Cultured Pearls
 Cultured Pearls . . . Their very name conjures up images of lustrous jewels
nestled deep in oysters far below the surface of the sea.
Yet cultured pearls are more than just jewels. Since the beginning of time,
pearls have been revered as one of the most beautiful and magical gems on earth.
Today, cultured pearls are the foundation of every woman’s jewelry
wardrobe. Fashionable, feminine and fresh, cultured pearls enhance a woman’s
palette of styles.
Rich and adaptable, a lustrous star in the world of fine jewelry, a simple
cultured pearl necklace can take a woman through every moment in her life,
any outfit in her wardrobe. The possibilities are endless.
The birth of a pearl is truly a miraculous event. Unlike gemstones or precious
metals that must be mined from the earth, pearls are grown by live oysters
far below the surface of the sea. Gemstones must be cut and polished to bring
out their beauty. But pearls need no such treatments to reveal their loveliness.
They are born from their mother oysters with a shimmering iridescence, luster
and soft inner glow that is unlike any other gem on earth.
A natural pearl begins its life as a foreign object, such as a parasite or
piece of sand, that by accident lodges itself in the oyster’s soft inner
body where it cannot be expelled.
In an effort to ease this irritant, the oyster’s body takes defensive
action. The oyster begins to secrete a smooth, hard crystalline substance around
the irritant in order to protect itself. This substance is called nacre.
As long as the irritant remains within its body, the oyster will continue
to secrete nacre around the irritant, layer upon layer. After a few years,
the irritant will be totally encased by the silky crystalline coatings. The
result — the lovely and lustrous gem called a pearl.
But how precious pearls are formed from what an oyster regards as merely
protection against irritation is one of nature’s most prized secrets.
For the nacre is not just a soothing substance. It is composed of microscopic
crystals, each crystal aligned perfectly with each other so that light passing
along the axis of one is reflected and refracted by the other to produce a
rainbow of light and color. Cultured pearls are formed by oysters in almost
an identical fashion. The only difference is that man surgically implants the
irritant — a small piece of polished shell — in the oyster rather
than leaving it to chance, then steps aside to let nature and the oyster create
their miracle.
Pearl Farming
Bred for Quality
Early pearl cultivation depended entirely on wild oysters. Now pearl cultivation
is more selective. Japanese scientists isolated strains of oysters possessing
superior pearl bearing qualities. These selectively bred oysters produce
pearls of exceptional lustre and color clarity.
Enter the Nucleus
Highly skilled technicians open the live pearl oysters carefully, then surgically
implant a small polished shell bead and piece of mantle tissue in each. The
shell bead serves as the nucleus around which the oyster secretes layer after
layer of nacre, the crystalline substance that forms the pearl.
Back to the Sea
The nucleated oysters are returned to the sea. There, in sheltered bays rich
in natural nutrients, the oysters feed and grow, depositing lustrous layers
of nacre around their nuclei. In winter, the oysters are moved south to warmer
waters.
Pearl Rafts
The nucleated oysters are suspended from rafts such as these in order to provide
the best growing conditions. Pearl technicians check water temperatures and
feeding conditions daily at various water depths and then move the oysters
up or down to take advantage of the best growing conditions.
Pampered Oysters
Periodically, the pearl-bearing oysters are lifted from the sea for cleaning
and health treatments. Seaweed, barnacles and other undersea growths that
might impede feeding are removed from their shells. Then the shells are treated
with medicinal compounds that discourage parasites from injuring the oysters.
The Birth of a Pearl
At last, the oysters are ready for harvest. Those that have survived such perils
of the sea as typhoons, suffocating red tides, and attacks from predators
are brought ashore and opened. If everything has gone well, the result is
a lovely, lustrous and very valuable pearl.
Each year, millions of oysters are nucleated. But only a very small proportion
live to bear fine quality cultured pearls.
Cultured pearls can never be a mass-produced factory-like product. Too much
depends upon the whims of unpredictable Mother Nature. Many of the oysters
do not survive the surgical nucleating operation. Others are weak and susceptible
to disease. Heavy rains can flood the bays with fresh water, reducing salinity
and killing the oysters. Sometimes, certain species of plankton undergo explosive
growth, creating the dreaded “red tide” that exhausts oxygen in
a bay and suffocates the oysters. Then there are typhoons, attacks of predators
and parasites, or lack of sufficient nutrients in the water.
On the average, about fifty percent of the nucleated oysters do not survive
to bear pearls.
And only twenty percent bear marketable pearls. The rest are too imperfect,
too flawed to be used as jewels.
A perfect pearl is a rare event, blessed by Nature and highly valued. Less
than five percent of nucleated oysters yield pearls of such perfect shape,
lustre and color as to be considered fine gem quality. They are the precious
treasures of pearl cultivation and the rare prizes of any jewelry collection.
To Prepare Cultured Pearl Jewelry
Sorting
Unlike imitation pearls, no two cultured pearls are ever exactly alike. Each
has its own unique combination of size, shape, lustre and color. The art
of assembling pearls in a necklace, a pair of earrings or other jewelry calls
for refined skills in blending similar looking pearls together so they look
like they match. Here, pearls are sorted by experts with highly trained eyes
and years of experience.
Drilling
Drill holes must be made with care and precision. An inexperienced operator
can split or ruin pearls with careless handling. A hole drilled even slightly
off-center can ruin a necklace or piece of jewelry that depends upon the
symmetrical assembly of its pearls. This stage in the preparation of cultured
pearls for jewelry is a very delicate operation.
Stringing and Blending
Because no two cultured pearls are ever exactly alike, pearl dealers must cull
through about 10,000 pearls to find enough that are so closely matched that
they can be assembled together to make a single necklace. Here, closely matching
pearls are blended to be strung into a beautiful necklace.
PearlVarieties
Akoya
(Grown in Japan and China)
Akoya pearls are the classic cultured pearls of Japan. They are the most lustrous
of all pearls found anywhere in the world. In recent years, China has been
successful in producing Akoya pearls within their own waters. However, at this
time they are unable to produce as brilliant a lustre as high quality Japanese
Akoya cultured pearls.
White South Sea
(Grown in Australia, Myanmar, Indonesia and the Phillipines)
White South Sea cultured pearls are grown in large tropical or semi-tropical
oysters in Australia, Myanmar, Indonesia and other Pacific countries. They
generally range in size from 10mm to 20mm and command premium prices because
of their relative rarity and large size.
Tahitian
(Grown in French Polynesia)
Tahitian cultured pearls are grown in a variety of large pearl oysters found
primarily in French Polynesia. Their beautiful, unique colors (which can range
from light grey to black, and green to purple) and large size can command very
high prices.
Freshwater
(Grown in Japan, China, and The United States)
Freshwater pearls can be found in bays and rivers throughout the world. They
are easily cultivated from freshwater mollusks in China, Japan and the United
States. Many are less lustrous than salt water cultured pearls but their low
price, unique shapes and colors have made them popular jewelry items in recent
years.
Mabe
(Grown in Japan, Indonesia, French Polynesia and Australia)
Mabe pearls are hemispherical cultured pearls grown against the inside shell
of an oyster rather than within the oyster’s body. They generally are
used in earrings or rings which conceal their flat backs. |