Pearl DC

Welcome to the most informative, yet concise, guide to the iridescent world of pearls on the internet. In the next twenty minutes, you can learn everything from how these most precious of gems are produced, to the "Big 6" factors which determine their quality and value.

The awesome beauty of these lustrous gems is so powerful that it would be hard to find a society anywhere in the history of mankind in which they weren’t prized beyond all other treasures. From the ancient Chinese over 4,000 years ago, to the lost history of the Incas, the pearl has been imbued with mystical properties for health, wisdom and prophecy.

Whether you want to purchase a lovely string of pearls or simply understand the essence of their inner glow, this Express guide will illuminate and entertain as you gain appreciation for these most ancient of gems.

Saltwater Pearls:
The most popular, and arguably the best, sea pearls are the Akoya Japanese pearls (famous for the quality of their classic whites,) and the South Sea variety, which are typically much larger than Akoyas. There are also the naturally black Tahitian types as well. Saltwater pearls are usually more costly than freshwater because of higher production costs.

Freshwater Pearls:
Freshwater pearls are grown in Mussels in lakes and rivers and each mussel can yield up to 30 pearls per harvest! Lake Biwa in Japan has long been known as the king of freshwater pearls, to such an extent that Biwa has become synonymous with freshwater pearls. But Lake Biwa has dried up, so finding authentic Biwa’s is very difficult.

Freshwater pearls are grown in many countries and don’t require a nucleus for production. Rather, a tissue graft from the mantel of the mussel begins the process. This means that these pearls are almost completely nacre.

Freshwater pearls are available in a far wider color range than saltwater, including purple, violet, orange, blue and gray. Except for round pearls, freshwater cost quite a bit less than their salty relatives.

American Freshwater Pearls:
Mainly from Tennessee, these unique freshwater gems are produced like the saltwater variety, with a nucleus. American freshwater’s are allowed to mature for much longer than all other cultured pearls (up to 5 years, compared to 1 year for most others.) And, again, the longer the growth, the thicker the nacre. Giving American pearls an unusually high luster and orient.

There are other types of pearls as well, like the saltwater Mabe variety, which are dome shaped. Solid Blister Pearls are also dome shaped, but from freshwater. Then there are Seed, or Keshi pearls which are tiny gems typically found in antique jewelry. Ringed pearls are naturally occurring rings around the gem and can make for a unique style statement. Half, and Three-quarter pearls are gems that have been cut and placed on borders of jewelry. They are not the same as Mabe or Solid Blister’s which grow in the dome shape naturally.

The modern pearl market is possible because of one thing: Culture. For centuries, people have been trying to unlock the secret of nature and duplicate the magic worked inside a particular type of mollusk that is actually more closely related to the scallop than the oyster of pearl’s lore. But it wasn’t until 1916, when Kokichi Mikimoto patented his technique for producing round pearls, that the world was offered the means to enjoy and appreciate an abundance of these gems from the sea.

Unless you are shopping at estate sales or antique auctions, virtually all the pearls you see are cultured pearls. But cultured pearls are real pearls, they’ve just gotten a little help from science.

It’s funny to think that the pearl producer’s job is to irritate oysters, but that’s exactly what they do. Planting a mother-of-pearl nucleus into the soft membrane of the "oyster" kick-starts the mollusk’s natural protective response which is to secrete a conchiolin (soothing brownish substance) followed, and covered, by a nacre coating (the lustrous materials of pearls) to destroy the intruder. The longer it cultivates, the thicker the nacre. The thicker the nacre, usually, the deeper the luster. The deeper the luster, the better the pearl.

Even though cultured pearls are real pearls, there are a couple tests you can do to determine the difference between cultured and natural.

1. Look at the drill hole. Natural pearls are composed entirely of nacre, while cultured pearls are nacre surrounding the mother-of-pearl nucleus. This point of connection between the nucleus and the nacre can be seen as a dark brown line when examined carefully through a jeweler’s loupe. This is not a foolproof test, though, because some cultured pearls have such a beautiful, thick nacre that the brown line will not be visible. This line can also be bleached away. Therefore, if you don’t see a brown line, more testing needs to be done.

2. Ultraviolet test. Under a regular black-light, natural pearls will typically emit a yellowish-tan fluorescence, and cultured, a milky-bluish color. There are also fiber-optic and X-ray tests that any gemologist can perform for you which are fairly foolproof in spotting nature from nurture.

These tests are not necessary unless you are looking at antique jewelry or if a jeweler tells you his pearls are natural (in which case, make sure he has documentation to back up his claim.) Cultured pearls have literally saved the pearl trade from extinction. If it weren’t for cultured pearls, only kings and queens and the fabulously wealthy would be awarded the opportunity to treasure these gems. Thanks to Mr. Mikimoto, we can all marvel at the inner glow and magical beauty of pearls.