All posts tagged South Sea Pearls

Tips On Taking Care Of Your Gold Pearl Earrings

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Although they say that diamonds are a womans best friends, pearls have been their most faithful friends, loyal and dependable during ups and downs. Unlike diamonds, gold and platinum, pearls are easily affordable. They also look good no matter what the setting. They can carry off any look and any outfit. They are good for any occasion – party, funeral, business meeting or shopping spree. That is why consumers love pearls and pearl jewelry is so common.

Golden pearls are a relatively new entry into this market. They are also in high demand these days. One of the reasons is their newness, the other, their rarity. Also, gold South Sea Pearls are gorgeous to look at. However, golden pearls are quite expensive too, with deeper gold being more expensive than the lighter variety. A rope of top graded golden pearls can easily fetch more than a million dollars. Yes, they are THAT expensive.

For most ordinary folks like you and me, a pendant made of golden pearls or gold pearl earrings are the best bargain – beautiful, elegant, and most importantly, affordable. Since gold South Sea Pearls are available in impressive sizes, getting a beautiful pair of gold pearl earrings is not difficult, even though they are pricey.

Golden pearls are quite expensive, so they are worth the investment only if you take proper care of them.

Here are some tips on how to take care of your gold pearl earrings:

Use: It depends a lot on how you use your jewelry. If you like to have your earrings at all times, then you are asking for trouble. Pearl looses its sheen quickly when it is exposed to heat, harsh chemicals, oil and dirt. Heat can burn the pearl leaving it dark and discolored. Remove your gold pearl earrings before you go to sleep.

Storage: For maximum usage and beauty, preserve your pearls well when they are not in use. Do not store them with gemstones or other hard pieces of jewelry because pearls are by nature soft and vulnerable. Keep them in a soft pouch and wipe them gently before and after use.

Cleaning: When you need to clean your gold pearl earrings, use only special cleaners that have been set aside for that particular use. Some people use toothpaste, baking soda, detergents, soaps and shampoos on pearls. This is not advisable because the harsh chemicals in these can erode the pearl, leaving it colorless and faded. If you wear your gold pearl earrings to work, take care to wipe them with cotton before you store them. This is to wipe away any residual sweat or salt that may have settled on the pearl. Also, take care to avoid touching the pearl with your fingers all the time. Instead, hold the earring by its clasp.

Pearls are meant to be used by generations of people. They are hardy and they do not lose their beauty as they age. Preserving them in good condition is not difficult. Just remember that pearls are soft and are quite vulnerable. Treat them with loving care and affection, and they will stay by you forever.

Guide To Choosing Pearl Necklaces

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Pearl necklaces never run out of style. They are always classy, elegant and quite flexible as wardrobe accessories. They are one of the most popular gift choices for weddings, being the birthstone of June and they have a lasting, mystical appeal that has been celebrated for thousands of years.

Pearls are rarer when they are produced naturally but while cultured pearls are quite affordable, their quality is in no way inferior to that of natural pearls. To an untrained eye, it is very difficult to tell a natural pearl from its cultured cousin. The only way to differentiate is probably to use x-ray where a nucleus’ will be spotted in the cultured variety.

Some of the more common types of pearls used in necklaces are Mikimoto, Akoya, Tahitian and South Sea Pearls. Mikimoto is the highest quality pearls and come in different colors. Akoya pearls often come in white, cream or silver while Tahitian and South Sea pearls have darker colors. Saltwater pearls are more expensive than freshwater pearls.

Choosing pearl necklace lengths
Choosing the right length of pearl necklace depends upon the wearer’s age, neck size and overall body composition. In general, long necklaces tend to elongate the neck and draw attention away from it, as opposed to shorter-length ones which flatter longer necks. Here are the different lengths of pearl necklaces recommended for every woman’s unique need:

Collar typically 10 to 13 inches long and are quite flexible either for evening wear or casual day wear. These are worn high on the neck, above the base. Another style is the dog collar, which is made of several strands, quite popular in the Victorian era and slowly making a comeback.

Choker 16 to 18 inches long, chokers surround the base of the neck. A good choice for ladies with long, thin necks because chokers can de-emphasize the throat’s length.

Princess at 17 to 20 inches long, this is the most popular length, classic enough to match any outfit or neckline.

Matinee 20 to 24 inches long. These work well worn with dresses, business suits and corporate wear and are a great choice for occasions requiring semi-formal wear.

Opera 28 to 34 inches long, usually worn during formal events and occasions. Because of its length, this pearl necklace may be doubled to form two strands. When worn as is, it should ideally reach below the bust line.

Rope or sautoir the longest, starting at 37 inches, worn best with pantsuits. Rope-length pearls don’t have to hang from the wearer’s neck alone. They could be doubled or knotted for more style flexibility. Some even come with multiple clasps, which allow the wearer to use the necklace in shorter lengths.

Short necks will do well wearing pearl strands that sit at least 2 below the collarbone while thick or heavy necks will look good in graduated chains with lengths beginning at 18. Long thin necks are flattered by shorter lengths, especially those that sit at the base of neck, following the curve of the throat.

Fleshy necks look better in necklaces that lie below the base, especially if the strand is segmented or comes with a square, rectangular or any pointed pendant. Necks that are wide at the base need necklaces that are at least 1 below the collarbone or longer strands.

Other pearl necklace styles
Other styles of pearl necklaces are the bib which, as the name implies, covers the base of the neck and the upper part of the chest in several strands of varying lengths. Another option is the graduated necklace which consists of pearls in graduated lengths, usually with the biggest pearl/s in the middle. A popular style is the uniform necklace where pearls of similar size are strung together.

Choosing pearl colors and size
While white, cream, pink or silver pearls generally will look good on anyone, they can best enhance fairer skin. Gold or yellow pearls will look best on darker-toned skin.

Generally, younger women should wear smaller pearls. At this point in their lives, they could show off their youthful necks with smaller-sized chains and pendants. Older women may want to use longer-length pearl necklaces to draw attention away from their necks. They can also wear bigger pearls with wider, double- or triple-strand chains.

Pearl necklace sets
One of the best ways to buy matching jewelry is to get ones that come in a set. This way, you have a necklace, a pair of earrings and either a ring or bracelet that come in matching styles. However, if you prefer just the necklace, some jewelers will allow you to buy one off a set.

The Story Of Pearl Culture

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We are lucky to live in the 21st century – for this is the age when the largest and most beautiful pearls in human history are cultivated.

The history of cultured pearls in fairly young, slightly more than 100 years old.But it is fascinating history shaped by three generations devoting to and working towards an ideal of the perfect pearl, working in humility and harmony with the unpredictable forces of nature.

It all started in the 19th century, when the greedy fishing of pearl oysters for natural pearls led to the near depletion and scarcity of natural pearls. To meet the insatiable quest for more, ever bigger and ever rounder pearls, ingenious people observed the formation of natural pearls and attempted to copy the process of nature. A series of experiments were conducted in various parts of the world, but the consensus is that the first round pearls were successfully harvested in 1898 in Japan.

Three Japanese were cited to have initiated the art of pearl cultivation: KoKichi Mikimoto, Tassuhei Mise and Tokichi Nishikawa, Historical records show that the three discovered the techniques to grow round pearls at more or less the same time. The first cultured pearls were between 3mm and 5mm ,mostly button and rarely round, and only the upper part was lustrous.

When these cultured pearls appeared at fairs and auctions in Europe and the United States, pearl merchants in Paris, London and New York were perplexed by these genuine pearls from a new source. Many traditionalists vehemently branded cultured pearls as fakes.

The Japanese akoya industry grew and prospered until before the outbreak of word war II,In those days,the industry grouped 289 farms with a record annual production of 11 million pearls . The typical strands in the pre-war years were called 3.5 momme graduation, because the graduated akoya necklace had a centre pearl of 7mm and end pearls of 3mm, weighing 3.5 momme (about 13g). Nowadays, akoya necklaces are nearly always in uniform sizes.

Attempts to grow south Sea pearls started as early as 1915. Japanese pioneers, motivated by their initial success in culturing akoya pearls, saw the potential of growing larger pearls using a larger oyster sps found in the Pacific Ocean.

Trial farming was carried out in the Philippines and Indonesia. The first harvest of round South Sea pearls took place in 1928 in Celebes, A Dutch colony until Indonesia declared independence. South Sea pearls harvested in those days were mainly between 8mm and 10mm, much larger than the 3mm to 4mm akoya pearls.

Interrupted during world war II, south sea pearls development resumed intermittently in Myanmar, Indonesia, Australia and the Philippines after the war, mostly with Japanese investment and know how. But it was no until the ’70s that the cultivation of South Sea pearls began to experience stable and significant growth. Australia and Indonesia are today the two largest producing countries of South Sea Pearls.

The history of black pearls is relatively recent.Tahiti came on stage in the early ’60s , when Jean-Marie Domard of the Fisheries Service commissioned research on the potential of pearl cultivation in French Polynesia. The first 1,000 Tahitian pearls were harvested in 1965.The first registered official export of 1,563g was in 1972.Nearly 40 years later, the Tahyitian pearl industry has matured , with an annual production of between 8 and 10 tonnes, generating an income of USD100 million to the black pearl paradise.

Encouraged by their success in growing marine pearls at the turn of the 20th century, some Japanese started experimenting with the culture of pearls in ponds and lakes. In the ’20s, the first batch of freshwater pearls were harvested in Lake Biwa. Until the ’70s, Japan dominated the freshwater pearl industry, and Biwa Pearls became the synonym of freshwater cultured pearls.

Records showed that the first successful harvest of Chinese freshwater pearls took place in 1968. The first pearls were small, rice-shaped and wrinkled. But China was a fast learner and by the 80s, it surprised the world with smooth-bodied , bigger and rounder pearls . Improvements and cultivation breakthroughs continue, and the size of freshwater pearls has increased from 5mm on average in the early ’90s to 8mm today.

Behind the 100 years of pearl culturing were many colorful individuals — adventurous and curious, daring in their dreams but industrious in turning their dreams into reality. Most of all , they have managed to join forces with nature to bring out cultured pearls that are larger and grander than natural pearls.