About the Pearls

The pearl is unique because it is the only gem grown inside a living organism. Pearls are organic gems rather than gemstones.

Natural pearls are pearls that are made in the ocean without any interference from people. They are extremely rare and expensive because over-fishing and pollution plague the beds known for producing natural pearls. These pearls are formed when an irritant - a piece of shell, a scale or a grain of sand, becomes lodged inside a mollusk. The irritant becomes the pearl's nucleus, or centre, as it is coated over several years, with layers of nacre, or lustrous outer shell, inside the oyster.

Cultured pearls are more commonly known as freshwater pearls. Like natural pearls, cultured pearls grow inside of a mollusk, but with human intervention.

They grow in mussels and oysters while natural pearls only grow in oysters. Pearl farmers help the process along by inserting an irritant into the shell of the oyster or mussel. The animal then secretes the nacre that forms around the irritant, creating the pearl. The shape difference of the shell itself has accounted for shape difference between the two types of pearls.

Taking care of your pearls

Pearls are meant to be worn. Wearing them only enchanсes their beauty. But they can't be worn indefinitely, so they must be regularly put away for safekeeping as well as for preservation. Do not store pearls in plastic bags over a long period of time, as they will dry out and crock. Because they need to breathe, store them in a soft satin or velvet pouch. Do not store your pearls with other jewellery, as they can be scratched easily when metal or gemstones rub against them. Find a special slot in your jewellery box for the pearls.

Your pearls will stay cleaner if you put them on after you have applied your makeup and perfume.

Unless carefully and regularly checked, the pearls in the necklace will gradually absorb acid from the skin. The acid will slowly eat into the spherical pearl. Over time the pearl will not only lose its luster, but will become barrel-shaped.

Your fine pearl necklaces should be restrung periodically so that you're sure the silk or nylon cord holding them is in good condition.

Do not wear pearls when their string is wet. Wet strings stretch and attract dirt, which is hard to remove. Likewise, do not hang pearls to dry.

Cleaning

Cleaning pearls is not complicated. After wearing them, just wipe them off with a soft cloth or chamois, which may be dry or damp. This will prevent dirt from accumulating and keep perspiration, which is slightly acid, from eating away at the pearl nacre.

About every 6-12 months have your jewellery professional verify that the pearls on your jewelry are securely mounted or that the string is still good.

The beast way to care for pearls is to wear them often because the body's natural oils keep them lustrous. With special attention and care, your pearls will last a lifetime.

Pearl knots

Knots are tied between pearls to keep them from rubbing against each other and causing damage.

Knots keep your pearls from coming loose. If you ever break a strand of pearls, say it gets hooked on a button and the cord breaks, the pearls would one by one fall off the necklace and roll all over the floor. You'd end up loosing them, harming them from the fall, stepping on them, it would just be a huge mess. Everyone would crawl around on their hands and knees picking up pearls. Not good!

But when your pearl strand has knots in it, if you break the string, guess what? Only one single pearl falls and rolls across the room. All the rest of the pearls stay attached and still knotted on the cord. Those individual knots are awesome and a pearl saver.