Cultured Pearls

About Cultured Pearls

Pearls have their own unique beauty which is popular in jewellery as the finish compliments and enhances the skin tones of the wearer. Vintage Jewellery set with pearls is  sought after and antique pearl jewellery can reach very high prices. Pearls can be worn with almost every outfit and most ladies like to have at least one pearl necklace and a pair of pearl earrings in their Jewellery box.  There are many different kinds of pearls available, you will see terms like, Baroque pearls, faux pearls, freshwater pearls , South Sea Pearls and cultured pearls .

Cultured Pearls are one of the most popular types of pearl today, cheaper than natural sea pearls but still grown inside an oyster but with a little help from man and so they can have the same appearance as pearls which grow naturally without our help.

A pearl grows inside the shell of an oyster as a response to an irritation or damage to the mantle.  With naturally occurring pearls this happens by accident, in a cultured pearl this process is triggered by the pearl farmer.  Today nearly all the pearls available ( probably 99%) are cultured pearls.

The method used by pearl farmers was first developed over 100 years ago  in Japan. Mikimoto was the first  to develop commercially available round cultured pearls and the name Mikimoto is still associated with the highest quality cultured pearls available today.

Pearl necklace

How to tell a cultured pearl from a natural pearl.

Telling a cultured pearl from a natural one is difficult without an x ray to see what is in its center. If the pearl is drilled as a bead it is much easier, by looking carefully into the hole of a cultured pearl you can normally see where the pearl material ends and the core material starts.

Care of cultured pearls.

Cultured pearls are fragile in comparison with gemstones such as diamonds. Firstly keep them as clean as possible, put them on after putting on perfume and make up. You can wipe pearls with a damp cloth and allow them to dry before putting them away. If absolutely necessary add a small amount of soft soap to the water, rinse will and leave out to dry before careful storage.

A few don’ts with cultured pearls. Never put them in an ultrasonic jewellery cleaner, never wear pearl rings for every day takes such as housework and never use any form of jewellery cleaner unless specifically recommended for pearls.

Your cultured pearl Jewellery should last for many years if you care for it well, many vintage pearl necklaces are cultured pearls and they have survived in excellent condition by being looked after.