Category: Pearl Jewelry

Guangzhou City, China, Oct. 5) International Pearl Exposition and Auction has recently been held in Guangzhou, China. Merchants and bidders, both at home and abroad, were deeply impressed by the rare and valuable pearls from all over the world. However, its hard to find the well-known domestic Zhejiang Pearls among the glittering jewels.

With the fame as the “No. 1 global bidding”, International Pearl Exposition and Auction is held two or three times every year. This year, we had the honor to hold the exposition and auction in Guangzhou. It should have been a very good opportunity for the local sellers to display their pearls without traveling abroad. Nevertheless, some 40 local buyers came just to bid with those of the same trade.

“Most of the displayed pearls are from oversea producer.” Said Mark Wu from Topearl Jewelry Inc., “China leads the world in production of saltwater akoya pearls, freshwater pearls also account for 90 percent of the worlds output. But we had very few qualified entries.” This is nothing new but a reflection of the current situation of the international pearl market. Since medium and low grade pearls are in the majority in China, we only hold 10 percent of trading volume in the worlds pearl market. Each year, China mainly exported low-valued un-finished pearl beads and strands, not high added-value pearl jewelry such as pearl necklace, bracelet and pearl earrings etc. The absence of Zhejiang Pearls simply reflected our embarrassment among the general Chinese pearl industry.

How to upgrade Chinese Pearls including Zhejiang Pearls becomes our main concern. China has good weather and temperature for the pearl cultivation. Based on these good natural conditions, our pearls have good quality themselves. Therefore, low added value is the root of the problem. Compared with the international technology, we still have a long way to go in pearl processing and treatment, such as bleaching, polishing and design.

Although we fall a little behind, we see a very good chance to increase the value of our pearls. Union of Asian Jewelry has already been founded in Guangzhou. And from now on, the International Pearl Exposition and Auction will be held in Guangzhou every year. Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Chinas bases of freshwater pearls and pearl jewelry, will have own platform for pearl exhibits.

Customers who yearn for pearl jewelry are following a tradition that extends back though the ages . According to legend , Cleopatra ground up a pearl in a cup of wine and told Marc Antony she was swallowing a country’s riches .British monarchs, including Queen Elizabeth I and King Henry VIII, adorned their necks and wardrobes with pearls .To the ancient Greeks , pearls represented love and marriage ,an association that grew over the years . Pearls and marriage are still linked in the public consciousness today .According to the Cultured Pearl Information Center (CPIC), 37% of all pearls sold in the United States are purchased for bridal occasions .The bridal market is the second largest U.S. market for pearl sales, next to holiday purchase (42% of sales) . Pearls items are extremely appropriate for bridal-party gifts , but because pearl necklace are a classic complement to a business suit ,they’re also appropriate gifts to mark graduations and promotions. They’re june’s birthstone and a traditional gift for third and 30th anniversaries . It’s no wonder the pearl’s popularity has persisted .

After all , it’s the only gem formed within a living creature . A mollusk produces a pearl to protect itself against irritants caught inside its body ,like sand and parasites .The animal coats the intruder with nacre , a natural substance that’s also part of the inside of its shell . The layers build on top of each other , a process that produce the pearl’s luster . This rarely happen in nature . Declining environmental quality and commercial fishing have wreaked havoc on the world’s natural oyster beds .Today , jewelry lovers looking for natural pearl ring usually have to comb estate jewelry collections to find them . Indeed, until the development of commercial pearl cultivation , only the wealthy could afford these natural jewels . Today , more pearls on the market are cultured , a process that blends mollusk activity with human ingenuity . A shell bead is surgically implanted in the oyster or mussel , stimulating it to produce a pearl jewelry . A lay person would need a X-ray in order to tell the difference between a natural and a cultural pearl . Although he didn’t invent the process , Kokichi Mikimoto- the famed “Pearl King”-helped develop the best method for culturing pearl necklaces on a large scale in the early 1900s . Saltwater oyster and freshwater mollusks produce different types of cultured pearls .

Throughout history, pearls have been a symbol of beauty and high status. The natural rarity of pearls contributes to their worth and unique appeal. Although naturally occurring pearls are quite rare to find in modern society, there are a number of methods used to create and enhance a pearl in order to make these precious objects available to the masses to wear as jewelry or to adorn clothing. Deeply rooted in the depths of the oceans, pearls have mystified and intrigued humans for thousands of years and they continue to garner mass appeal today.

The historical origin of pearl jewelry goes back to ancient times when pearls were rare symbols of natural perfection. The reason it was so difficult to find these pears was due to the fact that divers had to scour the ocean floor in order to search for the perfect pearl from the mouths of mussels and oysters. The acquisition of these pearls was a far cry from the process we use today. In the year 206 BC, the Chinese were among the first to search for pearls. Royal subjects were among the lucky few to attain this most rare gem at the time. As a natural circle, pearls symbolized mystical forces in the universe and their display was said to bestow a certain power over the owner.
Since the beginning of pearl cultivation these beautiful gems have been used for a variety of jewelry adornments. In addition to placing pearls on royal crows and the clothing fashion of royal subjects, pearls have always been a focal point in a beautiful piece of jewelry. The Incas and the Aztecs prized pearls for their magical powers, and displayed them prominently in beautiful necklaces. Pearls have also been made into rings, earrings, and brooches. In most cases, the larger the pearl- the more valuable it is. In addition to its size, the luster, the color and the shape of the pearl contribute to its worth.

During the middle ages pearls were prominently featured among the noble class as a symbol of a person”s high class and stature. It is fascinating to take note of pearl adornments in famous paintings; as they can illustrate the fashion and the status of the woman who is the subject of the painting. One of the most famous paintings with a subject wearing a pearl accessory is Johannes Vermeer”s Girl With a Pearl Earring. Painted in 1665, this portrait has captivated the attention of millions of artists and lovers of fine art alike. The teardrop earring gracing the jaw line of the subject is an alluring detail that critics have discussed for hundreds of years. There are also many other portraits from this time period that depict noblemen and women draped in pearls. With a single strand of pearls, a choker made of overlaying strings, a set of earrings, or even a pearl pendant, the English high society was quite fond of displaying their status with a pearlescent glow.

Another fascinating historical fact about pearls is their presence in biblical references. Due to the fact that pearls are naturally occurring, they have been around for thousands upon thousands of years and owning them is simply a matter of finding these hidden gems and knowing that they exist. In the New Testament, Jesus spoke of heaven as “a pearl of great price.” The Qur”an also makes reference to a heavenly place adorned with pearls. The Hebrew bible takes a different approach to the pearl nod, with possible references to Onyx pearls. Although the translations for these references are disputed among Hebrew scholars it is most probable that the writings refer to pearls.

Due to the combination of beauty and scarce natural occurrence, the pearl has historically been cherished and prized. The reason it is so common to find pearls in modern society is due to new and improved methods of pearl production. Unlike the ancient Chinese methods, current pearl farming is done in a highly systematic and accurate fashion. Pearls still grow in the water- but customers now have the option of buying saltwater or freshwater pearls. Although saltwater pearls are incredibly rare, freshwater cultures offer a less expensive and more accessible range of styles and price.

When it comes to pearl necklaces, usually it’s a white color pearl necklace and in round shape. But pearl necklaces have many other colors as well like black, golden, lavender, pink, peach, and so on. Pearl necklaces are not restricted to round shape pearls only. Other shapes like tear drop, pear, potato, coin and irregular baroque shape pearls are equally popular among women.

The strands of the pearl necklaces are different, too. There are single strand, double strands, three strands, twist strands, pattern strands, long strand, and so on. It is not easy to wear the pearl necklaces perfectly. As the colors and styles of the clothes and pearls are different, we need careful collocation of pearl necklaces. For example, it is better to wear a simple pearl necklace with one pendant or in single strand for usual clothes. The single color is nice, too.

Pearl necklaces also can be wore both in winter and summer. In winter it is better to wear the long ones, while in summer to wear the short ones. As the pearl necklaces are free ornaments, they can be wore together with many clothes like white dresses, party dresses, family clothes and vocational suits, and so on.

if you are a gentle person, the white or creamy round shape in single strand or two strands is better for you; if you are an open-hearted person, the potato shape or smooth on both sides is a good choice for you; the rice shape pearl necklace is a free style for any person due to its beautiful figure.

Now the necklace with pure pearls is not the only choice for people. More ornaments are added into the pearl necklaces and used properly. There are corals, gemstones, shells, crystals, and so on. As the pearl necklaces with single pearl beads are too strict to wear in most conditions, especially in the fashionable and protean modern society, the complex design with different ornaments appear and become more and more popular now.

Wouldnt it be nice to find real pearls from edible oysters? That would be the day when eating edible oysters would bring in not only food for the table but also pearl for jewelry. However, such thing is next to impossible considering that pearls do not grow in edible oysters.

Pearls are produced by mollusks including oysters, mussels and clams. However, mussels and clams rarely produce pearls while oysters commonly produce pearls no matter if they are in freshwater or in saltwater.

The idea that pearls are produced from sand intruding into the shell of an oyster is false. Sand is an inorganic material while pearls are formed by organic materials that are caught inside the oyster. As a defense mechanism, the oyster wraps the organic material with a substance called nacre, resulting to what is known as mother of pearl.

Most people believe that pearls should have an imperfect form since they are products of nature. However, there are those that are formed perfectly and these are considered very valuable pearls. Unlike the common belief that pearls are usually white, pearls come in various colors like black, green, red and even blue. Different-colored pearls can be found all over the world but only the South Pacific has produced black pearls.

Instead of waiting for the natural occurrence of pearls, there are people who culture pearls in the same manner that they are naturally formed. However, the organic irritants are intentionally inserted through a crack in the oysters shell. Natural pearls are however more expensive than cultured pearls because of their rarity.

Among the kinds of pearls are cultured pearls either in saltwater or freshwater; South Sea pearls that are produced by the silver lipped oysters are rare pearls that are cultured in Australia and are usually very large; South Sea pearls produced by golden lipped oysters and are cultured in Indonesia and Tahitian pearls or black pearls that are produced by black lipped oysters and are cultured in Cook Islands or in the French Polynesia.

So how can one determine if a pearl is real or an imitation? Real pearls tend to feel sandy when rubbed along the edge of the front teeth while imitation pearls fell smooth.

Aside from the kinds of oyster from which pearls are produced, the quality of pearls is determined according to their luster or shine. Thick nacres that have been left in the water longer are generally shinier. The shape of a pearl is also important and the rounder the pearl, the better. The larger the pearl, the rarer they are and the more expensive.

Pearls are generally used as pieces of jewelry but they are also used in making cosmetics. Powdered pearl that is made from shells and pearls of not so good quality is said to produce paler skin with a natural glow. Pearl cosmetics are actually being exported by many countries including China to the Unites States.