The types of pearls! A glance at the gem in the water

by mittag jewelry

In the past, the popularity of pearls was limited to the elders' market; but in recent years, pearls have gradually become the focus of fashion, and now more and more young people are beginning to pay attention to pearls; especially popular is the design of small-sized pearls. However, there is a lot of relevant knowledge that must be learned before actually buying pearl jewelries. Therefore, allow mittag to provide a basic concept of pearls through this article, we believe that this helps when buying pearl products!

The position of the pearl, the queen of the gem world

Pearls are at the same level as diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and cat eyes. They have the reputation of "five emperors and one queen". The "one queen" refers to the pearl. Pearls have no bright brilliance like diamonds, no sparkling brilliance as colored gems, but the pearls are warm and delicate, which are the most charming parts of pearls. The international gem world lists pearls a lucky stone born in June, as well as a memorial stone for the 13th and 30th anniversaries of marriage.

If we want to start introducing pearls, it is necessary to start with natural pearls that are rare and hard to get in nature. Although natural pearls also have divided into fresh water and sea water pearls, but if we want to find enough natural pearls to form a pearl necklace, the price of the necklace is only affordable for the richest man, and it is far from enough; therefore, we omit the wild natural pearl here because the number of wild natural pearls is less than 1% of the total pearl production. Therefore, most of the pearls currently available in the market are artificially cultured pearls (more than 99%). The technology for mass production of cultured pearls was developed by the Japanese. Due to the excellent quality and cheaper price, the cultured pearls quickly replaced the natural pearl market and became one of the popular materials.

Cultured pearls are divided into Freshwater Pearl and Saltwater Pearl

Here we start with freshwater cultured pearls. Freshwater pearls used to refer to non-nucleus pearls. However, after the birth of Edison nucleus pearls in 2011, freshwater cultured pearls were divided into two types: non-nucleus culture and nucleus culture.
Non-nucleus cultured pearls: most of the freshwater pearls are produced in China, accounting for more than 90% of the world's total freshwater pearl production, followed by the United States and Japan. Generally, the growth cycle of seawater pearls is 3 years, while freshwater pearls is 1~2 years (generally, the time required for the growth of seawater pearls is twice that of freshwater pearls; because the temperature of seawater is lower, pearls grow slowly; freshwater temperature is higher, pearls grow faster); plus usually a seawater mother shell produces only one pearl, and a freshwater pearl mother shell can produce about 20 pearls, so the price of freshwater pearls is also relatively cheaper. The appearance of freshwater pearls ranges from round to baroque, and the colors are also varied (white, purple, and orange). Based on the rich color of the freshwater pearls and the more affordable price, it is very popular in the market and is very suitable for daily wear.

Nucleus cultured pearls: Edison nucleus pearl was born in 2011. It is a new type of pearl compared to other pearl varieties. (Inventor Edison once said that the laboratory could not make pearls and diamonds. So people named it "Edison Pearl" to pay tribute to Edison.). The biggest difference compared to the previous freshwater pearls is nucleus cultured. Edison pearls can reach 12-20mm in diameter, and because of nucleus culture, a single pearl produces only one Edison pearl, so it is rounder and larger and than ordinary freshwater pearls. At the same time, the richness of Edison pearl color (purple, orange, bronze, silver, chocolate, white, etc.) increases the competitiveness of freshwater pearls in the market. Before the birth of Edison pearl, seawater pearls occupied the mainstream market of large-sized pearls, and it was also the representative of the big pearls in people's hearts. Now it has clearly reversed the market impression.

Saltwater pearls are divided into Japanese Akoya pearls, South Sea pearls, and Tahitian pearls

Japan Akoya Pearls: Akoya is the name of the mother shell. Japan's Akoya pearls are characterized by their beautiful hydrating skin, bright white color, high gloss, strong mirror reflection, and a pale pink color on its surface. Akoya pearls are small in size but strong in brightness, so it is called "small light bulb." Akoya mother shell can only implant one core per shell, so the pearls do not squeeze each other, and the chance of forming a round pearl is greatly increased. Japan Akoya has an average breeding period of about three years and has also proliferated in mainland China in recent years. The appearance of Akoya pearls is mostly round, the common colors are silver and white-pink, and the gloss is clear, and the diameter is about 4mm to 10mm.

South Sea Pearls: Produced in Southeast Asian countries: the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Australia, etc... Its texture is very good, it is the top grade in pearls, so it has the reputation of "King of the Pearl". The pearls of the South Sea come from pearl oysters belonging to the white butterfly pearl oysters. This pearl oyster is much larger than the pearl oysters that produce Japanese Akoya cultured pearls and freshwater pearls, so the pearls produced are much larger. Due to the rarity and sensitivity of such pearls (which are highly demanding in aquaculture environments, such pearl cultured conditions are high), the price is also much more expensive. The cultured South Sea pearls are larger than the average seawater pearls, with diameters ranging from 8 to 18 mm, but pearls of 10 to 14 mm size are more common, colors ranging from white to gold.

Tahitian Pearls: More than 90% of black pearls are produced in Tahitian. It is a special product in the French Polynesia in the South Pacific Ocean. It is a precious and enjoys the reputation of “Queen of the Pearl”. It is the only naturally occurring pearl from dark grey to black. The natural black color of Tahitian black pearl comes from the black lip of the black butterfly mother shell. Although it is called "black" pearl, its color range can be black, green, blue, gray and brown, the darker the black pearl is more precious. The highest quality color except the thick black, it comes with green color too apart from black itself, also known as peacock green. This black butterfly pearl is very sensitive in the breeding process, making it very costly to produce, which is the highest price among pearls. Tahitian pearls can range in size from 9 to 14 mm.

The benefits of wearing pearls

With a warm and delicate color and a rounded posture and elegant temperament, pearl symbolizes perfection, health, purity, wealth and happiness. It has been loved by people since ancient times. Pearl can bring us good health, mainly because the composition of pearl contains a lot of calcium carbonate and keratin protein. The keratin protein can produce more than 20 kinds of amino acids necessary for human body after hydrolysis; the pearl also contains iron, zinc, manganese, copper, potassium, magnesium and other beneficial trace elements and minerals to the human body; and pearls are considered to have anti-cancer, anti-aging and improve human immunity. It is said that wearing a pearl necklace also has the effect of calming the mood and improving the quality of sleep.

Pearl wearing and maintenance method

The best way to maintain pearls is to wear them regularly, because the body's natural oils keep the pearls shiny.
Keep pearls away from household chemicals, including perfumes, cosmetics, and hair sprays. The chemicals in these products will make the pearl's luster dim. It is recommended that you wear pearls at the last minute before you go out. First remove pearls when you go home.
Pearls contain a certain amount of water, excessive exposure to sunlight will lead to water loss and affect its internal structure, so try to avoid exposure to sunlight and ultraviolet radiation.
Do not use water to clean pearl jewelry, and do not wear pearl jewelry to swim or bathe. Because tap water contains a lot of chloride, direct washing will make the chloride touches the surface of the pearl, which will cause the pearl to turn yellow and lose its luster.
Sweat can also damage the pearl's luster, so every time wearing a pearl jewelry, gently wipe it with a delicate soft cloth (such as soft flannel for cleaning glasses or camera lens), and store it after air drying. Never use tissue paper to wipe it, which is likely to scratch the pearl skin.
When not wearing pearl jewelry, it can be stored in a dry box with soft, clean flannel. It should be separated from other jewelry to avoid scratching the fragile surface of the pearl when stored.
Do not seal with a zipper bag, which will cause the pearl to fade yellow, because the pearl needs fresh air, remember to wear it every few months, let the pearl breathe the air.