Pearls

Nature 3 Minutes

Pearl Education

Pearls, natural or cultured, are formed when a mollusk produces layers of nacre (pronounced NAY-kur) around some type of irritant inside its shell. In natural pearls, the irritant may be another organism from the water. In cultured pearls, a mother-of-pearl bead or a piece of tissue is inserted (by man) into the mollusk to start the process.

For both, the quality of the nacre dictates the quality of the luster, or shine of the pearl, which is very important to its beauty and its value. The surface of the pearl should be smooth and free of marks while the overall shape could be round, oval, pear-shaped, or even misshapen. Misshapen pearls are called baroque pearls.

While shopping for pearls, there are various lengths available:

  • A collar fits directly against the throat
  • A choker rests at the base of the neck
  • The princess length reaches near the collarbone
  • A matinee length is usually 20-24 inches
  • The Opera length is 30-36 inches
  • The longest length, known as a rope, refers to all strands longer than 36 inches

Necklaces can also be classified as uniform (where all pearls are about the same size) or graduated (pearls change uniformly from ends to center).

Natural Pearls

Natural pearls are extremely rare. Historically, many were found in the Persian Gulf; unfortunately, today, most have already been harvested. You may be able to purchase small, natural pearls, but they will be costly.

Cultured Pearls

Cultured pearls are grown in pearl farms. The mollusks are raised until they are old enough to accept the mother-of-pearl bead nucleus. Through a delicate surgical procedure, the technician implants the bead and then the mollusks are returned to the water and cared for while the pearl forms.

Not all produce a pearl; and not all the pearls are high quality. Over 10,000 pearls may be sorted before a 16” single strand of beautifully matched pearls is assembled.

Pearls can be found in saltwater and in freshwater. There are also different types of mollusks that produce very different looking pearls.

Saltwater Pearls

Saltwater pearls include the akoya cultured pearls grown in Japanese and Chinese waters. They range in size from 2mm (tiny) to 10mm (rare) and are usually white or cream in color and round in shape.

Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines produce the South Sea pearl – the largest of all the pearls. They range in size from 9mm to 20mm and can be naturally white, cream, or golden in color.

Tahitian pearls are interestingly not exclusively from Tahiti – they’re grown in several of the islands of French Polynesia, including Tahiti. Their typical sizes range from 8mm to 16mm. These naturally colored pearls are collectively called black pearls, but their colors include gray, blue, green, and purple.

Freshwater Pearls

These pearls are grown in freshwater lakes, rivers, and ponds, predominately in China. Although many are white and resemble the akoya cultured pearls in shape and size, they can also be produced in various shapes and in an array of pastel colors.

Many freshwater pearls don’t have a bead nucleus — only a piece of tissue — resulting in a pearl with thicker nacre than the akoya.

Imitation Pearls

Imitation pearls are usually a coated glass bead. Most have a high luster, but not the depth of luster seen on high quality cultured pearls.

It’s possible to separate an imitation from a cultured or natural pearl. It can be a challenge, though, to determine if the pearl is cultured or natural. And, many pearls undergo treatments to either enhance their luster or alter their color.

Since this treatment affects their value, you will want to obtain the educated advice of a top jeweler, such as the certified gemologists of the American Gem Society.

Natural pearls are extremely rare. Historically, many were found in the Persian Gulf; unfortunately, today, most have already been harvested. You may be able to purchase small, natural pearls, but they will be costly.

Source: American Gem Society

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Published by pat frederick

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197 thoughts on “Pearls”

  1. teaforall
    teaforall
    June 12, 2023 3:05 pm

    American taxpayers have spent $113 billion to protect Ukraine’s border.
    President Trump requested just $5 billion for a border wall and the globalists tried to stop him at every turn.
    The Uniparty HATES America.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Patience
    June 12, 2023 3:56 pm

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    Donald J. Trump
    @realDonaldTrump
    Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, who I didn’t know very well, called me before his last election to say he was in BIG trouble and very much needed my Endorsement. I LOVE Oklahoma & won 77 out of 77 Counties, something that never happened before. Ronald Reagan was next with 56. Anyway, I gave him my endorsement, he immediately went way up, and won. Now, despite the fact that DeSanctimonious is losing to Biden, & me, Stitt just endorsed him. Wow! He disliked “the Indians” & my great Senate pick!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Appointment was at 2 pm, I was out the door and done by 2:06 – it goes to the VA to read the scans. There was no-one there who could read it so I wait again. Wandered around Family Dollar looking for deals (I’ve been wanting to hang some solar lanterns on the trellis over the garden beds but only if they are on sale for around $2-$3), grabbed more coffee, brown sugar/cinnamon pop tarts (tried some – they’re ok so at least I can eat them) then back home, all in less than an hour. It’s warmed up to 80, with a slight breeze. Really nice day! The mowing can wait a bit yet.

    After seeing how well the other clematis is doing in the middle of the Lily of the Valley, I’ve decided to go ahead and put the red one down near the garage with the shelving unit. I might get into that later today, too…if I’m in the mood…I still get a little thrill every day when I realize how free I am to choose what I want to do and when I want to do it.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. we’ve had steady rain since about lunchtime.
      every time hubby has a test done, there’s no one available to “read” it…
      they manage to find someone after he leaves though…because we see the date when we get the bill for when the service was provided

      Liked by 1 person

  5. I think most of us expected this and I’m positive Tucker did…

    ENTIRE ARTICLE @ NBC: “Fox News has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Tucker Carlson, alleging that the conservative network’s former star anchor breached his contract by launching a new show on Twitter, according to a source familiar with the matter.

    Carlson, a firebrand right-wing media personality known for spreading conspiracy theories, parted ways with Fox News in late April, days after the network agreed to pay almost $800 million to Dominion Voting Systems to avert a high-stakes defamation trial.

    “Fox News continues to ignore the interests of its viewers, not to mention its shareholder obligations,” Harmeet Dhillon, one of Carlson’s lawyers, said in a statement. “Doubling down on the most catastrophic programming decision in the history of the cable news industry, Fox is now demanding that Tucker Carlson be silent until after the 2024 election. “Tucker will not be silenced by anyone,” she added.

    The news of the cease-and-desist letter was first reported by Axios. NBC News has not seen the letter, but the source familiar with the matter confirmed that all the details in the Axios report were accurate. Top spokespeople at Fox News did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.”

    The first installment of Carlson’s new show, “Tucker on Twitter,” debuted June 6. In a roughly 10-minute video monologue titled “Ep. 1,” he claimed without evidence that Ukraine perpetrated an attack on a large dam in Russian-occupied territory and characterized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in terms that the Anti-Defamation League called antisemitic.

    Carlson will address the federal indictment of former President Donald Trump in the next episode of the show, set to premiere Tuesday, according to his producer. Trump is slated to be arraigned in federal court in Miami on Tuesday afternoon.

    In a separate letter to Carlson’s lawyers last week that did not expressly demand he stop posting videos on Twitter, Fox News general counsel Bernard Gugar said the former prime-time host was “in breach” of his contract with the network. The contract, signed in November 2019 and amended in February 2021, limits his ability to appear on other media outlets.

    In a statement, Bryan Freedman — another attorney for Carlson — insisted that any legal action by Fox News would infringe on the television personality’s First Amendment rights.”

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Crap! Something else good that Trump did is being reversed…..

    “US decides to rejoin UNESCO and pay back dues, to counter Chinese influence”
    By ANGELA CHARLTON and MATTHEW LEE

    EXCERPT: “PARIS (AP) — UNESCO announced Monday that the United States plans to rejoin the U.N. cultural and scientific agency — and pay more than $600 million in back dues — after a decade-long dispute sparked by the organization’s move to include Palestine as a member. U.S. officials say the decision to return was motivated by concern that China is filling the gap left by the U.S. in UNESCO policymaking, notably in setting standards for artificial intelligence and technology education around the world.

    The move will face a vote by UNESCO’s member states in the coming weeks. But approval seems a formality after the resounding applause that greeted the announcement in UNESCO’s Paris headquarters Monday. Not a single country raised an objection to the return of a country that was once the agency’s single biggest funder.

    The U.S. and Israel stopped financing UNESCO after it voted to include Palestine as a member state in 2011. The Trump administration decided in 2017 to withdraw from the agency altogether the following year, citing long-running anti-Israel bias and management problems. UNESCO’s director general, Audrey Azoulay, has worked to address those concerns since her election in 2017, and that appears to have paid off. “It’s a historic moment for UNESCO,” she said Monday. “It’s also an important day for multilateralism.

    U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard Verma submitted a letter last week to Azoulay formalizing the plan to rejoin. He noted progress in depoliticizing debate about the Middle East and reforming the agency’s management, according to the hand-delivered letter, obtained by AP.″

    https://apnews.com/article/unesco-us-rejoin-palestine-china-5b7849bd2cae966e4e9837380c0c094f

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Like

  13. Like

  14. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

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  20. I love pearls. I’ve gotten some where you open up your own and see what you get. Its fun.

    Mom once won a Mikimoto Pearl in japan

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