Sunday, July 29, 2012

Cultured and Natural Pearls















A cultured pearl is the magnificent result of human help in the natural pearl formation process. As the natural and accidental formation of pearls almost disappeared by the 1890s, the experiments to culture pearls became serious.

Following the success of these experiments, gem quality cultured pearls have been available since the beginning of the 20th century.

The unique appearance of all pearls is provided by the Nacre. This pearly substance is produced inside the mollusks and covers the "center" of the pearl with the intention to isolate it.

The center is a foreign body inserted inside the mollusk, either by accident in the case of natural pearls or put in by humans during the process of creating cultured pearls.

Cultured pearls shapes can vary from round to unique irregular shapes. The colors are no longer limited to white and ivory, today an amazing rainbow of colors can be found among cultured pearls. Some colors are natural and some are the result of dyeing techniques acceptable by the industry.
















Examples of the different modern shapes and colors of this classy gemstone can be seen in the photos of my handmade jewelry designs included in this post:

Turquoise and Gold big Pearls Necklace: Impressive big cultured pearls dyed in turquoise and gold colors creating an outstanding design.

A Bouquet of Burgundy, Peach and Gold Pearls Pendant: A combination of keshi pearls and small pearls in the center, hanging as a pendant on burgundy color threads. It looks like a beautiful small bouquet of roses creating a unique jewelry that would fit and complement any outfit.

I would appreciate your feedback, Esther