White Pearl

With their unique shine and lustre, pearls adorn women beautifully. The first ladies of the United States of America clearly had a thing for pearls, and this depicts the classy attribute of pearls. For instance, Martha Washington was often spotted wearing a pearl brooch in the shape of a dove, so was Abigail Adams and Mary Todd Lincoln. The most fashionable first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, loved wearing oversized pearl ear studs. A string of pearls is considered a classic and timeless jewellery piece and occupies a definite space in every girl’s jewelry box. The usage of pearls in jewelry dates back to the times of ancient Greeks and Romans.

Pearl is one among navaratna, meaning ‘nine gems’, and it is the only gemstone that is grown inside a living creature. It takes about 6 months to 24 months for pearls to grow. Instead of depending on pearl diving, almost all the pearls we see are cultivated by pearl farmers. Pearls that occur naturally are rare to the extent that only one pearl is found only per ten thousand oysters/ mollusks/clams etc. Pearl cultivation is a very lucrative business where oysters are inserted with grains in them. In fact, pearl size is measured in grains (4 grains = 1 carat).

Many people wonder about the difference between freshwater pearls and cultured pearls; both share the similarity of being cultivated. Simultaneously, the difference lies in their lustre, depending on the quality of nacre produced by parent oysters. The quality of nacre secreted by the parent oyster certainly decides lustre and the color and texture. Pearls generally have a gritty surface.

Pearls come in different shapes – round, semi-round, pear, drop, button, etc. Two of the most common types of white pearls are Akoya pearls and South Sea pearls.

Akoya Pearls: Akoya Pearls are considered as classic pearls and are seen in the coasts of Japan. These pearls generally come in shades of white and cream. The term ‘strands of pearl’ were coined for the famous necklace of Akoya pearls. They are inherently round in shape as well.

South sea pearls: These pearls are nicknamed as the ‘Rolls Royce of pearls’. They are highly valuable, rare, and come in white as well as light gold shades. Their luster is unique and they have a soft reflection. South Sea Pearls are also comparatively larger and only a nominal percentage of South Sea Pearls are spherical.