South Sea Pearl Jewelry
The mystery of south sea pearl jewelry has made these luminescent gems favorites among jewelry lovers everywhere. Whether a consumer is in the market for treasures made from the traditional white gems, or perhaps a piece of exotic tahitian black pearl jewelry, these baubles make an alluring statement. Farmers of this valuable plunder plant beads rather than seeds. The oyster mistakes this implanted nucleus bead for a foreign object and begins to resist its presence, slowly coating it with a magnificent luster as the bead causes irritation. From there, the farmer can only hope and let the oyster do its magic. Outside forces such as weather can impact the creation of these pearls. The hope is that, in time, beautiful and perfectly round pearls will form. The value of the gem increases with size and with the absence of flaws. Perfect, round and defect free pearls are very rare and therefore very costly. A full necklace created from such gems is a precious asset indeed.
Pearls are generally thought of as creamy white gems, but in actuality, pearls are available in a wide range of colors. In addition to white, there are pearls in shades of cream, gold, silver, blue, green and even black. Indonesia and the Philippines tend to yield pearls in off white, cream and golden hues. In addition to white and cream, the country of Myanmar offers peals in shades of silver-white, as does Thailand. Japan yields gems in shades of white and golden. The shores of French Polynesia lay claim to the gems used for beautiful tahitian black pearl jewelry. Regardless of the country of origin, lovely south sea pearl jewelry is a feast for the eye and as well as a major investment. These pearls can be worn in pieces that incorporate only one color of bead, or the colors can be combined for striking ornamentation. Prices for this kind of jewelry can range from several hundred to several thousand dollars.
When purchasing south sea pearl jewelry, the consumer should keep in mind that, while a piece with perfectly round gems is highly desirable, there are a number of shapes that can occur and can be used to create unusual and attractive pieces. Pearls could fall into shape categories such as round, semi-round, button, drop, pear, oval, baroque or ringed. The difference between round and semi-round pearls can boil down to as little as a two percent variation in circumference. Button shaped pearls look a little flatter than round ones and are often used for earrings. Necklaces made from button pearls will not demand as high a price as round and semi-round, but can offer the consumer an opportunity to obtain a less expensive piece of pearl jewelry. Non drilled keepsake pearls are also available. One large, perfectly round gem of 12 millimeters in size or greater can cost several thousand dollars. Baroque, ring or nonstandard shapes of freshwater keepsake pearls could sell for just a few hundred dollars.
The qualities by which south sea pearl jewelry are judged pertain mostly to specific criteria used to determine the value of the gems themselves. These criteria are lustre, surface, shape, color, and size. Lustre has to do with the overall brilliance of the pearl and how well it reflects light. Surface has to do any imperfections on the exterior of the gem. Round pearls, as previously discussed, are the most valuable shape. All colors are considered of equal value making this the only criteria that is a matter of personal taste, and does not affect the value. Whether traditional white or tahitian black pearl jewelry, the color of the gem does not determine price. As to size, the larger the gem is, the higher the value. Pearls can range in size from one millimeter to twenty millimeters. The average size of a cultured pearl is around seven millimeters. Whatever the size, these gems have long been considered objects of beauty. The Bible mentions them in a description of the beauty of heaven. "And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass." (Revelation 21:21)
Consumers who purchase quality tahitian black pearl jewelry can know that their investment will most likely increase in value as the years pass. These pearls tend to be larger than other types of pearls, ranging anywhere from eight to eighteen millimeters in size, with the average size being around thirteen millimeters. While these gems are generally called black pearls, their range of colors actually includes peacock, green, black green, dark green, eggplant, blue and grey. When it comes time to harvest these pearls, there are usually far fewer oysters to cultivate; therefore the yields tend to be smaller than at traditional cultured pearl farms. A healthy oyster is afforded no time to rest. Once a pearl is harvested, another nucleus bead is planted in the oyster and the process starts all over again. Since this business presents many unpredictable variables, oyster farming is not an exact science. Conditions such as weather, and the health of and life span of each individual oyster, can greatly impact the eventual harvest. It is largely a game of percentages. Of the millions of oysters that are planted with nucleus beads, only fifty percent will survive and create a pearl. Of that number, most do not create pearls that are of any market value. Only twenty percent of these pearls pass the standards required for use in fine jewelry.
Pearls are generally thought of as creamy white gems, but in actuality, pearls are available in a wide range of colors. In addition to white, there are pearls in shades of cream, gold, silver, blue, green and even black. Indonesia and the Philippines tend to yield pearls in off white, cream and golden hues. In addition to white and cream, the country of Myanmar offers peals in shades of silver-white, as does Thailand. Japan yields gems in shades of white and golden. The shores of French Polynesia lay claim to the gems used for beautiful tahitian black pearl jewelry. Regardless of the country of origin, lovely south sea pearl jewelry is a feast for the eye and as well as a major investment. These pearls can be worn in pieces that incorporate only one color of bead, or the colors can be combined for striking ornamentation. Prices for this kind of jewelry can range from several hundred to several thousand dollars.
When purchasing south sea pearl jewelry, the consumer should keep in mind that, while a piece with perfectly round gems is highly desirable, there are a number of shapes that can occur and can be used to create unusual and attractive pieces. Pearls could fall into shape categories such as round, semi-round, button, drop, pear, oval, baroque or ringed. The difference between round and semi-round pearls can boil down to as little as a two percent variation in circumference. Button shaped pearls look a little flatter than round ones and are often used for earrings. Necklaces made from button pearls will not demand as high a price as round and semi-round, but can offer the consumer an opportunity to obtain a less expensive piece of pearl jewelry. Non drilled keepsake pearls are also available. One large, perfectly round gem of 12 millimeters in size or greater can cost several thousand dollars. Baroque, ring or nonstandard shapes of freshwater keepsake pearls could sell for just a few hundred dollars.
The qualities by which south sea pearl jewelry are judged pertain mostly to specific criteria used to determine the value of the gems themselves. These criteria are lustre, surface, shape, color, and size. Lustre has to do with the overall brilliance of the pearl and how well it reflects light. Surface has to do any imperfections on the exterior of the gem. Round pearls, as previously discussed, are the most valuable shape. All colors are considered of equal value making this the only criteria that is a matter of personal taste, and does not affect the value. Whether traditional white or tahitian black pearl jewelry, the color of the gem does not determine price. As to size, the larger the gem is, the higher the value. Pearls can range in size from one millimeter to twenty millimeters. The average size of a cultured pearl is around seven millimeters. Whatever the size, these gems have long been considered objects of beauty. The Bible mentions them in a description of the beauty of heaven. "And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass." (Revelation 21:21)
Consumers who purchase quality tahitian black pearl jewelry can know that their investment will most likely increase in value as the years pass. These pearls tend to be larger than other types of pearls, ranging anywhere from eight to eighteen millimeters in size, with the average size being around thirteen millimeters. While these gems are generally called black pearls, their range of colors actually includes peacock, green, black green, dark green, eggplant, blue and grey. When it comes time to harvest these pearls, there are usually far fewer oysters to cultivate; therefore the yields tend to be smaller than at traditional cultured pearl farms. A healthy oyster is afforded no time to rest. Once a pearl is harvested, another nucleus bead is planted in the oyster and the process starts all over again. Since this business presents many unpredictable variables, oyster farming is not an exact science. Conditions such as weather, and the health of and life span of each individual oyster, can greatly impact the eventual harvest. It is largely a game of percentages. Of the millions of oysters that are planted with nucleus beads, only fifty percent will survive and create a pearl. Of that number, most do not create pearls that are of any market value. Only twenty percent of these pearls pass the standards required for use in fine jewelry.
South Sea Pearl Jewelry
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