What is a Pearl
 There are
many simulated, imitation and "faux" pearls on the market today
that are made from a variety of products including glass and
plastic compounds, coating them with a mixture of varnish and
fish scales or flakes of mica.
Records indicate that the ancient Romans made imitation pearls.
Queen Elizabeth I is said to have established an artificial
pearl industry to supply what nature could not. Note her obvious
love of pearls with how every portrait of her includes a
necklace of pearls.
To determine whether your pearl is real, gently scrape the pearl
along the ridges of your top teeth. If it glides easily it's
likely manmade, if you feel a slight gritty abrasive, it's most
likely cultured or natural.
Pearls can be divided into two "groups"
1. Natural
2. Cultured
Natural Pearl
To form a "natural pearl", an irritant, such as a particle of
sand or small sea animal, accidentally works its way into the
mollusk's shell and lodges itself inside. To sooth this irritant
the mollusk secretes a fluid (nacre) depositing it around the
irritant. Layer upon layer of this nacre coating eventually
produces a pearl. This process can take as long as 10 years to
produce a pearl...hence, the rarity of natural pearls ---and the
reason cultured pearls were created.
Nacre is comprised of thin layers of calcium carbonate crystals
and it is this distinctive nacre structure that influences the
color, durability and elasticity of the pearl. Pearls are 82-86%
Calcium Carbonate, 10-14% Organic Conch Olin, 2-4% water.
Cultured Pearls
A "cultured" pearl is simply a pearl grown in a semi-controlled
environment.
A cultured or cultivated pearl undergoes the same process as a
natural pearl, except that the "irritant" is surgically
implanted into the mollusk at a pearl farm. Since the irritant
is larger than the natural one, it takes approximately one to
three years to produce this "cultured pearl". The longer the
pearl remains in the shell the thicker the nacre, hence the
deeper the luster and a higher quality of pearl.
Most high-grade pearls sold today are cultured, since the
quantity is far more abundant and the growing time is seven
times faster than for a natural pearl.
Even though the environment is controlled, there are still many
conditions that the mollusks have to endure to produce a pearl.
Conditions, such as the temperature, feeding conditions, water
depths and predators, all contribute to the science of
retrieving a usable pearl.
Freshwater Pearls are one type of Cultured pearl
Freshwater cultured pearls come from freshwater mussels that
live in lakes and rivers. They are cultivated in larger mussels
and can produce between 10-30 pearls per mussel.
Now they are grown in many countries and no longer require a
nucleus to grow. A graft from the mussel begins the process, so
a freshwater pearl is almost all nacre. Because it is almost
solid nacre, if taken care of properly, it will last a lifetime.
The traditional perfectly round shape of a cultured pearl will
always be in style, but freshwater pearls are now often used to
create a more "contemporary" look in fashion.
Freshwater Pearls are more Fun!
You will find some freshwater pearls in unique shapes, sometimes
whimsical shapes - in many natural colors and sizes. The color
is dictated by the mother shell: although white is the most
common, followed by pink, other colors that are available
naturally include purple, violet, orange, blue and gray.
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