Your Trusted Pearl Specialist in Brisbane

History


Pearls are one of the oldest known gem materials as evidence found in early burial grounds used by primitive man has shown. Chinese records of 2000 B.C. mention their use as tribute gifts.


Cultured pearling is attributed to Mikimoto, whom in 1913 marketed the first round cultured pearls to the world market. (Even though 2 other Japanese gentlemen had patented culturing techniques before Mikimoto).

Properties


Pearls are made up of 92% Calcium Carbonate (similar to ordinary blackboard chalk) but formed in a different structure therefore much harder.


Pearls are part of the organic group of gems, as are gem materials such as amber, coral, ivory, jet, shell, etc.


Most natural pearls are rare and are found in the Persian Gulf, in the Mannar gulf (between India and Sri-Lanka) and the North West Coast of Australia.

Culturing Pearls


First of all, a farm of oysters has to be gathered, and suspended from rafts in sheltered bays. Once acclimatized they are then ‘seeded' with a bead made from the shell of the Pigtoe Mussel from the Mississippi River in the USA.


The oyster, with the aid of some mantle tissue from a donor oyster forms a ‘sac’ around the bead and starts to secret ‘nacre’ in layer upon layer. The pearl farmers need to clean the shells on a regular basis to stop pests such as borer worm and other algae building up on the shell and killing the shellfish inside. Some farms have X-ray equipment to monitor the growth of the pearls inside the oysters.


After about 2–2 ½ years, the oysters are removed from the water for harvesting. If the oysters are in good health they are reseeded for another cultured pearl (generally to grow a larger pearl than the first). If the oyster is in not so good condition they are implanted with a Mabe pearl seed, which is glued to the inside of the shell.


After the pearls are harvested they are then cleaned, graded and sometimes strung ready for sale.

Different Types of Pearls — Brisbane, Qld — Girls Love Pearls


Pearls are graded using 5 different categories.



The first of these is the SIZE. The Japanese pearls are grown from around 2mm up to 10mm. The South Sea pearls grow from 7mm up to 20 and sometimes 23mm in size. Mabe pearls range in size from 8mm up to 25mm, and the Fresh water pearls grow from 3mm up to now 12-16mm in rounds and 20mm in the baroque shapes.


The second category is LUSTRE. Depending on how healthy the oysters is and the quality of the surrounding environment i.e. food in the water etc., depends on how well the nacre is secreted and layered on the pearl. If the conditions are right the pearl surface is very even and reflects the light and diffracts some of the light as it penetrates the surface of the pearl and is diffracted at different angles. So you see different colours of the rainbow know as the ‘Orient of the pearl’. The surface, if smooth reflects an almost mirror finish. So a pearl can be graded as having a high lustre down to a chalky lustre.


The third category is the SURFACE BLEMISHES. Being produced by nature, the surface of a pearl is not always even and smooth and may have some pits and bumps on the surface. A pearl can then be graded as having a clean surface to a heavily pitted surface.


Some pearls are graded using an ‘A’ to ‘D’ grading (A pearls are flawless, B have up to 5 blemishes and 75% of their surface clean, C pearls still have 5 blemishes with 50% of their surface marked, whilst D pearls have more than 50% of their surface marked).


The forth category is the SHAPE. Only about 5% of a pearl harvest come out round or semi round, 70 % of a crop is usually baroque or semi baroque. The gradings are Round, Semi round, Semi baroque, Baroque, Drop and Circles (circles referring to those South Sea Pearls that exhibit rings around their circumference).


The fifth category is COLOUR. In most pearls there is a body colour with an overtone colour. The body colours go in the following order; silver- white, pink-rose, pink, cream and then yellow.


Overtone colours can be green, grey, cream, and yellow.


With the black Tahitian pearls, they can be a black, black-rose, black-green, and green-gold down into the blue and blue-grey tones.


A sixth category can come into play when you are looking at strands of pearls and that is the MATCHING quality, all the pearls within a strand must be of similar size, lustre, blemish, shape and colour. Another important criteria when looking at a pearl is the thickness of the nacre. By looking down the string hole you can determine the thickness of the nacre. Sometimes the pearl farmers don’t leave the pearls in the oysters for as long as they should, and as a result the nacre coating isn’t thick enough to withstand a lifetime of wear and tear, and as a result, can tend to chip and flake off. Sometimes you can see the mother of pearl bead through the nacre coating.

Guide to Cultured Pearl Quality — Brisbane, Qld — Girls Love Pearls

History


Pearls are one of the oldest known gem materials as evidence found in early burial grounds used by primitive man has shown. Chinese records of 2000 B.C. mention their use as tribute gifts.


Cultured pearling is attributed to Mikimoto, whom in 1913 marketed the first round cultured pearls to the world market. (Even though 2 other Japanese gentlemen had patented culturing techniques before Mikimoto).

Properties


Pearls are made up of 92% Calcium Carbonate (similar to ordinary blackboard chalk) but formed in a different structure therefore much harder.


Pearls are part of the organic group of gems, as are gem materials such as amber, coral, ivory, jet, shell, etc.


Most natural pearls are rare and are found in the Persian Gulf, in the Mannar gulf (between India and Sri-Lanka) and the North West Coast of Australia.

Culturing Pearls


First of all, a farm of oysters has to be gathered, and suspended from rafts in sheltered bays. Once acclimatized they are then ‘seeded' with a bead made from the shell of the Pigtoe Mussel from the Mississippi River in the USA.


The oyster, with the aid of some mantle tissue from a donor oyster forms a ‘sac’ around the bead and starts to secret ‘nacre’ in layer upon layer. The pearl farmers need to clean the shells on a regular basis to stop pests such as borer worm and other algae building up on the shell and killing the shellfish inside. Some farms have X-ray equipment to monitor the growth of the pearls inside the oysters.


After about 2–2 ½ years, the oysters are removed from the water for harvesting. If the oysters are in good health they are reseeded for another cultured pearl (generally to grow a larger pearl than the first). If the oyster is in not so good condition they are implanted with a Mabe pearl seed, which is glued to the inside of the shell.


After the pearls are harvested they are then cleaned, graded and sometimes strung ready for sale.

Different Types of Pearls — Brisbane, Qld — Girls Love Pearls

Pearls are graded using 5 different categories.


The first of these is the SIZE. The Japanese pearls are grown from around 2mm up to 10mm. The South Sea pearls grow from 7mm up to 20 and sometimes 23mm in size. Mabe pearls range in size from 8mm up to 25mm, and the Fresh water pearls grow from 3mm up to now 12-16mm in rounds and 20mm in the baroque shapes.


The second category is LUSTRE. Depending on how healthy the oysters is and the quality of the surrounding environment i.e. food in the water etc., depends on how well the nacre is secreted and layered on the pearl. If the conditions are right the pearl surface is very even and reflects the light and diffracts some of the light as it penetrates the surface of the pearl and is diffracted at different angles. So you see different colours of the rainbow know as the ‘Orient of the pearl’. The surface, if smooth reflects an almost mirror finish. So a pearl can be graded as having a high lustre down to a chalky lustre.


The third category is the SURFACE BLEMISHES. Being produced by nature, the surface of a pearl is not always even and smooth and may have some pits and bumps on the surface. A pearl can then be graded as having a clean surface to a heavily pitted surface.


Some pearls are graded using an ‘A’ to ‘D’ grading (A pearls are flawless, B have up to 5 blemishes and 75% of their surface clean, C pearls still have 5 blemishes with 50% of their surface marked, whilst D pearls have more than 50% of their surface marked).


The forth category is the SHAPE. Only about 5% of a pearl harvest come out round or semi round, 70 % of a crop is usually baroque or semi baroque. The gradings are Round, Semi round, Semi baroque, Baroque, Drop and Circles (circles referring to those South Sea Pearls that exhibit rings around their circumference).


The fifth category is COLOUR. In most pearls there is a body colour with an overtone colour. The body colours go in the following order; silver- white, pink-rose, pink, cream and then yellow.


Overtone colours can be green, grey, cream, and yellow.


With the black Tahitian pearls, they can be a black, black-rose, black-green, and green-gold down into the blue and blue-grey tones.


A sixth category can come into play when you are looking at strands of pearls and that is the MATCHING quality, all the pearls within a strand must be of similar size, lustre, blemish, shape and colour. Another important criteria when looking at a pearl is the thickness of the nacre. By looking down the string hole you can determine the thickness of the nacre. Sometimes the pearl farmers don’t leave the pearls in the oysters for as long as they should, and as a result the nacre coating isn’t thick enough to withstand a lifetime of wear and tear, and as a result, can tend to chip and flake off. Sometimes you can see the mother of pearl bead through the nacre coating.

Guide to Cultured Pearl Quality — Brisbane, Qld — Girls Love Pearls

Cultured Pearl Varieties


1. South Sea pearls (Pinctada Maxima) - 'white and gold lipped oysters' grown in the warmer waters around the North West Coast of Australia and other Asian countries such as Indonesia and Philippines. They are generally larger than their Japanese counterparts, and grow up to 20mm in size, from 8 or 9mm at minimum. Australian pearls tend to have colouring of white, silver, cream and some soft pink hues. They can produce some gold tones. Whereas pearls from Indonesia and Philippines can be white and cream, and can produce more of the champagne to dark gold tones.


2. Black South Sea pearls – (Pintada Margaritifera) - also referred to as Tahitian pearls, similar to South Sea pearls, as they are grown in the slightly smaller sized ‘black lipped oyster’. Found in the waters of Tahiti, Cook Islands and Fiji.


3. Akoya pearls – (Pinctada fucata martensii) - are another name given to Japanese salt water cultured pearls. These pearls range in size from 2mm up to approx. 10mm. Predominantly farmed in Japanese waters.


4. Fresh Water pearls – (Margaritifera margaritifera) - are grown in Fresh water mussels. Predominantly in China and Asia (Hyriopsis species), or the (Amblema species), in North America. They are smaller in shell size than South Sea, and can produce multiple cultured pearls at the one time, whereas their salt-water cousins can only produce one pearl at the one time. Fresh water pearls take a little longer to grow in the round variety – Approx. 1-2 yrs for <3mm up to 8-10yrs for >9mm.

Pearl Types


1. Cyst pearls - refers to the whole pearls that are grown from within the shell fish inside an oyster or mussel. They can be natural or cultured, in a 3D form.


2. Blister pearls - refers to a low domed pearl that grown on the inside of the shell. They can also be natural (freeform shape), or a regular shape in the case of a cultured blister pearl. Also known as 'Mabe' pearls. (see #5 below)


3. Natural pearls - are pearls formed in an oyster of mussel, naturally (without intervention of man). Usually formed from irritations caused by animals living inside the shell ie. small crabs, etc.


4. Cultured pearls - are pearls formed with the intervention of man, ie. implanting a bead or nucleus (usually formed out of Fresh water Mother-of-pearl), into the host shell.


5. Mabe pearls – are the blister or half pearls grown on the inside of an oyster shell. (Both Japanese and South Sea oysters can produce mabe). They are formed by adhering a mother-of-pearl, domed shape (round, heart, oval, etc.), onto the inside of the host shell. When the nacre has formed over this implant, it is then cut out from the shell, the mother of pearl insert is removed, and replaced with a resin. A backing of a flat mother of pearl plate is then glued onto the back of the mabe to seal it and add strength. Various shapes and sizes are available.


6. Keshi pearls – (Japanese term, meaning 'poppy seed') - are accidentally formed pearls. They occur when a piece of the mantle tissue inside an implanted cultured oyster, breaks away from the main pearl sac to form a solid pearl of irregular shape at the same time as the cultured pearl. They are technically a natural pearl as they don't have an implanted nucleus inside of them, but as they were formed due the intervention of man, the term 'Keshi' is applied.


7. Imitation pearls – pearl beads manufactured by man to imitate the pearl. Can be made of coated glass or plastic beads.

How to Care For pearls and Pearl Jewellery


How to store -

Pearls can be wrapped in either tissue (acid free) or soft facial tissues (not impregnated with skin conditioners like Aloe Vera for example) Be careful not to throw tissue out!

Or you can use any type of soft cloth material eg. silk or cotton. This allows the pearls to 'breathe' by being in contact with normal atmospheric conditions.

Keep jewellery items separate when storing or wrapping, especially pearls, amber, opals and other softer gem materials. This is so they can be separated away from hard sharp objects like other gemstones, metal pieces, etc.

Sometimes the glues used in jewellery boxes can cause oxidization of certain jewellery pieces. Certain chemicals on the surface of jewellery items can react over time and cause discolouration of metals and softer gem materials, so always keep your jewellery clean.


Where to store -

Jewellery Boxes are ideal and good for display, but in these current times you need to be mindful that in a jewellery box or display case, the are open and accessible in the case of burglary. A safe is very secure, please be aware of dampness and mildew especially if floor mounted. NOTE: Bank vaults are dehumidified and cool – not good for pearls or opals! if you have a home safe you can add some sashays of moisture absorbent material to keep moisture to a minimum.

If using plastic containers, be aware, delicate jewellery organic items like pearls may not like being kept in a non breathable container. If you use plastic containers for safe storage, it is recommended to drill some breathing holes in them. 

If you don't have a safe and want to hide your jewellery there are plenty of good hiding spots around the house. A word of warning – draw a 'treasure map', or make a note somewhere secure of where you hide your jewellery so you don’t forget! NOTE: hiding jewellery in clothing items is not recommended as clothes can be easily searched, and if transported away from the home may lead to jewellery items being lost.


When to store -

Hiding or storing your jewellery in a safe is ideal, only have out what you need at certain times. Sometimes it can be a hassle to get things out from hiding spots or retrieve from a safe, but remember the consequences if you are away from home and someone enters your home and takes them...its Murphy laws that will dictate the one time you don't do it, maybe the one time you have your valuable possessions stolen!

Sometimes, its a good idea to leave some inexpensive costume jewellery and some cash out, as a decoy to a would be burglar.


Cleaning -

Pearl cleaning – use a small dish or bowl of bath warm water, add a couple of drops of dish washing liquid, and an old tooth brush. Soak and scrub gently to remove any body acids and film (which attracts dust and dirt). Then rinse under fresh water, pat dry and leave out over night to dry. Pearls were born in water, and the gentle detergent won't hurt them at all!

This method can also be used on all other gemstone set and jewellery items. NOTE: never boil jewellery on a stove to clean it (don't laugh...we've seen it done before!)


In summer, or when in warm to hot climates, perspiration maybe present. This may result in skin residue (with perfumes and makeup or skin cleansers), getting onto your pearls. To stop the surface from being etched over time, wipe your pearls over with a soft dampened facecloth or cotton cloth every fortnight or so. If heavy continuous perspiration exists it maybe advisable to bath your pearls with the method mentioned above, once in a while to remove ingrained body acids and build ups.


If you have generally metal only jewellery that is tarnished, a few home options are available. For metal items only for example chains bracelets etc. You can line a glass or porcelain baking dish with tinfoil and place the items spread out over the tinfoil. Then scatter baking soda over the items. Then gently pour boiling jug water over to cover the pieces and a reaction will take place and in most cases remove tarnish.


A more gentle method for removing tarnish of most jewellery, is the tooth paste method. The best toothpaste is the white slight gritty type, (gel toothpaste doesn't tend to work as well). All you do it place a small amount on you fingers and gently rub it all over the metal parts of your jewellery. it will go a grey colour, but once done you can rinse off if warm water with detergent if required, and repeat rinse under fresh cold water. Pat dry and leave out on a cloth to completely dry. Once dry you can them polish the metal with a 'Silver cloth' if you have one (these work on all metals including gold too!). Your jewellery should hopefully end up nice a clean and polished. If not or there is some stubborn tarnish remaining, you may have to take it in to your jewellery professional for a proper workshop clean and polish.


Maintenance -

Pearl strands and bracelets may need to be restrung every 3 – 4 years depending on wear and tear. if you notice a strand or bracelet with gaps between the pearls or a fray popping out from one of the pearls, (particularly near the clasp), its a sign to have your pearls restrung.

Also with earrings, particularly pearl studs, where the pearl sits on your skin, moisture can slowly, over time, affect the adhesion of the glue used to bond the pearl to the cup and post inside of it. All pearl jewellery should be checked regularly to make sure the pearl is fixed firmly to its setting. If it rotates or moves on the setting, again its a good time to take the piece into your jewellery professional to have it re glued.


With other general jewellery, its good to have all your pieces regularly checked for security and for any other maintenance issues that may occur.

Things like worn jump rings and clasps on chains and bracelets, security of claws holding gemstones in especially on rings being worn or broken off, any chips or cracks that may have been inflicted on any set gemstones, or fine cracks in shanks (bands) and under rails or bridge supports on rings.

We have our cars and other possessions checked and serviced regularly, and so it should be the same with our jewellery!


General Care -

As well as the tips and tricks mentioned above, its important to be aware of our jewellery items when in certain situations or doing certain activities. Be aware and avoid wearing jewellery in potentially damaging situations. These include:- swimming, going to gym, gardening, travelling with heavy bags, (horse riding story).


Wearing jewellery to bed is not recommended. Some necklets such as Omega necklets maybe bent or kinked if worn to bed. Some fine neck chains can be prone to breaking when sleeping also. There is also a possibility of scratch injuries to yourself or your sleeping partner from contact with things such as claws on rings etc. Some items of jewellery can come off in bed and be difficult to find or lost permanently.  


It is also recommended to not have jewellery in bathroom areas. Some pearl jewellery can have adhesive let go if prolonged exposure to steam occurs over a long period of time. Also be wary of small jewellery items in and around bathroom areas, as earring backs especially can fall on the ground and bounce down an overflow drain hole or bounce into the sink and also be lost forever. 


We hope this gives you some ideas or ways of protecting and looking after your precious jewellery items. If you have any questions or other suggestions not listed here, please let us know and we can add your idea in!


How do you tell pearls apart?


It is very difficult to tell cultured and natural pearls apart. The only way accepted by a court of law is X-Ray.


Imitation pearls generally have a very some ‘plastic’ type finish to them, whereas cultured pearls have a rough ‘gritty’ type texture to them. Also if you look at the string holes of imitation pearls, you can see the rough, moulded type edges where the pearl coating has been put on the bead, and dried on a string or wire.


South Sea pearls generally have growth lines around them and are larger than the Japanese pearls.


Some of the new round freshwater pearls are getting difficult to tell apart from South Sea and Japanese cultured pearls, but they are generally a little more pitted and don’t have as high a lustre on their surface. They also are never perfectly round.

Are you looking for a reliable pearl specialist in Brisbane? 
Call 07 3012 8361 today to find out more.


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