PEARL FACTS. BEAUTY, COLOR
AND MAGNIFICENCE.
ABOUT PEARLS
Intrinsically feminine with their voluptuous roundness and shimmery glow, pearls never fail to enchant us their lustrous beauty and almost infinite variety of scintillating colors. Doubtlessly, when you invest in pearl jewelery, or jewels adorned with pearls, you will be interested to find out more how they are created in the depths of the sea and what makes them precious. You will be fascinated by the lore and mythology that is part of the mystique of pearls. Finding out how to care for them so that they keep their splendor will also be close to your heart. Now, a few facts about the tantalizing world of pearls.
HOW THE QUALITY AND VALUE OF A PEARL IS MEASURED.
A thick layer of mother-of-pearl, an intense luster, a pure surface, a noble color, as round in shape as possible, though other shapes and asymmetrical baroque forms are extremely popular and, at least in "the following characteristics are important for the assessment of a pearl terms of price, a large diameter as large pearls are rare and for this reason precious. "The iridescent luster of Pearls is created by the refraction of light as it passes through the multiple layers of nacre which act as a prism. The same principle by which light passing through raindrops forms a rainbow.
Pearl experts identify real pearls based on their fine luster, coating and unequaled shimmer. For untrained eyes, to determine if a pearl is real gently rub the pearl against your teeth. If you have a necklace - gently rub the pearls against each other. Pearls have a slightly rough surface, glass beads or plastic beads are usually smooth and produce little friction.
HOW ARE PEARLS MADE?
A tiny piece of donor shell, a graft, is surgically implanted in a cultured pearl oyster. The piece from the donor shell is then gradually covered with the mantle tissue of the same species of shellfish. Over time - one to two years for Akoya pearls, 2 to 3 years for South Sea and Tahitian pearls - nacreous layers form around the bead and a pearl is formed.
CARING FOR PEARLS
Pearls are natural products which are sensitive to cosmetic materials and sweat Contact with creams, sprays and soaps avoid wearing them when doing sport, in the sauna and sunbathing. Any residue can be removed with a soft pearl cloth. Avoid bright sunshine and store them in a soft place all to themselves. Pearls should not be kept in a jewelery box together with precious gemstones.
Find out more about the types of cultured pearls.
THE PEARL WHO'S WHO
SOUTH SEAS PEARLS
The largest pearls with the thickest nacre.
TAHITI PEARLS
(Oyster Pinctada margaritifera)
White & Golden South Sea pearls are the rarest most valuable and treasured pearls particularly in higher qualities, found today. These pearls are produced by the silver or golden lipped oyster, known scientifically as the Pinctada Maxima oyster, found on the shores of Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
The Silver-lipped Pinctada Maxima oyster produces silvery-white, in pink, gray or green gems, whereas the gold-lipped type pearls in yellow or golden hues.
Tahiti Pearls stand out for their large size, most between 8mm and 14mm and almost perfect roundness. The extreme luster of Tahiti Pearls sets them apart and they captivate with their unique and enchanting color spectrum ranging from soft grays, blues, silvers golds, pinks and aubergine tones. Tahiti pearls with a peacock green nuance are considered to be the most exquisite.
WHITE & GOLDEN
SOUTH SEA PEARLS
(Oyster Pinctada maxima)
Tahitian Pearls or Tahiti Black Pearls are produced by the black-lipped oyster. They are found and cultured in the warm waters of the Pacific islands of Tahiti, Cook Islands and Fiji among others. Due to their extreme rarity before being cultured in the South Seas, Tahiti Pearls were crowned "Pearl of Queens". A title they have kept until this day and duly deserve as they remain very rare and are fascinatingly beautiful and glamorous due to their large size, high luster and magnificent colors.
JAPANESE PEARLS
AKOYA PEARLS
(Oyster Pinctada fucata)
Japanese Akoya pearls reach a diameter between two and eleven millimeters. Akoya pearls shimmer in delicate white, pink and light Silver tones. They develop in the smallest pearl producing oysters in the world and are known for their perfectly round shape and their bright luster.
Oro, the god of war and peace, who is closely related with Tane uses the pearls to woo a earthly woman he covets: He offers her two pearls, apoe rava (peacock green) and a poe Konini, a bead with circular grooves which
show that the origin the pearl
is the star Saturn.
Te Ufi with a dress in all colors of
the fish of the ocean.
In one of the Polynesian creation stories
Tane, the creator of the world and God of harmony and beauty brings light to
the world with pearls.
The shape and shine to of Tahitian pearls
inspire him to create the stars. Having illuminated the stars in the night sky,
Tane passes the pearls to Rua Hatu,
God of the ocean, so that
he can illuminate oceans.
Tahitian Pearls in
Polynesian Mythology
After the successful courtship of his beloved, Oro fathers offspring with his mistress , Oro offers the Pearl to humans to commemorate his presence on Earth , where the Te Ufi (Tahitian) Pearls live on in the Polynesian lagoons. Okana and Uaro, the spirits of Coral and Sand, then decorate Te Ufi with a cape that shone with the hues of every fish that swam the Polynesian seas from which arose the beautiful blue black pearls.
There are many legends surrounding Tahitian Pearls in Polynesian Mythology. Here is one captivating Legend: