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Luminous, iridescent, bewitching... Since the dawn of time, the mysterious and bewitching reflections of the pearl have made it one of the most coveted jewels. Like no other jewel, it represents all that is feminine: softness and discretion, grace and modesty. Being so delicate, it does not sparkle—it shines. Legend would have it that pearls are living things... One thing that is certain is their power to possess the beauty of eternity.
The most important qualities of a pearl are the beauty of its lustre, i.e. the iridescent reflection of light on the nacre, the surface of the pearl. The longer a pearl stays in the ocean, the thicker the nacre and the more precise its reflections.
While the beauty of pearls may be indescribable, that has never kept people from coveting them. Since the dawn of time, pearls have been considered one of the most precious and desirable treasures of humanity.
A natural pearl is formed when a foreign body accidentally works its way into the body of a shellfish or an oyster and acts as an irritant. And so, fine pearls are the fruit of chance. They may owe their origin to a simple grain of sand, a worm larva, or a fleck of coral dust.
Pearls come in a variety of colours and shades, usually white, cream, yellow, greenish, or silvery grey. The designation “white/pink” describes a white pearl with a pink tinge. They are the most sought-after pearls in North America.
For the same grade, the larger the pearl, the greater its value. The ideal and most expensive pearl is perfectly spherical. The small surface markings are part of the natural texture of the pearl and a guarantee of authenticity.
Makeup, hairspray, lotions, and perfumes can permanently alter your pearls. You can clean your pearls weekly with a damp cloth to remove all traces of chemicals.
We advise you to store your pearls in a fabric pouch, away from metal jewellery to avoid any risk of scratching them. If you wear your pearls regularly, it would be best to change the silk thread once a year and make sure that each pearl is separated by a knot.
Cultured pearls are formed by the same process, but in their case the foreign body is inserted intentionally. The vast majority of pearls sold today are cultured pearls. Inserting the foreign body is a delicate operation, a challenge that is sometimes successful, but never simple. Out of one hundred specimens, ten do not survive the surgical operation, ten die after two years, and thirty reject the graft. Twenty create harvested but unsaleable pearls. Thirty are marketable, but only one or two are perfect.
Due to the almost unlimited variety of their shape, size, abundance, and resulting affordability, freshwater pearls are immensely popular. Generally speaking, they vary in size from 2 to 13 mm. Their lustre, or lack thereof, knows no limit either. Some are dull, some are milky, some are silky, and some are shiny.
It was the Chinese who first discovered, in the 13th century, that pearls could be cultivated in freshwater mussels. They used pieces of mud, wood, bone, or metal as irritants.
Thousands of Chinese pearl farmers now produce between 500 and 800 metric tons of the stones every year.
Originating in Japan, Akoya pearls have been cultivated by traditional methods for nearly a century. The pearls are small, their diameter varies on average from 2 to 9 mm. A raw harvest before treatment consists mainly of cream, yellow, and green pearls.
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