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Pearls
When choosing pearls it is useful to learn how pearls are formed, about the different types of pearls available, and how to select good quality pearls. Visit Astley Clarke's Pearl Jewellery Collection. A pearl is formed when a small object or irritant becomes embedded in the tissue of an oyster or mollusc. The mollusc secretes nacre, a combination of crystalline and organic substances, around this irritant to protect itself. As the nacre builds up in layers, it eventually forms a pearl, with the irritant as the centre. Natural pearls are those formed in this way by chance – they are therefore fairly rare. Cultured pearls are made by deliberately inserting a foreign object into the tissue of an oyster or mollusc. In this way, pearl farmers can induce the creation of a pearl and have control over the way the pearl grows.
In selecting pearls, quality is of the utmost concern. Fine, well-strung and perfectly matched pearls with thick nacre layers will maintain their luminescence, durability and lustre for years. Cultured pearls of high quality are increasingly rare today. It is therefore important that you deal with a jeweller you trust. Unlike diamonds, cultured pearls are not evaluated by an industry-wide grading system. However, some merchants have developed their own grading scales for comparative purposes. Because we believe quality is so crucial in a cultured pearl, Astley Clarke goes to great lengths to ensure that all cultured pearls found on our website are carefully chosen for their quality, shape, size and lustre.
Discoveries made in the 19th and early 20thC by Japanese researchers, particularly Kokichi Mikimoto, have been instrumental in the process of culturing pearls. Mikimoto discovered a specific technique for creating a round pearl within the tissue of an oyster – before his innovations, although pearls could be cultured, they tended to be hemispherical mabes (hemispherical pearls grown against the inside of the mollusc or oyster shell). This revolutionized the pearl industry, because suddenly pearl farmers were able to reliably cultivate large quantities of high-quality pearls.
Whereas natural pearls, as well as being hard to find, come in a huge variety of shapes, sizes and qualities, cultured pearls are specially produced to be round and primarily flawless. The whole process is monitored throughout, to ensure the optimum survival and health of the mollusc and thus the most perfect possible pearl. It also allows tens of thousands of pearls to be cultured, so that the price of pearls has dropped enough to make them easily and widely available, although large and perfectly formed pearls are still relatively expensive, because of the considerable amount of work and culturing time that has gone into them. Cultured ‘seawater’ pearls (although they are hardly ever referred to as such) also remain more expensive than freshwater pearls because the movement of seawater and the living organisms it contains makes culturing them over several years more difficult than in freshwater. There are several types of pearls known for their distinct beauty, including South Sea Cultured Pearls, Tahitian Pearls, and Keshi Pearls.
The process of culturing pearls has given the pearl industry stability and predictability and allowed it to grow considerably, meaning more of these beautiful gems can be used in designer jewellery.
Astley Clarke has an exclusive range of pearls from the Luminesce collection by Como Blonde, the New York design team. Pearls are also particularly popular for wedding jewellery.
Shop for Contemporary Jewellery at Astley Clarke.
