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by Julie Lee
of Julie's Jewelry Design, LLC
A traditional birthstone for the month of June and honorary stone for the 3rd
and 30th wedding anniversary, pearls are unique in that they are the only gem of
the sea from living creatures requiring no faceting or polishing to reveal their
natural beauty. In the early 1900's the first successful commercial
culturing of round
pearls began. Since the 1920's cultured pearls have almost completely
replaced natural pearls in the market.
Fine quality cultured pearls are
extremely rare. Only 25-50% of the oyster crop produces a pearl, and fewer
than 5% of those pearls are of export quality. Environmental factors such
as pollution, natural predators, and adverse weather during the years it takes
to raise oysters, seed them, and nurture the crop should give one an
appreciation for these wonders of the sea.
Composition of Cultured Pearls
The iridescent layers inside some species of shells are called
"Mother-of-Pearl". When these layers accumulate on an implanted nucleus
(typically made from shell) they form nacre. The finer, thicker and more
uniform the nacre is, the more lustrous and blemish-free the pearl forms, and
therefore it is more valuable and desirable.
Give our friendly sales associates a call today to help choose you next pearl jewelry
piece.
Julie Lee is a web designer and founder of
Julie's Jewelry Design, LLC. Julie's Jewels is a
Texas based retail jewelry company specializing in high quality, affordable
jewelry pieces created to be treasured for a lifetime.
If anyone would like to republish the above article, please
email me your request and where it will reside, and I'll send you a
short bio you can use with it for your site.
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