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Last updated 11/12/2011 |
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Pearls quick points From the Persian gulf to the waters of Japan & the tropical south seas & even the coast of NSW completely natural pearls are pearls that form randomly in wild populations of mollusks. Then there are farmed/cultured mollusks who are helped to produce three main types of cultured pearls 1 South seas saltwater = Tahitian blacks, phillipines-indonesian golds, Australian whites Australia produces 40% of the worlds pearls by weight. 2 Akoya (mikimoto) saltwater japan 3 Freshwater Chinese Within these you get round, drop, circled, baroque shaped & keshi, Keshi are a welcome accident of the culturing process Supply Fine quality pearls are rare a lot of time & effort on the part of humans goes into planning, nurturing, growing, culturing, harvesting, sorting, matching, marketing, manufacturing & selling them. Consider the pearl Oysters -predators, disease, nutrition -Up to 40% of nucleated mollusks reject nucleus -Mollusks can only be re-nucleated 1-3 times -Cultured pearls have growth periods of 1-7 years ranging from a few mm to 20+ mm -Only 15-20% of the harvested pearls produced are marketable as whole gem pearls -10-30% of the marketable pearls are round -few are completely blemish free. -The Deepest mirror like Luster is one of the pearls most prized attributes is also rare -Only 1-2% of them are of the finest/rarest Quality Perfectly matched sets/strands can require sorting through tens of thousands of pearls & take many many years & harvests to find & complete. Demand for Quality / Rarity contribute to the value of pearls, which = the rounder, blemish free, fine luster & matching sets. Grading ranges from fashion through low, medium, high, finest gem grade (collector) |
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The human race has had a fascination with pearls for centuries. In ancient times, Egyptian queen Cleopatra was said to have dissolved a pearl in wine and drank it to prove her love to Roman general Mark Antony – a scene now famously depicted in a painting that draws thousands to the National Gallery of Victoria each year.
Indeed, pearls have long been seen as extraordinarily precious. Back in 1917, Pierre Cartier bought a Fifth Avenue mansion – now Cartier’s New York store – in exchange for one matched, double strand of natural pearls, then worth $US1 million. It seems that as far as the Americans were concerned, pearls have even been worthy of handing over in exchange for prime real estate. |
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Tears of mermaids or intruder protection Pearls have been part of the romance and lore of the world since the earliest civilizations. They’ve long been equated with purity and used in depictions of religious icons like the Virgin Mary and the Buddha. Ancient romans regarded pearls as the tears of gods or angels. Because of their origins in the waters of the world, they’ve also been seen as tears of water nymphs and mermaids. Or the scientific explaination pearl is produced by a mollusk to protect it from a forien object that is irritating it. the mollusk coats the intruder with nacre (Pearl) until removed |
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mythology Pearls Birthstone of June, associated with Health & the Moon It is also the accepted anniversary gemstone for the 3rd and 30th years of marriage. Pearls have been recognized as the emblem of modesty, chastity and purity. They have come to symbolize a happy marriage. Long known as the "Queen of Gems," pearls possess a history and allure far beyond what today's wearer may recognize. In China, pearls were thought to be raindrops swallowed by oysters. The Chinese associated dragons and pearls together, since they believed dragons fighting in the clouds caused pearls to drop from the sky in the form of rain. Before the creation of cultured pearls in the early 1900s, natural pearls were so rare and expensive that they were reserved almost exclusively for the noble and very rich. symbolic of the mating of sea and sky. One tradition holds that a drop of morning dew fell into a shell and it was fertilized by the moon. They are thought to have aphrodisiac qualities if worn as a talisman. It is also said to cure feminine depression. |
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Pearl Extravaganza A comprehensive (the biggest collection most people will ever see) Exhibition of Pearl strands & jewellery, over the month of August, This is a limited Opportunity not to be missed ! In conjunction with one of Australia's best & well established pearl merchants who has been dealing with growers & markets for decades & is trusted buy some of the best jewellers in Australia & internationally, Even in Broome. Lots to see, learn, try & feel. Pearls offer great value & style, Pearls look & feel special, looked after they retain value, become family heirlooms, worn by many generations for special occasions. |
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while the lustrous organic gem still has a high standing among consumers, innovations and evolution in supply have certainly opened up the market. “Over time, advances in pearl farming technology and the mass production of cultured pearls have made pearls more affordable.” It all started in the early 1900s, when a supply shortage of natural pearls saw the launch of the cultured variety on the market – created in pearl farms, rather than collected in the wild. While the cultured pearls were not accepted immediately, by the 1950s an era of every woman being able to own her own pearl necklace had kicked off. Natural pearls, being so rare, were reduced to a small, exclusive niche. Couple that with new design innovations, fashion trends and better imitations, and these objects of beauty now come at myriad price points – a fact that has not escaped consumers, who are more enamoured with pearls than ever before. Design innovation, in particular, is alive and well in the pearl jewellery sector – shoppers only have to look at local labels to feel inspired. Californian pearl brand Galatea – which intends to enter the Australian market later this year – is convinced that exciting, contemporary designs are helping to raise the profile of pearl jewellery around the world. “Pearls have been popular throughout the ages except for brief periods of time when they were thought to be too conservative,” he say. “With the advent of great design, pearl jewellery has never been so innovative.” Galatea certainly knows a thing or two about innovation. Hailed as a revolutionary figure in the jewellery industry, he is credited with the biggest innovation in the pearl market in the past 10 years after becoming the first person in the world to culture a pearl using a gemstone . Once cultured, Galatea carves its pearls to let the gemstone shine through, creating a unique look. The brand’s Sculpted Tahitian pearls range, perfected after years of experimentation, are carved by hand with a variety of signature motifs. “When carved, their deep nacre and colour makes the polished carvings gleam in a way that is very beautiful,” . Galatea also has a more affordable interchangeable Queen Bead collection, the first range to be set in sterling silver, which offers more than 135 unique pearl beads. “It took us many months to build the machinery we needed to core the pearl properly, so it didn’t break,” . “you can buy one pearl at a time to create a necklace, bracelet or a set of earrings and this makes them tremendously affordable.” |
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Today, nearly all pearls are cultured. The Nucleus Usually, the nucleus is a round bead of shell but sometimes it is a small piece of tissue. Beads are made from a certain type of mollusk that is found only in the US, in rivers and lakes fed by the Mississippi River. Pearls cultured with this kind of nucleus usually have a rounded shape. Pearls cultured with a tissue nucleus are usually irregularly shaped. How is a mussel nucleated? = A technician pries open the shell of an oyster to insert either a bead or tissue nucleus. Once the shell is open, a small cut is made to the gonad of the mussel and the chosen nucleus is placed inside. The mussel will react to the nucleus, and begin to secrete nacre to enclose it and a new pearl is born! How long does it take for a natural pearl to form? = It can take 10 years or longer for an oyster to produce a 6mm pearl, and far longer for 7 and 8mm pearls. A fine cultured pearl needs at least 2 to3 years to cultivate. What makes a pearl glow? = Nacre will continue to be secreted and build up layers over time. When there are enough layers the crystals in the Nacre are aligned and a prismatic effect is created. The prismatic effect is what gives a pearl its lustrous glow and iridescent quality. When a pearl has thick nacre and perfectly aligned crystals, it is rarer, more beautiful and more expensive. How hard is a pearl? = A pearl is not very hard compared to other gems. However its compact nature makes it quite durable to knocks and scratches. |
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Coloured pearls are definitely becoming more admired, namely [in] the freshwater pearls. Because they are so affordable and can be dyed so many different colours, including purple, blue, gold, green and grey. Presently, the grey and black tones are extremely popular coming into winter,” Freshwater pearls, tending to come from mussels, aren’t as highly valued as pearls from the sea. A decade ago they were known for their small sizes and lopsided shapes, but recent improvements in their cultivation and processing techniques have made them a much more enticing prospect for designers and consumers alike. It wasn’t until the 1990s, when China surprised the market with freshwater pearls that were of much higher quality, that perceptions began to change.
So could cheaper types of pearls have a negative impact on the South Sea pearl market? Ronnie Bauer, the Gemmological Association of Australia’s CIBJO representative and owner of Klepner’s Fine Antique Jewellers in Melbourne, thinks not. “It’s like saying, ‘Will the Ford market overrun the Ferrari market?’ It never will. People will always want Ferraris.” However, he warns, “Where the danger comes in – because the freshwater pearls are getting better and better – is if the retailer tries to sell them as a South Sea pearl, when they’re actually freshwater pearls.” Aside from different pearl types, Bauer says jewellers are also getting creative in their use of lower-quality pearls to make their pieces more affordable. Like diamonds, pearls have their own system of grading, based on their lustre, colour, shape, surface and size. “For example, as a comparison, when you get pavé-set diamond jewellery, it’s all clusters of diamonds. Now, nine times out of 10 they won’t use perfect diamonds for that, but it gives the same ‘blingy’ look,” Bauer explains. “It’s the same with pearls. You can use lots of pearls and all sorts of qualities of pearls and mix them with other media and they can look quite good and become affordable.” Indeed, budget-savvy materials are also being used to extend the pearl look and make it more affordable. Ikecho’s sterling silver range is its largest and most popular. “By using materials such as sterling silver, stainless steel, neoprene [a synthetic rubber], cubic zirconia, glass beads and other gemstones, like smoky quartz and peridot, we are able to make innovative yet inexpensive designs for the consumer,” she says. |
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Improved accessibility isn’t the only driver of pearls’ increasing popularity either – celebrity endorsement and catwalk trends are widely believed to have helped whet the consumer appetite for pearls too. “pearls are being incorporated in designer dresses, like the Chanel winter 2010 dress worn by Keira Knightley [at the London Film Festival]. The late Elizabeth Taylor was frequently spotted wearing pearls, the list is endless – know your pearls• Precious pearls come from oysters, but most molluscs can produce them — for example, freshwater pearls tend to come from mussels, though they’re not as highly regarded as those from the sea. • Like diamonds, pearls have their own system of grading, based on their lustre, colour, shape, surface and size. • Natural pearls are created when a foreign body, such as a grain of sand or a parasite, finds its way into a mollusc. The mollusc then reacts by coating the irritant with layer upon layer of nacre, which gives the gem its unique, iridescent quality. • A cultured pearl is created when a human places a bead into the gonad of the mollusc and that mollusc produces a pearl, because it is trained to deal with the irritation. The Australian cultured pearling industry now grosses more than $200 million per year. It’s carefully managed with an annual quota of 600,000 ‘wild’ collected shells allocated between the 19 pearl farming licences here –18 of which are located in Western Australia. • The majority of cultured pearls sold in Australia are the Akoya type and they come from Japan. According to the GAA’s CIBJO representative Ronnie Bauer, this is because “they’re much cheaper than the South Sea ones”. Australian South Sea pearls are considered the most prestigious and valuable in the world and are largely sold overseas. • Akoya pearls usually range from about 5mm to 8mm in size and the South Sea pearl from about 10mm upwards. Bauer says the culturing process usually takes a lengthier three years for the South Sea pearls, while it can be just under a year for the Akoya variety (which partly explains why it is cheaper). • The term “imitation pearl” is used to define anything that looks like a pearl. Artificial pearls are usually shell-based or made of plastic. |
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many jewellery companies have sought to make South Sea pearls more accessible by pairing them with less expensive materials. “The fact that more pearl brands are offering more affordable pearl lines is a reflection of both the economic climate and that now, more than ever, it has become a very fashionable trend to wear pearls casually and not just for evenings or special occasions.” Australian pearl company Kailis, which has been in the business for more than three decades, launched a line of silver jewellery featuring Australian South Sea pearls. South Sea pearls are the rarest and finest cultured pearls in the world, and while Kailis’s usual collection pieces range from $1,000 to $24,900, its silver items cost just $200 to $1,290.
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One of a kind Multi strand natural keshi pearl with natural sapphire briolettes That twinkle for a magical effect $14400 |
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$4100 |
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Pearls featured here are Various colours shapes & sizes of fine quality = beautiful luster, minor blemishes. This is important to understand if comparing pearls
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LONG AGO, PEOPLE ALSO BELIEVED that pearls were moonbeams that fell into the ocean and were swallowed by oysters. Although we now know that this is not true, pearls are still synonymous with romance, purity and sensuality. Pearls are created by living creatures called mollusks. Although all mollusks which produces a shell can produce a pearl, naturally occurring pearls are still very rare (found in perhaps one of every 10,000 animals). Throughout most of history a natural pearl necklace was a treasure of almost incomparable value, in fact the most expensive jewellery in the world. Now we see pearls almost as accessories. Before the creation of cultured pearls in the early 1900s, natural pearls were so rare and expensive that they were reserved almost exclusively for the nobility and the very rich. Koichi Mikimoto, the son of a Japanese noodle maker, who is largely attributed with developing methods for culturing pearls, is considered the founder of the pearl culturing industry. Since this revolutionary breakthrough at the beginning of the 20th Century, an empire of pearl-producing centres have developed around the world. |
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Pearls have never been out of fashion. From the gowns of Anne of Cleves and Jane Seymour, to the runways of Paris, they have always been the ultimate fashion accessories. When the inventor of modern fashion, Coco Chanel, proclaimed, "A woman needs ropes and ropes of pearls," she instantly elevated them to haute couture essentials. Chanel swathed her models in strands, chokers and solitaires, and they became as synonymous with Chanel's understated style, as the interlocking double c logo. Just as striking, though perhaps a little less extravagant, are the fresh adaptations of pearls by designers from all around the world breaking down the old pearls and twin set clichè, with present fresh, deconstructed interpretations of the classic accessory.
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A pearl is the only gem that can emerge from nature perfect and complete. Unlike diamonds and other gemstones, it does not require cutting and polishing to reveal its beauty. It is nature’s perfection in a luminous droplet. |