A few “pearls of wisdom”

It is appropriate that the gem for June, the ideal month to tie the knot, is one that has such a strong association with weddings and brides - the Pearl.

The ‘queen-gem’, emblem of modesty, purity and fertility, is perhaps the best-loved gem of all time, with its tranquil beauty making it the perfect complement to more flashy gems.

In ancient Vedic texts, the pearl is born of the earth’s waters and the heaven’s powers, fertilized by a flash of lightning. But we now know that natural pearls form from a tiny irritant in the bodies of certain molluscs, which it coats with nacre in order to reduce the irritation.

With spherical shaped natural pearls being incredibly rare and valuable- as the irritant is very seldom a uniform shape- Kokichi Mikimoto began to culture pearls through the deliberate insertion of a bead or piece of tissue in 1893. This has meant that spherical pearls with a beautiful natural patina have become more prevalent and are now more readily available to those other than royalty. Large irregular shaped (baroque) pearls can also be incredibly valuable, especially South Sea and Tahitian, and give a beautiful natural look to any piece of jewellery.

Here are a few more ‘pearls of wisdom’:

• Even though we often think of them as being white or cream, both natural and cultured pearls occur in a variety of colours and hues.
• Imitation pearls are smooth when rubbed against your teeth, while natural or cultured pearls have a slightly rough texture. This is a legitimate test- try it!
• Luster results from the reflection of light rays off the pearl’s surface, and from concentric inner layers of nacre, like light bouncing off a convex mirror.
• Fresh water mussels are capable of multiple pearls implants, whereas saltwater molluscs (gonads) can only be nucleated with one pearl at a time and therefore production is more limited. This means that Akoya, South Sea, Tahitian cultured pearls, which form in saltwater molluscs, and are generally harvested for longer, are among the most valuable.

Pearls, like all jewellery, has to be seen in person to be truly appreciated. So please call in and try on our beautiful collection of cultured Akoya, South Sea, Tahitian, and fresh water pearls to see what all the fuss is about.