Pearls are a symbol of Purity.
Molluscs are one of the oldest living organisms on Earth appearing millions of years ago when the planet was covered by vast oceans. This long period of evolution has allowed certain families of molluscs to protect themselves from threats in the environment they inhabit, be it oceans, rivers or lakes.
These shelled molluscs produce and secrete a substance consisting mainly of a calcium carbonate deposit known as Nacre. This secretion then entombs the potentially harmful foreign body, be it a piece of debris or perhaps a parasite which could cause serious health issues for the mollusc. The end result of this natural process is the formation of a natural pearl.
Pearls are part of the important organic gemstone family. This type of gemstone is produced by living matter either today or in prehistory. Other important members of this family are Coral and Amber.
Admired and desired by the earliest civilisations, this glorious gemstone has a rich and famous history. Pearls have been highly treasured and demanded especially by royalty from periods dating back to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks.
A Natural pearl is produced by a wild mollusc within a wild environment and as such is a very rare occurrence. Most natural pearls will be small and misshapen. Today there are small fishery operations still sourcing natural pearls in such countries as Bahrain.
With the advancement of science Cultured pearls first appeared in the market around 1900. The culturing techniques were first perfected by Japanese pioneers and today China is at the fore front of pearl production.
Cultured pearls today are grown under strict guidance in controlled fisheries around the world.
The cultured pearl is grown in molluscs exactly like the natural pearls but with the nacre secretion being encouraged by an inserted bead nucleus as opposed to an irritant in the wild.
This culturing concept has allowed this magificient gemstone to be made available to a much wider market due to the large pearl farms throughout China, where they now use a hybrid mussel that can produce over fifteen pearls from one large individual over a harvest season.
Today, cultured pearls in comparison to natural pearls offer a much wider choice of shape, colour, size and quality.
Chinese Freshwater Pearls
Cultured freshwater pearls are farmed and produced using freshwater hybred mussels. China is the market leader in this type of pearl with large numbers of fisheries spread over this vast country. Freshwater pearls are evaluated mainly by assessing the pearl lustre, colour, shape, size and surface appearance.
Today, most Chinese freshwater pearls are grown from a donor mantle tissue transplant technique often resulting in a solid pearl as opposed to the traditional technique of a bead nucleus.
Akoya Pearls
Akoya pearls are predominately produced in Japan along with China and Vietham using variants of a salt water oyster, Pinctada Martensii. This pearl is grown using the original pioneering techniques of a bead nucleus insertion. These small oysters may produce one sometimes two pearls over a similar harvest season to their freshwater counterparts. Akoya pearls often exhibit high lustre and round profiles due mainly to the bead nucleus and secretive japanese polishing and finishing processes.
Tahitian Pearls
The Tahitian pearl sometimes referred to as a black pearl are grown in the robust black lip oyster Pinctada Margaritifera in fisheries that stretch across the vast Pacific ocean. This cultured pearl comes in various shapes, often larger sizes and natural colours which can vary from dark grey to shades of petrol green and into silver tones. The Tahitian pearl is French Polynesia’s largest export with pearl farms located Tahiti, the Cook Islands and Fiji. The natural black tones of this distinctive pearl gives one a beautiful alternative to the classical white pearl.
Southsea Pearls
Often regarded as the premier pearl in the trade today,these stunning pearls can be some of the largest and rarest in the market. A South Sea pearl is produced by the large Pinctada Maxima mollusc. They are cultured in areas throughout the Indian, Southern and Pacific Oceans.
Southsea pearls from Australia are large and often exhibit high lustre shades of white or cream, whilst pearls from Indonesia and the Philippines display alluring white and gold tones.
The sizes of South Sea pearls can range from 9mm up to 22mm.These pearls can grow to such large sizes mainly due to the size of the host oyster, the rich and diverse environment and a large implanted bead nucleus and extended growth period.
We believe our pearls here at my-pearl represent:
Precious
Elegant
Aurora
Radiant
Love
We invite you to share our passion…………
