Chic Beauty And Fashion

Pearl Basics

Ahhhh…….pearls. Smooth, creamy and chic. So much has to happen in nature for a pearl to be created- which is why pearls are a perfect way to express your uniqueness.

Freshwater

Freshwater pearls grow in fresh water like lakes or rivers and come from mussels. Freshwater pearls are beautiful, affordable, and can be dyed many colors. Freshwater pearls size anywhere from 3.0–7.0mm.

Freshwater

                    Traditional White Freshwater high quality strand

             

              Naturally colored freshwater strands

                                           Colorful-dyed- freshwater strands

Saltwater

Saltwater pearls come from oysters and grow in tropical oceans. The most common three types are Akoya (originated from Japan): white with a pink tint; South Sea: can be white, gold, or other colors; and Tahitian: gray and black. There are many differences between these three types of saltwater pearls, although the most striking difference is size. Akoya pearls range in sizes 6.0-8.5mm, and South Sea and Tahitian pearls can be as large as 13mm.

                                                         Akoya Strand

              White South Sea Strand                                 Gold South Sea Strand

                                                Tahitian Strand

Natural

Natural pearls are very rare and are created completely by nature. Some sort of small object must enter and irritate the shell for a natural pearl to form. Not only is it rare for a natural pearl to form, but it takes longer to find the shells with natural pearls inside! Most pearls sold today are cultured. I have no problem buying cultured pearls- they have a beautiful shape!

Cultured pearls

Cultured pearls are created by both man and nature. A cultured pearl forms when a bead, covered in part of the shell’s internal tissue, is placed inside the shell. The shell may reject a completely man-made bead. Once the bead-tissue mixture is accepted by the shell mother-of-pearl, another material inside the shell, coats the bead over and over again.

Pearl Colors

Natural colors of pearls are white to black, including gray; cream, pink, peacock green, blueish and purple mixes of hue, and golden/bronze! I have seen purplish shades of red also.

Pictures courtesy of orientalpearls.net, pearlsonly.com