Page 66 - magazine

PEARLS TODAY CAN BE FOUND IN A
KALEIDOSCOPE OF COLORS, SHAPES
AND SIZES TO SUIT THE TASTE OF EVERY
WOMAN.
South Sea Pearls are among some of the largest
commercially cultivated pearls in the world. The South
Seas lie between the northern coast of Australia, and the
southern coast of China. These waters are the native habitat
of the large oyster, the Pinctada maxima. This oyster grows
up to 12 inches in diameter, and can be nucleated with a
much larger bead than other saltwater oysters. There are
up to three generations of pearls that can develop from
one South Sea oyster. The first generation pearl takes an
average of 4-6 years to culture and ranges from 7.5 – 14 mm
in size. The second generation pearl takes 7-10 years and
is much larger, 14-18 mm in size. The third generation pearl
is even rarer, taking 20-30 years to culture. These pearls are
the most valuable as they are the largest, ranging from
18-25 mm in size. Some have grown so large that they
are no longer measurable on the pearl scale. South Sea
pearls are also referred to as saltwater pearls. Their colors
are determined by the type of oyster in which they grow.
As the pearl develops it acquires the same color as the
The largest available round saltwater pearl inner lining of the oyster. Black and dark color pearls come
necklace in the world. from the seas around Tahiti, hence they are referred to as
‘Tahitian’ pearls. Golden, champagne and butterscotch
pearls come from Indonesia and the Philippines.
Freshwater Pearls are grown inside mussels that
inhabit lakes and rivers. Up to forty pearls can grow
inside one freshwater mussel. They evolve in a wide
range of shapes, sizes, and colors. The exception
to this is the Biwa pearl which comes from a flatter
mussel and only produces one pearl at a time.
Natural pearl necklace with natural cognac
diamonds, set in18k gold.
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Freshwater Coin Pearl - Cultivated in the famous lake
Biwa in Japan, these pearls are unique in their high luster
and flat shape. Lake Biwa was once world renowned
for its high-quality freshwater pearls produced by the
Biwa pearl mussel, the Hyriopsis schlegeli. However, in
the mid 1970’s pearl farming in Lake Biwa came to a
halt due to pollution. There are other coin or button
pearls in existence today which come from other areas,
but Biwa pearls are special for their exceptionally high
level of luster. Their shape is flat because the mussel
that produces them is flatter than a normal mussel. They
are also able to adopt the shape of the nucleus that is
implanted in them. Therefore, a nucleus in the shape Baroque soufflé pearl and diamond
of a heart or square will develop into a pearl that is the bracelet, set in 18k white gold.
shape of a heart or square. They come in shades of
white, cream, peach and pink. Because the texture of
a Biwa pearl is not as smooth as other freshwater pearls
this makes them even more unique.
Soufflé Pearls are grown in a variety of colors,
shapes, and sizes. Their magnificent metallic luster is
rarely found in any other type of pearl. Soufflé Pearls
are hollow and therefore especially lightweight.
They are produced by inserting a piece of sun-
Tahitian cultured pearls are cultivated from the large, dried mud into the oyster, around which the pearl
black, Pinctada maxima oyster, and produce very develops. When Soufflé Pearls are removed, a small
large pearls. The natural black or gray color of these
pearls comes from the color of the oyster’s black lips. hole is drilled into the pearl so that any mud that
might still be present inside is removed.
This oyster is very sensitive to the pearl culturing process,
which makes the pearls both rare and expensive.
Cultivated around the islands of French Polynesia, they
usually range from light gray to black. Tahitian pearls are
thought by many to be solely a product of Tahiti, but this
is in fact not true. Although Tahiti is the commercial and
trading center of the industry, it does not actually have
any pearl farms on the island.
Keshi Pearls - Keshi means tiny in Japanese, and can
grow in either salt water or freshwater. Keshi pearls
are formed when the oyster rejects the implanted
nucleus before the culturing process is complete,
thereby producing unusual pearls without a nucleus.
They are smaller in size and come in a wide variety of
shapes and colors.
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