• Heart of darkness- the black pearl
  
  The black pearl is making a comeback in the world of high fashion jewelry. A gift of black pearls is a gift of romance and is considered a sign of eternal love. Black pearls derive their lustrous color from the grayish-black nacre of the oyster shell. There are many different shades of black. The black-lipped Mother of Pearl shell Pinctada Margaritifera is a native of the South Pacific and thrives in the clear, unpolluted waters of the lagoons of the northern Cook Islands in Manihiki and Penrhyn.
  
  First, the oyster is collected and a trained technician places a nucleus into the shell, as well as a piece of mantle from a donor shell. The mantle creates a pouch around the nucleus, and after two years or so, puts thousands of thin layers of nacre over it. The result is a perfectly spherical black pearl. The mother shells have to be kept in good condition and require constant cleaning to prevent the build-up of algae and barnacles.
  
  Surface characteristics can include surface blemishes such as pits, bumps, ridges, cracks or spots. Luster is caused by the reflection of light from the surface.

However, if you are looking for a classic large sized 9-10mm freshwater black pearl necklace for a reasonably low wholesale price, you should take a look at this necklace. According to our customers who bought them and came back to tell us that in most retail stores this black pearl necklace sells for more than $1000 of lessor quality while this round black pearl necklace in 14k gold costs you less than $260. You can check it out yourself.

What is a fresh water pearl?

A pearl is a hard, rounded object with unique luster. Pearls are mainly used in jewelry and also crushed in cosmetics or paint formulations. They are valued and are cultivated or harvested. Freshwater pearls come from freshwater mussels. They are produced in Japan and the United States on a limited scale, but are now almost exclusively produced in China.

The crafting process begins by selecting a suitable mussel, cutting a strip of mantle tissue in 3mm squares which is then handed over to the technician who creates small incisions on the upper side of the valve and inserts the tissue piece. This procedure is performed once again on the other side of the valve.

Their harvests are purchased while still in bed and are delivered for cleaning and sorted by size and shape and then considered for treatment. They are bleached, drilled, followed by polishing and then matched into hanks and are then considered as "wholesale ready."

These pearls are seldom perfectly round and are noted for their wide range of colors. The most desirable are the pastel pinks, roses and purples, which depend on the genetics, water quality, and the location of the tissue graft inside the shell. However, because of technological advances, they are getting better and better. How do they do it? You can read more information about freshwater pearls here.

Pearls have often been called "The Fairies of Water" as they are the soul of beauty and love. The Myth from Persia believes that pearls are the result of different spirits’ tears. Interesting, you might say - but there are lots of myths when it comes to pearls. From the old times until today, pearls are deemed to be a gift to the earth by various spirits. In Ancient India, people believed that pearls were made from the dew of the sun’s first rays in the morning.

People in Roman times believed that the origins of pearls are connected with Venus. It is said that the water that dropped from Venus’ body was so affected by her beauty and appeal that it ultimately formed into pearls, and that is where the pearl gains its lofty and holy status.

Pearls are regarded by some as the symbol of power, perfection, luck, hope, happiness, honor, and for many, are praised as the “Queen of Gems.” Their value even exceeds that of diamonds.


No one knows when pearls were first discovered but many believe it was long before recorded history. Pearls are unlike any other precious gemstone because they need no enhancement such as cutting or polishing to help one admire their captivating beauty. Pearls truly were the first prized gems because of their beauty and rarity. Pearls were also one of the most sought after gems as noted in ancient records.


Pearls were highly revered by Romans, rulers of Ancient India, the Chinese, etc. Pearls have been attributed with having great powers and have been incorporated into the mythology of virtually every culture that has encountered them. Countless references to the pearl can be found in the religions and mythology of cultures from the earliest times. The ancient Egyptians prized their pearls so much they were buried with them. Cleopatra reportedly dissolved a single pearl in a glass of wine and drank it. She did this simply to win a wager with Mark Anthony that she could consume the wealth of an entire nation in just one meal.


The Ancient Chinese considered natural black pearls as symbols of wisdom and thought them to be created in the brains of dragons. They believed that one had to kill the dragon to harvest the pearl, which was held safely between the dragon’s teeth. In ancient Rome, pearls were considered the ultimate symbol of wealth and social standing. The Greeks held the pearl in high esteem for both its unrivaled beauty and its association with love and marriage. During the Dark Ages, while fair maidens of nobility cherished delicate pearl necklaces, gallant knights often wore pearls into battle. They believed the magic of these lustrous gems would protect them from harm.


The ancient Greeks also believed pearls should be a part of the wedding ceremony. They thought pearls would bring love and all guests of the wedding were adorned in pearls. Pearls were sacred wedding gems given as gifts and the word “pearl” became highly associated with “love.” The Greeks and Romans also believed that pearls were formed when raindrops or dewdrops accidentally fell into an oyster. The Hindus, who spent a lot of time pondering where pearls came from, were convinced they formed in the brain and stomach of elephants. Hindu folklore speaks of pearls as dewdrops that fell out of the night and into the sea. Ancient Hindu writings refer to pearls as bringing longevity and prosperity. The writings also tell an ancient story of Krishna (or Vishnu) who plucked the first pearl from the depths of the ocean and gave it to his daughter Pandaia on her wedding day.


This Hindu story is one of the earliest known accounts of pearls in the wedding experience. Hindus also associated pearls with wild boars, elephants, snakes, fish and only very rarely with oysters. For Hindus, the pearl is one of the planetary gems, associated with the moon and second only to the diamond in regard. The Indian rulers considered the luminous gemstones to be symbols of love, union, and purity.


The Japanese believed that pearls are the tears of mythical characters such as mermaids, nymphs and angels. Also, pearls were often featured in stories of pain and suffering.
Persians believed that pearls were born when a rainbow met the Earth, and any irregularities in the pearls were thought to be a consequence of thunder.


An ancient legend from Ceylon speaks of Adam and Eve whose many shed tears created a lake of pearls. The white pearls were believed to be from Eve’s tears and the black from Adam. It is further believed that because man is better able to control his emotions and thus shed fewer tears this explains the rarity of black pearls.


Pearls are also referenced in religious writings. They are associated with high value and reverence in early Christian writings of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. Pearls are also found in Jewish literature where the gems are used as metaphors to compare things of very high regard.
Islamic tradition holds pearls in even higher esteem. In Islamic thought, pearls represent perfection and completeness. By the Middle Ages, pearls had become included among the most sacred of precious objects due to their identification with religious purity in Christianity. Early Christians described the Holy Grail as being embellished with pearls to give the holy water magical powers. They adorned bibles, icons, and religious artifacts. These artifacts were frequently put on display during major religious holidays and Christianity also adopted the pearl as a symbol of purity.


The Koran speaks of pearls as one of the great rewards found in Paradise, and the gem itself has become a symbol of perfection.


Many of the ideas that have long been known as pearl legends, still persist even today. For example, pearls are often associated with brides and weddings -- a concept possibly dating back to Krishna and the wedding of his daughter. Pearls are also said to symbolize tears and purity, to provide love and fertility, and to ward off evil.


In addition, the colors of pearls also have their symbolic meaning: Colored pearls have their own
lore. Here are some of the mythical benefits of owning a colored pearl.


A blue shade means you’ll find love. Black or gold is for wealth; you’ll learn to know yourself and become prosperous. Gold tone means you’ll become wealthy. Pink tints are associated with success; you’ll earn fame and good fortune.


Long before written history, human beings most likely discovered the first pearl while searching the seashore for food. Throughout history, the pearl, with its warm inner glow and shimmering iridescence has been one of the most highly prized and sought-after gems. No natural wonder of the world has been given the same mysterious beauty of that of a pearl. One could argue that pearls might indeed be a gift from the gods.

Class, style, timeless, sophistication, intelligence, these are a few words to describe pearls and the women who wear them. With so many actresses and other famous women of modern times sporting bigger and more lustrous pearls, pearls have made a big comeback. It doesn’t look like they’re going to fade away anytime soon. Things have changed, as today it’s not just the size of the pearl that makes a statement, so much as it is a combination of the pearls themselves along with the celebrities who are wearing them. Yes, pearls are certainly enjoying resurgence!

Celebrities and other famous women influence much of the look and style in today’s fashion world, while also setting trends. Yesterday’s style masters, Jackie O and Princess Diana, come to mind as both projected a glamorous elegance that so many women have strived to emulate. Who could forget Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s? These women dressed with flair and accessorized with style; everyone wanted to be just like them. As a homage to Old Hollywood glamour, here’s a look at pearl jewelry made famous by some of our most beloved ladies.

1. One of the earliest known pearl collections is the Mary Queen of Scots pearls. The most famous piece within this collection was a six-strand necklace strung as a rosary and consisting of more than 600 pearls. Queen Elizabeth I of England was a collector and lover of these pearls.

2. A legend known for her diamonds, not surprisingly, also loves pearls. Actress Elizabeth Taylor owns one of the world’s most famous pearls, the La Peregrina pearl, which was given to her in 1969 by, then-husband, Richard Burton. This very large, pear-shaped white pearl was found by a slave in the early 1500s in the Gulf of Panama. The magnificent gem was owned by a long line of royalty, starting with Mary Tudor, the daughter of King Henry VIII, before Burton purchased it at auction for Taylor. Interestingly, Taylor once misplaced the famous La Peregrina pearl in her white-carpeted home. After an extensive search, guess where the pearl was found? In her beloved dog’s mouth.

3. When talking about celebrity pearl jewelry, we must also mention actress Sarah Jessica Parker, now a popular clothing designer and modern day style icon who made layered oversize pearl necklaces chic. Today, simulated layers of pastel pearls are the rage. The layered necklace look is hot, especially freshwater pearls in complexion-flattering lavender-like iris. Gorgeous pink pearl jewelry is extremely popular too.

4. Believe it or not, pearls often show up in sports, like golf and tennis. In the golf movie, Tin Cup, actress Rene Russo wore a necklace now known as Tin Cup throughout the movie. Its look - white pearls evenly spaced on a fine chain, received almost as much attention as the actual romantic comedy itself! This piece started a trend and today, several stunning variations of this simple Tin Cup necklace can be found in jewelry stores worldwide. Surely you’ve seen the twin sweater set and a simple strand of pearls? With a pair of long walking shorts or culottes, that’s what you’ll see quite often at golf course clubhouses.

5. You might be interested to know that Jackie O's famous and much-photographed triple strand pearl choker is simulated. The gorgeous pearl choker she's known for features round white pearls on strands of graduated lengths, and typified Jackie's signature, simple yet elegant, style. This piece became extremely popular after Jackie was photographed with son, John-John, sitting on her lap while he played with her pearls. In 1996, the simulated pearls went to auction where they were expected to sell for somewhere between $500-$700. They were purchased by The Franklin Mint for $211,500! It’s not hard to figure out why they sold so high.

6.Princess Diana, another beloved lady of style, wealth, and class who will never be forgotten for this very reason. Diana's most famous pearl piece is probably her dangling pearl and diamond tiara. This exquisite piece of jewelry was given to the princess by her mother-in-law, the Queen of England. Copies of the pearl tiara are now worn by many brides on their wedding day.

You can be a star!

So, here’s a little insight on how you can be a fashion standout. There is an endless supply of imitation pearls and costume jewelry pearls on the market. Playing around with them won’t cost you a fortune, can be very fun, and might even inspire you to be a fashion trend-setter. Why not mix various lengths or sizes of pearls together or entwine a silver or gold chain? How about mixing your real pearls with your imitation pearls? Remember, when a new season hits, update your wardrobe with the latest pearls!

Pearls are available in many hues. You can get several colors, lengths and styles and wear them with your little black dress for many attracted looks. This season the popular color is lavender. The lavender family is various in shades from pale iris to plum. Have you seen pearl rings in the magazines? From small, understated rings to oversized ones, pearl rings are hot!

Achieving the layered look like Sarah Jessica Parker, is very easy - simply, pair a waist-length gold or silver chain (or maybe a couple) with a shorter strand of freshwater pearls, and then add a pearl choker or oversized beaded choker. This look is good for both dressing up and dressing down as with t-shirts and jeans. You can take them from daytime at the office to night time for some fun on the town.

Little can compete with a beautiful pearl necklace around your neckline, or those gleaming pearl earrings set gracefully upon your ear. Pearl necklaces are great for all occasions including holiday gifts, weddings, parties, and prom. When it comes to jewelry, today's stars like Jennifer Lopez, Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman love to pair luxurious pearl necklaces and earrings with their evening gowns when they are walking the red carpet.

As a result, you can see that pearls will never go out of style. They are always a classy and a traditional wardrobe accessory that will never disappoint. You would not be wrong in saying that pearls are forever.

Freshwater Pearls---a Worthy Opponent of Saltwater Pearls.

When you think of Freshwater pearls, what comes to mind?

Do you invision a small, irregular shape? That was pretty much the case years ago. For a long time, Freshwater pearl farms only produced low quality pearls, while Saltwater pearls were more round and of better quality.

But now, the Chinese have made advances in their cultivating methods that have allowed them to match the quality of Saltwater pearls. Many improvements have been seen in the cultivation and processing techniques of Freshwater pearls. With modern freshwater cultivation methods, Freshwater pearls today are of excellent quality - with outstanding body, shape, and luster which can be on equal footing with that of Saltwater Akoya pearls. In some cases, freshwater cultured pearls exceed the quality of Saltwater Akoya Pearls. Therefore, the least expensive cultured Freshwater pearl product on the market today rivals the quality of the most expensive natural pearls.

This value is obvious to consumers wanting Chinese Freshwater bargains. The once inferior Freshwater pearls are steadily becoming a strong opponent of Saltwater pearls. Cultured Freshwater pearls are farmed in lakes, ponds and are grown in mussels.

The Freshwater pearl cultivating technique usually produces twenty or more pearls in one oyster. Recent research shows a Freshwater mollusk can create as many as 50 pearls at a time.

Saltwater Cultured Pearls are farmed in saltwater. The term "Akoya" is used internationally to signify Saltwater Pearls. Here’s how it works: the Akoya mollusk is implanted with a round bead along with a small piece of mantle tissue which allows nacre to develop around the bead. The number of beads that can be inserted into the mollusk depends on the mollusk, but usually no more than 3 beads can be inserted into one mollusk. This limited creation makes Saltwater pearls much more expensive than Freshwater pearls.

Colors

Freshwater pearls have an added attraction since they come in a wide range of colors as compared to Saltwater pearls. By adding very small quantities of metals to the water on a pearl farm, the colors of Freshwater pearls can be very unique, something not usually seen in Saltwater pearls.

Shapes

Freshwater pearls can be found in almost any shape that you can imagine: round, drop, rice, button, potato, oval, semi-round, Baroque, rectangle coin, heart-shape, and Mother-of-Pearl. Because of its popularity, the round shape is usually the most expensive, but as always, personal preference dictates the shape each customer will find most beautiful. Baroque pearls are favored by many people because of their irregular and unique shape. In fact, Baroque shapes, like color variety, offer beaders more options, despite the fact that farmers aim for smooth round cultured pearls.

Cultivation Periods

Japanese Akoya pearls take a shorter period of time - less than 2 years. The cultivation period for Chinese Freshwater pearls in the 1980s was 18 to 24 months. This short time resulted in small sizes and low quality.

Today, Chinese pearl farms have changed their way of cultivating pearls to let their mussels stay in the water for a much longer time. Freshwater pearls take from three years to as many as 5 to 6 years before they are ready for harvest. Longer cultivation periods have led to Freshwater pearls that are much bigger in size and higher in quality.

Comparable Sizes

New farming techniques and longer cultivation periods have increased the size of Freshwater pearls. Large Freshwater pearls in the range of 9 to 16 mm are now more common, and equivalent to South Sea pearls in size, yet more aggressively priced.

Quality

The shape, surface and luster of today’s Freshwater pearls have already surpassed the original Biwa quality. As testimony to China's achievement, good Freshwater pearls are now round enough, clean and lustrous enough to pass as Japanese Akoya and South Sea pearls.
To sum up, Freshwater pearl farmers have improved their cultivation methods and processing techniques. These farmers are creating a pearl that is much less expensive, yet its quality rivals that of the more expensive Saltwater pearls. In that way, Akoya pearls and their status as the pearl of choice has been significantly challenged by the outstanding quality of Freshwater pearls. The new Freshwater pearls that are now produced are clearly equal in quality to Akoya pearls but at a fraction of the Akoya price. When Freshwater pearls are round, they are magnificent - the nacre is full, the molecular structure of the nacre is tightly bound and the luster is spectacular.

Although China, Japan, and the U.S. all produce cultured Freshwater pearls, China dominates the market. The Chinese produce a massive volume of Freshwater pearls every year. Nobody knows how many Freshwater pearls are produced in China, but experts estimate that they produce 10 times the amount of all other Freshwater countries combined. Most pearl farms in China are within 300 miles of Shanghai. Lake Thaihu, where the Freshwater pearl culture began, is still used as a pearl farm site today. There are countless small, family run pearl farms all over the countryside in China, as well as large corporate-owned operations. The Chinese freshwater pearl industry is indeed the largest pearl industry in the world.

Click here to learn more about freshwater pearls.

There can be a lot of confusion when it comes to South Sea Pearls and South Sea Shell Pearls. One is a genuine pearl gem, while the other is its imitation. But when looking at and handling each, it’s hard to tell their differences. Both look nearly identical and have the same weight to them.

South Sea Pearls are rare, valuable and large. A gift from nature you could say. South Sea Pearls are produced in the waters off the Australian coast, through Indonesia, the Philippines, and to the southern tip of Burma by the rarest and largest oysters in the world - the Pinctada Maxima. This shell produces an exquisite nacre, a lustrous material that is creamy and smooth, which gives off a subtle opalescence.

These genuine pearls are found in a wide variety of colors. From white through silver, cream through yellow to a deep gold, South Sea Pearls can also display pink, blue, or green overtones. On very rare occasions, what many call a "black" pearl (though derived from a blue pearl) has also be discovered.

With water pollution and changing environmental conditions, genuine pearls will continue to increase in price and will be harder to come by. As with many of the earth’s natural resources, the South Sea Pearl has all but disappeared from the world’s pearl markets, giving way to the production of South Sea Shell Pearls. For a pearl necklace and a matching pair of pearl earrings shown in the picture above, it would cost you $15,000 at least.

South Sea Shell Pearls are simulated pearls made to look like South Sea Pearls. They are man-made in a laboratory from South Sea oyster shells - the same mollusks expensive South Sea pearls originate from. They look and feel similar to South Sea Pearls, and are popular because of their affordability. South Sea Shell Pearls are more smooth and don’t have the gritty texture that South Sea pearls do. This is because they are created in a lab, which is cleaner than a lake or ocean. The Island of Mallorca is well known for its imitation pearl production.

The history of creating imitation pearls goes back to ancient time - to about 1300 A.D. when the French used them for adorning luxurious clothing and accessories. One production method saw a combination of white powdered glass mixed with egg white and snail slime (yes, snail slime) to produce the imitation pearls. They dipped hollow glass beads into an acid in order to produce iridescence, and then filled the bead for solidity and weight.

Today, the process to create South Sea Shell Pearls can vary but generally follows the same process as the natural pearl with man controlling the production. The usual process to create South Sea Shell Pearls begins with pulverizing shells into a mix, which is then combined with a binder and formed into a perfectly shaped bead of any size. Dye technology then produces the color on shell-based pearls to almost any hue imaginable. The final step is to dip or spray on the pearlized coating, which is oftentimes either ground fish scales or pearl powder.

In today’s marketplace, the use of imitation-South Sea Shell Pearls continues to gain popularity with jewelry designers, as many consumers simply cannot afford the luxury of the real gems. For instance, a 12mm southsea shell pearl necklace at 22in long in completely round shape only costs less than $45.

As with metal finishes, the beauty and the luster of imitation pearls and their price depend on the thickness of the coating and the type of coating used. The thicker the coating, the more expensive they will be, though they will actually wear better and last longer. Therefore the quality is still very important, and it can vary from one manufacturer to another. For all of the southsea shell pearls from orientalpearls.net, it all comes with unconditional manufacturer warranty.

South Sea Shell pearls are easier to care for than natural pearls - they are much less affected by perspiration, perfume and detergents, and have a more durable shine and color. However, long periods of exposure to direct sunlight should be avoided, because the protein in pearl shell beads will become yellow under sunlight.

Versatilty. Price. Unique look and feel.

Pearls have been around forever. Remember Jackie Kennedy and Princess Diana and how elegant they looked with theirs? They inspired women throughout the world. Today, pearls are more popular than ever (especially with brides) and are showing up in other areas too.

As designers continually look for that extra something to make their creations into masterpieces, freshwater pearls are becoming a favorite among many of them.

With their affordability, and vast array of colors, shapes and sizes, freshwater pearls are continuing their momentum with designers looking for something new.

The myriad of pearl shapes, like the coin shape, potato, Baroque, rice, semi-round, and Biwa to name a few, has allowed designers to add a flare of geometry to their pieces. The result are highly unique pieces so much more affordable than most pieces made of all beads.

Low-priced genuine Chinese freshwater pearls have meant a successful new area for Simone A., an artist from California, who previously used beads and gemstones until she started incorporating pearls into her work nearly two years ago. “With my creative process always going, I am constantly thinking of distinctive new looks for my clients. When I started with pearls I was given so many more options, “ Simone says. “Now I can really mix things up by using colorful coin pearls on some pieces and then say, single pearls on earrings and rings.”

The love of pearls doesn’t seem to be slowing down either as every day more and more artists are discovering their value. In the state of Illinois, the Pearl Society in Chicago was created by Eve Alfille of Eve J. Alfille Gallery & Studio in Evanston as a way to educate jewelry artists and retailers about pearls. Other such groups as well as many websites have focused on education on freshwater pearls.

To learn more, visit www.OrientalPearls.net.