Cultured, freshwater and natural pearls - make sense of it all!
A pearl?
A pearl is a solid entity that is formed within the mantle – the soft tissue - of a living mollusc
A mollusc?
According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, a mollusc (or mollusk) is any of a large phylum (Mollusca) of invertebrate animals (as snails, clams, or squids) with a soft un-segmented body usually enclosed in a calcareous shell.
Synonymous for rare, precious and beautiful
Premium quality natural pearls have been extremely treasured as gemstones and items of exquisiteness for hundreds and hundreds of years; as a result, the word pearl is symbolically used to describe items that are rare, precious and beautiful.
Natural pearl producers
Nearly all species of shelled molluscs can produce pearls although some molluscs tend to produce pearls with an inferior shine and a less noteworthy circular shape; quality pearls – also referred to as gemstone pearls – are those which are produced within the insides of nacreous and iridescent shells, resulting in a pearl of the same nature.
The nacreous pearls which are largely recognized and the most economically important pearls are mainly formed by two types of molluscan bivalves (molluscs which are enclosed within two hinged shells) or clams.
Natural pearls versus cultured pearls
A natural pearl is a pearl that has been created unexpectedly in the wild, with no human involvement; naturally formed pearls are actually the result of a defence method of a mollusc to a possible irritant that has infiltrated its shell (a parasite or a microscopic impostor) which could potentially injure the mollusc's mantle tissue. The items that we covet and refer to as pearls are actually the result of the mollusc forming a protective sac in order to seal off this potential irritant from the rest of its fragile insides.
Precious pearls occurring in the wild are extremely rare; the majority of pearls sold today are cultured or farmed from pearl oysters; these pearls are created as a result of human intervention.
Composition of a pearl
Akin to the mollusc's shell, a pearl is formed from calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form which is deposited concentrically in order to build up the hard sac which becomes the pearl. A perfect pearl is flawlessly round and smooth.
Shine of the pearl
The shine of every pearl is unique since it is influenced by the thickness and the number of layers making up the pearl; the shine is a result of the manner in which the light reflects off the translucent layers; the thinner the layers and the more layers making up the pearl, the shinier the pearl.
If you are looking for beautiful pearl jewellery come and discover a sea of romance at Adamo Jewellery. Be sure to visit our website regularly for more articles as we explore the depths of pearls ranging from black pearls to natural pearls via mother of pearl...
References:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mollusk
Cultured pearls, freshwater pearls, natural pearls and types of pearls...what exactly do all these things mean?
A pearl?
A pearl is a solid entity that is formed within the mantle – the soft tissue - of a living mollusc [1].
A mollusc?
According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, a mollusc (or mollusc) is any of a large phylum (Mollusca) of invertebrate animals (as snails, clams, or squids) with a soft un-segmented body usually enclosed in a calcareous shell. [2]
Synonymous for rare, precious and beautiful
Premium quality natural pearls have been extremely treasured as gemstones and items of exquisiteness for hundreds and hundreds of years; as a result, the word pearl is symbolically used to describe items that are rare, precious and beautiful.
Natural pearl producers
Nearly all species of shelled molluscs can produce pearls although some molluscs tend to produce pearls with an inferior shine and a less noteworthy circular shape; quality pearls – also referred to as gemstone pearls – are those which are produced within the insides of nacreous and iridescent shells, resulting in a pearl of the same nature.
The nacreous pearls which are largely recognized and the most economically important pearls are mainly formed by two types of molluscan bivalves (molluscs which are enclosed within two hinged shells) or clams.
Natural pearls versus cultured pearls
A natural pearl is a pearl that has been created unexpectedly in the wild, with no human involvement; naturally formed pearls are actually the result of a defence method of a mollusc to a possible irritant that has infiltrated its shell (a parasite or a microscopic impostor) which could potentially injure the mollusc’s mantle tissue. The items that we covet and refer to as pearls are actually the result of the mollusc forming a protective sac in order to seal off this potential irritant from the rest of its fragile insides.
Precious pearls occurring in the wild are extremely rare; the majority of pearls sold today are cultured or farmed from pearl oysters; these pearls are created as a result of human intervention.
Composition of a pearl
Akin to the mollusc’s shell, a pearl is formed from calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form which is deposited concentrically in order to build up the hard sac which becomes the pearl. A perfect pearl is flawlessly round and smooth.
Shine of the pearl
The shine of every pearl is unique since it is influenced by the thickness and the number of layers making up the pearl; the shine is a result of the manner in which the light reflects off the translucent layers; the thinner the layers and the more layers making up the pearl, the shinier the pearl.
If you are looking for beautiful pearl jewellery come and discover a sea of romance at Adamo Jewellery. Be sure to visit our website regularly for more articles as we explore the depths of pearls ranging from black pearls to natural pearls via mother of pearl…