Pearls are one of my most favorite gems. Although all gemstones are made from the earth, I think pearls are especially amazing since they come from the sea. Must be what mermaids get for engagement rings.
Not all pearls come from the ocean and most pearls you will find today will be cultured pearls. That means they have had a little help from mankind. A natural pearl are formed in mollusks, they form when an irritant gets caught in the mollusk’s shell then the mollusk secretes nacre to cover it, gradually layers form and the pearl grows in size. Nacre is also what the inside of the shell is made up of also know as mother of pearl. A cultured pearl is formed when a person surgically inserts a foreign object usually a bead or piece of mantle tissue into the mollusk, and the process goes somewhat the same.
My husband and I owned a seafood restaurant that has since closed and every so often when someone was shucking gulf oysters they would find a teeny tiny pearl. Which would be what is called a seed pearl
Many women dream of one day Grandma or mom passing down a strand of pearls. In the early 1900’s many imitation were sold as “genuine pearl jewelry” or were very misleading.
Needless to say most of these did not last to be passed down. You must be careful with today’s cultured pearls as well, Always buy from a reputable dealer or store. Sometimes the layer of nacre is very very thin and by the time you are ready to pass it down to little Suzie, all you will be left with left with is a strand of beads.
How to tell what you have. Natural pearls can only be verified by X-Ray, so if you really think you may have a natural pearl, it is best to have it sent off. The GIA lab will do this, they can also grade a cultured pearl and tell you how thick the nacre is
http://www.gia.edu/lab-reports-services/pearls/index.html
To tell if a “pearl” is real or imitation the best way in my opinion is to do the tooth test, rub the pearl lightly on your tooth if it feels rough or slightly gritty it is probably real. If you spend enough time with pearls you will be able to tell just by feel. Beware people will probably look at you funny if you do this at an estate sale.
I was told my grandmother had a strand of pearls. I never saw them. My grandma had dementia and early Alzheimer’s and was in placed into an assisted living facility after she became unable to live by herself. She moved into a little suite with a sitting area, bedroom and a small kitchen. She had good days and bad, but as her age and illness progressed she began giving away some of her things to the other residents and staff and to who knows else. We believe this is what happened to her pearl necklace. It was heartbreaking as My cousin had so wanted to wear them at her wedding. They probably would have been Mikimoto cultured pearls, as I do have a brooch from her by Mikimoto.
This is my favorite piece of jewelry. Another that I wear quite frequently is this pair of drop earrings.
I purchased them at the TACA craft fair one year at Centennial park in Nashville. They were crafted by Marilyn Greenwood. http://www.marilyngreenwood.com/ They have some amazing stuff!
