Style Studs Dangle Clip-on. Shop Pendants. By Color White Black Gold. Shop Rings. Shop Bracelets. Shop Pearl Sets. By Type Akoya Freshwater. About Us. Founder's Story. About Our Prices. Contact Us. How to Buy Pearls. Pearl Grading. Types of Pearls. Necklace Lengths. Pearl Colors. Pearl Shapes. Pearl Sizes. What is the best kind of pearl to buy? What is the Best Type of Pearl to Buy? Fine Japanese Akoya Pearls. Shop Now. What is the Best Quality of Pearl? The Journal.
What are the Best Pearls to Buy? November 29, The classic pearl The most popular image of the pearl is the classic round white pearl, draped in long elegant flowing strands, worn as a pretty stud earring or as a symbolic piece of jewellery for a new bride.
Image: Classic Akoya Pearl Jewellery Set These styles will always be fashionable and versatile, but there are many other wonderful colours, sizes and shapes of pearls to buy. Types of pearls There are four main types of cultured pearl, including Freshwater pearls and three types of saltwater pearl known as Akoya pearls , Tahitian pearls and South Sea pearls.
Image: Freshwater and Saltwater Pearl Shapes Each pearl will also have been carefully cultured in a mussel or oyster for between 6 months and 3 years and their quality, uniqueness and rarity will increase their value. Is there a best pearl to buy? Pearl grading Choose a piece of pearl jewellery that has been graded by an expert. The importance of lustre Lustre is a grading factor that is used to describe how a pearl reflects light from its surface.
Beautiful jewellery design Our third recommendation would be to choose a design that shows off the best features of the pearl. Image Credits: Copyright of Winterson. Back To Top. Newsletter Your Email. All Rights Reserved. Pearls are smooth, hard layers of nacre with a lustrous appearance that are used to create beautiful jewelry. Whether the irritant is a parasite, grain of sand, or piece of food, the mollusk secretes nacre for protection. The nacre layers build up to form the pearl.
Pearls come in a variety of shapes: round, oval, pear, semi-round, button, baroque, drop, and circle. Pearls are most commonly white and black, but they can also be other colors including green and pink. For many centuries, pearls have been a symbol of beauty and elegance.
They remain a popular choice for jewelry, including bracelets , pendants and earrings. Many classic and modern styles of jewelry are available in each type of pearl. There are two types of pearls: natural pearls and cultured pearls. Both are beautiful options for fine jewelry including necklaces and earrings. With natural pearls, the mollusk comes from an organism in the water. They can form in saltwater or freshwater. Natural pearls are incredibly rare.
Most natural pearls have already been harvested, making them extremely costly and difficult to find. For cultured pearls, the mollusk usually a tiny bead is inserted manually. There are two main categories of cultured pearls: freshwater and saltwater.
Freshwater pearls are grown in mussels in lakes, rivers, ponds, and reservoirs. Most freshwater pearls are from China. Saltwater pearls are grown in bays and inlets across Asia and Australia. There are three main varieties of saltwater pearls: Tahitian pearls, South Sea pearls, and Akoya pearls.
In general, saltwater pearls are considered more valuable than freshwater pearls. Natural pearls are incredibly rare and expensive, while cultured pearls are widely available and affordable. Jewelry on the market today is made almost exclusively with cultured pearls.
Natural pearls are made without human intervention, whereas cultured pearls require human involvement. Natural pearls are nearly all antiques and are sold at auctions for huge price tags.
First, you want to gauge the level of luster: how shiny or reflective the pearl is. The more shiny, the more beautiful the pearl is, and often times, the more expensive. Second, look at the surface quality.
Are there imperfections or blemishes? Pearls that are nearly perfectly round tend to be worth more than pearls that are oval or off-round.
However, some people prefer different shapes, like these baroque pearls from Blue Nile. Remember, though, that the style of pearl you choose is up to you. Overall, read through our guide and view the sample jewelry to see which pearl variety catches your eye the most. Saltwater pearls are produced by mollusks implanted inside of an oyster that lives in salt water. Originally from oceans near Thailand, Indonesia, Tahiti and Australia, saltwater pearls can be grown in other parts of Asia, including China, Japan and Vietnam.
Akoya pearls, Tahitian pearls and South Sea pearls are all varieties of saltwater pearls. Cultured saltwater pearls range in their size from approximately 2mm to 15mm. The luster of saltwater pearls is dependent on the variety along with the specific pearl strand.
Saltwater pearls tend to be more expensive than freshwater pearls because they take longer to cultivate. The mollusk only produces one pearl at a time in saltwater oysters whereas freshwater oysters can produce up to 30 pearls. While saltwater pearls are more expensive, it can be difficult to tell the difference.
0コメント