I have a life-long love affair with pearls. I love them all; all
shapes, sizes, forms, and colors, and of course I prefer the natural
over the synthetic ones. Pearls being all-time classics have adorned
fashion icons year-after-year. Known as “The Queen of Gems,” the pearl
symbolises wisdom and faith; which we can all use from time-to-time,
dont you think? LOL! Well, I am talking for myself anyway, and I
surely can!
What is a pearl exactly? A grain of sand ingested by a wild oyster? No! No! No!
The mollusc must ingest something like a piece of shell, bone, coral,
or a parasite. When that happens, this becomes an irritant to the
oyster or mussel and they will coat it with a substance called nacre
which they also use to build their shell. Over a period of time, the
longer the better for the sake of the pearl quality, there will form
many layers of nacre added over the irritant.
“Nacre is composed of microscopic crystals of calcium carbonate
perfectly aligned with each other, so that light passing along the
axis of one crystal is reflected and refracted by the other crystals
to produce a rainbow of light and color.” ~ Jamie Hogsett
A cultured (or natural) pearl will always have blemishes and that’s a
way to differentiate it from an imitation. Most of the time, the hole
will be drilled where the blemishes are for aesthetic and quality
purposes. A flawless pearl is either an imitation, or a pearl wtih
super-great-value!
The value of a pearl is also determined by the lustre of its surface,
just as much as its inner-glow. In other words, a thick layer of nacre
will refract superb light and a deep glow which determines the value
and quality of the pearl.
I hope you enjoyed this bit of insight into the pearl. Now I’m going
back to work with my pearls on this beaded jewelry.
Have a great day! Keep the wisdom and faith!