Pearl Beaches offers beautiful, affordable Chinese Akoya and freshwater pearl jewelry - all hand picked from the pearl farmers. Learn all about pearls here. The pearl, which is the birthstone for the month of June and a bridal tradition for centuries, is a gemstone that is formed inside shellfish such as mussels, oysters, and some species of abalone and clams. All of these mollusks have an inner layer of shell made of a lustrous material called “nacre,” or mother of pearl. When a bit of foreign matter enters the shell of the mollusk - a grain of sand, a parasite, or a man made object - it isolates the irritant by gradually coating it with layer after layer of nacre, making the object less dangerous and irritating to its soft tissues. The process is slow, it can take three years or more for a mature mollusk to produce a pearl large enough to be commercially valuable. The pearl is one of a few gems created by an organic process. The others are amber, coral, and jet. A freshwater pearl mussel may yield as many as 50 usable cultured pearls in one crop, while a seawater oyster, on the other hand, produces at most two cultured pearls and dies when the pearls are removed. Cultured pearls are made with the assistance of humans and are produced en masse in Japan and China. To produce a pearl, the cultivator makes an incision in the soft flesh of the mussel and carefully implants the nucleus - a spherical irritant cut from the shell of a freshwater clam combined with a small piece of mantle tissue from another mussel. After recovering from surgery - about two out of three survive the operation - the mussels are submerged in cages to begin the slow process of “nacreation,” the layering of nacre that produces the pearl. The size, shape, and quality of the pearl depends on many factors. The most crucial is the size and shape of the implanted nucleus. As the mussel layers the nacre onto the nucleus, the pearl will form in that shape. Water temperature, nucleus location, and length of time the pearl remains in the mussel are also important. Up to 50 small rice pearls can be cultured from one warm water mussel in a about a year, where only one large 9 to 12mm baroque pearl can be produced by a single mussel, and it may take several years for the nacre to accumulate. There are several criteria for judging the quality of pearls. Many of the criteria come down to personal preference, and when judging pearls for quality, all the factors should be taken into consideration: COLOR - The most desirable colors are white, cream, and pink. Our pearls are generally white and cream. We also sell pearls that are black, mauve, peach, and other colors. Naturally occurring colors are white (and its variations), peach, and mauve. All other colors are dyed with the assistance of a laser. LUSTRE - The lustre refers to the iridescence, or bright, reflective surface of the pearl. A good pearl displays a delicate lustre, the result of the pearls layered structure, not its surface texture. Each layer of nacre is translucent and allows some light to pass through to lower layers. The light reflecting from the various layers combines to create the lustre and faint play of rainbow colors called iridescence. Naturally, the more lustrous the pearl, the better. COATING - This refers to the amount of nacre layers on the nucleus. Pearls with thick nacres are more valuable. SURFACE - The surface of pearls can range from smooth to blemished. SHAPE - Pearls range from round to baroque, which can be quite misshapen. The shape of pearls is usually a matter of personal preference. Many pearls from China, and some that Pearl Beaches sells, are differently shaped: potato shaped pearls, stick shaped pearls, and button shaped pearls. SIZE - Size is measured in millimeters, and our pearls range from 3mm to 11mm. The pearls of many necklace strands are graduated, so the smaller pearls are at the back, and the larger pearls are at the front. MATCHING - Matching refers to the relationship of one pearl on a strand to another. Are they the same size, roundness, color, texture and luster? The better matched, the more valuable the pearl strand. Pearl Beaches endeavors to ensure that the pearls on our necklaces are well matched. Please contact Pearl Beaches if you have any questions about our pearl jewelry. Give someone special a Pearl Beaches Gift Certificate! E-mail Pearl Beaches