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Pearls are among the most precious stones all over the world. The stone which has been called «the Moon’s Tear» in the past, is among the precious stones that had been used for its medical benefits in the past. Read this EG article to know about different types of pearls, how different they are with each other and some methods for identifying genuine pearls.
Different Types of Pearls
A pearl is a precious white stone with a spherical shape and a small size. The stone, howerever, is seen in different shapes and colors on the market. In a general classification, pearls are divided into two groups of genuine and fake and genuine ones are classified as natural and cultivated pearls.
Natural Pearl; A Gift from the Bottom of the Sea
Natural pearls are rarely found and are formed after an invading particle enters the shell by accident. After the particle enters the shell, a liquid called «nacre» surrounds it. Several layers are formed around that particle and it turns into a hard object that will be called a pearl in near future.
Natural pearls are found rarely and a large number of pearls found on the jewelry market are raised in pearl farms. The very stone is used together with many other precious stones by top jewelry brands in making pieces of jewelry. For more information on this subject, we suggest you read our article on «precious Stones».
It shouldn’t be taken for granted that in addition to natural pearls that are made by themselves, there is another group of pearls that though made with human interference, are classified as natural pearls.
Cultivated Pearls
After suggesting a few methods for identifying genuine pearls, its time to get to know more about different types of it. Cultivated pearls are a group of pearls that in contrast with naturally-produced ones, don’t come into being by themselves, and the invading particle enters the shell by human interference. Cultivated pearls comes in different types which are as follows:
Freshwater Pearls
Akoya Pearls
Tahitian Black Pearls
South Sea Pearls
Each of these four types, are formed in a different part of the world, and differs other types in terms of color and size. You can find more information on different types of cultivated pearls in the following.
Fresh Water Pearls
This group of pearls are made in fresh waters by human and fresh water pearls are the least expensive, and most frequently used pearls compared to others. These pearls come in different colors and shapes. Although spherical or oval-shaped pearls are seen more often, pearls in other shapes make a more attractive site in jewelry. Thus it can be said that cultivated pearls are of a wide variety.
Fresh water pearls come in most pastel colors such as pink and white and some of them are even multicolor. However, in many cases it is possible to color these pearls.
Akoya Pearls
The second group of cultivated pearls are Akoya pearls that are of higher quality and better appearance in comparison to fresh water pearls. These pearls are usually found in nude colors, and the dominant colors among them are white and cream. You may notice a very slight pink color in these pearls that makes them look very different.
Another feature that distinguishes them from other types of pearls, is their small size that is estimated as something between 5 to 9 millimeters. Another feature that makes these pearls different from other ones, is the period of time that it takes until one of them is formed. It will take the invading particle about two years from the time that it enters the shell, until it becomes a complete pearl.
Tahitian Black Pearls
Although Tahitian pearls are usually attributed as «Black pearls», they come in a range of dark colors. Natural colors are the colors that exist in the nature, such as different ranges of green, blue, brown and gray. Among the very popular colors, peacock green is the top one, that creates unique pieces of jewelery.
Comparing Tahiti pearls with Akoya pearls, we can see that Tahiti pearls are larger and of course more expensive than the former. The most important reason for the high price of this type of pearl, lies in the hard procedure of producing this unique color. With regard to the fact that these pearls grow in salt water, they usually have a diameter of 8 to 14 millimeters and though they usually look spherical in shape, they can be cultured in other shapes too.
South Sea Pearls
South Sea pearls are among the most famous pearls that owe their popularity to their attractive look. They can be divided to two groups of white and gold and look larger than Fresh Water or Tahitian pearls. Gold pearls of the South Sea are the most expensive pearls all over the world and the stronger the color the more precious the pearl will be.
it will take the pearl between 2 to 4 years to form, but even after such a long formation period, the pearl may have a shape other than a sphere. The pearl may look spherical in some rare cases, and in these cases it will worth more than $300.000.
Some Methods for Identifying Genuine Pearls
Distinguishing genuine pearls from fake ones can be done through a few simple methods. Being asymmetric makes these pearls different from other types of cultivated pearls. In other words, natural pearls which are produced as a result of an accidental entrance of the particle, look asymmetric and my not be round at all. in fake pearls, on the other hand, we normally see a spherical shape and a symmetrical shape. Like any other product, two pearls never look the same, and one can feel an uneven surface upon touching it.
On the other hand, taking the brightness of a pearl into account is enough for identifying it as genuine. The brightness that is seen in natural pearls is a lot more remarkable than what is seen in fake pearls. To test it, you can hold the pearl facing a light source to see how the light is reflected.
Another method of identifying genuine pearls is paying attention to the difference between natural and cultivated pearls, when If you rub a pearl against the front of your teeth, or even two pearls to each other, you will notice that it feels gritty. This is the most significant sign that helps distinguish natural pearl from simulations.
Another useful method is the |«fire test». In this method, the pearl will be exposed to direct fire, but the fire won’t affect the pearl’s brightness. This is while simulations which are made of plastic or glass, will be hurt during the same period, and will make an unpleasant smell.
The last method that can be applied for distinguishing genuine pearls from simulations is checking the weight of a pearl. Many people believe that natural pearls weigh more than cultivated ones.
History of Pearls
More than 5000 years ago, pearls were first found in south of Iran. This precious stone was first seen in the Persian Gulf, and later, about 300 years before Christ was caught in the Red Sea. Today, however, the largest share of pearls all over the world are from salty waters of china and Japan. With regard to the rise in the production of simulated pearls, distinguishing genuine pearls looks like a hard task.
Good news for those born in July
Birthstones are special and usually precious stones for those born in different months of the year, and are believed to bring luck and positive energies for their owners. If you are born in July, you should know that there are three brilliant stones in this month which are «Pearl»,«Alexandrite» and «the Moon Stone». We suggest reading our article on «Birthstones».
Medical Uses of Pearls
Pearls have been of great importance to people since many years ago, and beside their decorative use, they were believed to bring longevity and prosperity. Asians could easily distinguish natural pearls from simulated ones, and used it as a painkiller and a tranquilizer, that even improved the eye sight.
How to Take Care of Different Types of Pearls
According to what has been said, genuine pearls are made by a living creature which adds to its importance and special measures should be taken for taking care of them. You should remember that like many other precious stones, pearls are sensitive when exposed to chemicals and detergents.
We suggest you neever keep them in plastic bags, becasue the substances in plastic bags hurt the surface of pearls. Furthermore, since pearls are softer than many other precious stones, you’d better not keep them near other stones.
You need to use spacial cleaners for cleaning pearls, unless they won’t look bright anymore. In order to clean or even recognize simulated pearls from genuine ones, we never suggest Ultrasonic methods or steam. The best way to clean pearls, is by a soft, damp napkin.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed genuine pearls and different types of pearls. With regard to the fact that natural pearls are rarely found, a large number of the pearls found on the market are result of human interference. Cultivated pearls are of three types: Fresh Water pearls, Akoya pearls, Tahitian pearls, and South Sea pearls. Next, we focused on some methods for identifying genuine pearls, and how to take care of them. If you plan to buy fine jewelry with beautiful gemstones, we suggest you visit EG jewelry store.
