GEMSTONE FOCUS – PEARL

An organic gem, pearls are formed inside molluscs such as oysters and mussels. They are formed when an irritant such as a grain of sand gets trapped inside the molluscs shell. During this process a lustrous substance called ‘nacre’ is secreted around the object in order to protect the delicate internal surface of the mollusc. As the layers of nacre slowly begin to build up, a pearl is formed and it’s the overlapping layers of nacre that create the gorgeous, lustrous beauty of pearls that are definitive of a pearl.

Natural pearls have been harvested from the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Manaar and the Red Sea for thousands of years. The coasts of Polynesia and Australia produce mainly cultured pearls, whilst both freshwater and cultured pearls are cultivated in Japan and China. Freshwater pearls occur naturally in the rivers of Scotland, Ireland, France, Austria, Germany and Mississippi USA.

• Natural Pearls: made natural without human interference
• Cultured Pearls: made when a foreign substance is intentionally inserted into a living oyster. This method was first introduced in 1893.
• Baroque Pearls: pearls that have unusual, irregular shapes.
• Biwa Pearls: an irregular shaped freshwater pearl that forms in Lake Biwa, Japan.
• Blister Pearls: pearls which grow attached to the inside of a shell.
• Black Pearls: pearls that are black or grey in colour.
• Freshwater Pearls: pearls which form in fresh water molluscs.
• Mabe Pearls: cultivated blister pearls
• Seed Pearls: miniature pearls commonly found in Victorian jewellery and sewn onto clothing.

• Pearls vary in colour from the most common shades of white, to those with a hint of colour, often pink, to brown or black. The colour of each pearl is entirely dependent on the type of mollusc and the water where the mollusc lived.
• Due to the organic nature of the nacre from which pearls are formed, they are very sensitive to extreme heat, acids, dryness and humidity and extreme care should be taken when storing them.

• Ranked at a 2.5 – 4.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness, pearls are a soft organic stone.
• Cultured or freshwater pearls are considered to represent the power of love, money, protection and luck.
• Pearls are thought to give wisdom through experience and cement engagements and love relationships, as well as being thought to keep children safe.
• Early Chinese myths told stories of pearls falling from the sky when dragons fought.
• Ancient legend says that pearls were thought to be the tears of the gods and the Greeks believed that wearing pearls would promote marital bliss and prevent newlywed women from crying.
• Renowned French jeweller, Jacques Cartier acquired land to open his first American store in 1916, the payment? A strand of natural pearls.
• An Arab legend tells the story of dewdrops filled with moonlight falling into the ocean where they were swallowed by the oysters, creating the precious pearls.

1st – Marilyn Monroe

9^th – Johnny Depp

11^th – Shia LaBeouf

13^th – Chris Evans

17^th – Kendrick Lamar

21^st – Lana Del Rey

26^th – Ariana Grande

30^th – Cheryl Cole