Pearls-Overview Part I
Published On: 11-14-2011 06:56pm
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Wild or natural pearls are rare, and, historically, were the only source for these gems. They are believed to occur when a microscopic parasite or other intruder enters a bivalve mullosk. A pearl sac is formed; then, over time the mollusk lays down various secretions to cover the intruder....and the pearl that forms from this is, basically, all nacre and can retain its beauty for centuries.
One of the world's famous natural pearls is La Peregrina (The Pilgrim) a pear-shaped beauty weighing in at 203.84 grains. Interestingly, this was not an oriental pearl: it was found in Panama by a pearl diver, in the late sixteenth century. It first belonged to Mary Tudor (Bloody Mary), and in our time - 1969 - was bought by Richard Burton for Liz Taylor.
Cultured pearls arrived on the scene around the 1920's and today's products can be grouped into four main groups - Three come from saltwater pearl farms -Akoya pearls, South Seas pearls and the Tahitian pearls. The fourth and most recent addition is the freshwater pearl, whose production is dominated by the Chinese.
I usually work with freshwater pearls, but a few years ago I did buy a few saltwater strands which I found to be unusually lovely. The attached image is of a natural pearl in an oyster. Next week - A Closer Look at Saltwater Pearls
