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Buying Pearl Jewelrt - A Faq

Pearls have always been very popular as jewellery. These white orbs are perfect for necklaces or even to stand alone in a medallion. A pearl is formed when a tiny piece of sand is trapped inside a shellfish, such as the oyster or species of mussel. The sand irritates the shellfish and it encases the sand piece with layers over layers.

A pearl that is created like this is called a wild pearl and is very rare and therefore expensive. These pearls are found and discovered by divers who risk their lives trying to dig them out of the sea.

More common is the cultivated pearl, which is most often grown in freshwater. Records show that freshwater specimens were cultivated as early as 700 years ago by the Chinese. Today, cultivated freshwater pearls are very popular as they are the closest to the quality of wild pearls.

Pearls come in almost all colors of the rainbow: white, black, brown, cream, pink, silver and gold. The pearl's color is determined by the water and environment, as well as the kind of shellfish in which the pearl was formed.

When judging the value of a pearl, there are several factors to take into account.

Lustre is the combination of the inside glow and outer brilliancel. The highest quality pearls will seem more solid and dense, while the lower quality pearl may seem dull and chalky.

The smoothness of the surface is the second consideration. Is the pearl smooth all around or are there blemishes and cracks? Pearls are almost never flawless as they are grown organically. The pearls suitable for jewellery may have blemishes that are visible from up close, but not visible at an arm's length.

The shape of the pearl is also very important. Few pearls are born perfectly round. It is much more common for pearls to be shaped a bit differently. The rounder the pearl, the higher quality it is considered.

The color of the pearl is not really a determining factor for a pearl. That is mostly a preference of whomever is the buyer.

By: Huey Davis

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