THE HISTORY OF PEARLS

Many thousands of years ago human beings probably discovered the first pearl quite by accident while searching the seashore for food. Throughout history, the pearl has been sought after by royalty and poor people alike.

In ancient Rome pearls were considered the ultimate symbol of wealth. The oldest surviving pearl necklace is nearly 2000 years old and was found in the sarcophagus of a Persian Princess. Because pearls were so highly regarded, a number of European countries actually passed laws forbidding anyone but the nobility to wear them.

Until the early 1900's, natural pearls were accessible only to the rich and famous, but today, with the advent of pearl cultivation, pearls are available and affordable to all.

Unlike gemstones or precious metals that must be mined from the earth,pearls are grown by live oysters.

A natural pearl begins its life as a foreign object, such as a parasite or piece of sand or shell that accidentally lodges itself in an oyster's soft inner body where it cannot be expelled. To ease this irritant, the oyster begins to secrete a smooth, hard crystalline substance around the irritant in order to protect itself. This substance is called "nacre." As long as the irritant remains within its body, the oyster will continue to secrete nacre around it, layer upon layer. Over time, the irritant will be completely encased by the nacre and the result, ultimately, is the lovely and lustrous gem called a pearl.

Cultured pearls share the same properties as natural pearls. The only difference is a person implants the irritant in the oyster, rather than leaving it to chance.

Lustre is considered the most important quality factor in pearls. High-lustre pearls are bright, and have a deep-seated glow. They reflect objects near them clearly. Though high-lustre pearls usually have a thick nacre coating, thick nacre doesn't always guarantee a pearl will have high luster.

Surface is the second most important quality factor in pearl evaluation. Surface quality refers to the amount and kinds of flaws that appear on the outside of a pearl. It's important to note the difference between "damaging" and "non-damaging" blemishes. Damaging blemishes are those that tend to become larger over time. "Cracks" and "chips," often near a pearl's drill holes, are damaging blemishes. Non-damaging blemishes do not worsen over time. Spots, bumps, pits, circles, and wrinkles are considered non-damaging blemishes.

Generally, the cleaner the surface of a pearl, the more valuable it is. But it's very important to remember that, as products of nature pearls are almost never flawless -- and imperfections, because they're natural, don't necessarily detract from the beauty or value of a pearl.

Generally, the rounder the pearl, the more valuable it is. Perfectly round pearls are very rare.

The size of a pearl is measured in millimeters, through its diameter. Though a pearl's size is not an indicator of its quality, it will determine its price. With all other quality factors being equal, the larger the pearl, the more valuable it is. The reason is simple: it's just more difficult to grow a large high-quality pearl.