monitored for 2 years, its when the pearls are fully formed.

Previously natural pearls were found in many parts of the world. Present day natural pearling is confined mostly to seas off Bahrain, Tahiti and Australia. Australia also has one of the world’s last remaining fleets of pearl diving ships, where pearl divers dive for south sea pearl oysters to be used in the cultured south sea pearl industry. Hence significant numbers of natural pearls are still found in the Australian Indian Ocean waters from wild oysters. X-Ray examination is required to positively verify natural pearls found today.

 

Natural pearls which are formed by nature and actually by chance when some small irritant becomes embedded in the tissue of an oyster and as the tissue secretes a combination of crystalline and organic substances. It then begins to build layers and it surrounds the irritant and eventually forms and become a pearl. Natural pearls which have widely varying shapes, sizes and qualities are more difficult to find. There by making them more expensive.

Value of a natural pearl: Quality natural pearls are very rare jewels. Actual value of a natural pearl is determined as other “precious” gems. Valuation factors include size, shape and quality of surface, orient, and luster.

Single natural pearls are often sold as a collector item, or set as centerpieces in unique jewelry. Very few matched strands of natural pearls exist, and those that do often sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Yachtsman and financier Cartier purchased the landmark Cartier store on Fifth Avenue in New York for $100 cash and a double strand of matched natural pearls valued at $1 million.

Keshi pearls, although they often occur by chance, are not considered natural pearls. They are a byproduct of the culturing process, and hence do not happen without human intervention. These pearls are quite small: typically a few millimeters in size. Keshi pearls are produced by many different types of marine mollusks and freshwater mussels in China.[4] Today many “keshi” pearls are actually intentional, with post-harvest shells returned to the water to regenerate a pearl in the existing pearl sac.

The discovery of cultured pearls was discovered in the 19th and 20th century by Japanese researches by Mikimoto . Mikimoto discovered a technique where the creation of a round pearl within the tissue of an oyster could be cultivated. Cultured pearls are designed to be round and flawless. The oyster is usually monitored for 2 years, its when the pearls are fully formed.

Previously natural pearls were found in many parts of the world. As of today natural pearling is confined mostly to seas off Bahrain, Tahiti and Australia. Australia also has one of the world’s last remaining fleets of pearl diving ships, where pearl divers dive for south sea pearl oysters to be used in the cultured south sea pearl industry. Hence significant numbers of natural pearls are still found in the Australian Indian Ocean waters from wild oysters. X-Ray examination is required to positively verify natural pearls found today.

Pearls make great gifts, they come in forms of necklaces, bracelet, earrings and are delicate and they will always make a fashion statement