The Arabian Gulf was the world’s first source of natural pearls and remained so for centuries. Natural pearls from the Gulf are notable for their transparent and high-luster nacre. Together with pearls from the Red Sea and the Strait of Manaar, they have been referred to as “oriental pearls” and are highly valued.
Part of a pearl’s appeal is its organic origins: It comes from a living animal, a mollusk. And because pearls are slightly porous, they warm up against the skin as they are worn. The wearer and the gems become one.
Today’s range of pearl choices is huge. Mix the colors, sizes and shapes with different metals and gemstones across rings, necklaces and earrings, and the possible combinations run practically without end.
A little homework pays off before you shop. Are you after natural or cultured pearls? Do you know what to look for in size, luster and color? What price range suits you? And have some pearls been treated to enhance their appearance? Settle these questions first and the buying gets far easier.
A retailer who knows the types of natural and cultured pearls that are available and the factors that determine their value will be an invaluable resource to you as you explore pearls.
In the meantime, here are some basics to get you started.
Pearls are natural or cultured and grow in mollusks that can live in either saltwater or fresh water. They are made up of layers of calcium carbonate most popularly in the form of nacre, a natural substance produced by pearl oysters that coats the inside of the animal’s shell. This beautiful, lustrous nacre is the very essence of a pearl.
Natural Saltwater Pearls
Natural pearls are extremely rare. The Arabian Gulf is the most important source for natural pearls – 70-80 percent of all pearls came from there until the 1950s. The island of Bahrain was a center for trade with northwest India and what is now the modern Middle East. A 4,000-year-old pearl was uncovered in 1989, and excavations at the ancient Bahrain’s Dilmun settlement have confirmed that pearl fishing has been going on for at least 3,000 years.
Natural saltwater pearls from the Arabian Gulf come from the Pinctada radiata and Pinctada margaritifera. Persian Gulf pearls range in color from white to dark cream and tend to be more yellow than those from the Red Sea and Strait of Manaar, whose characteristic colors are very light yellow, cream and very light pink. The Red Sea also produces some pearls in darker hues that range from intense pink to light to dark violet.
Natural saltwater pearls are also found occasionally in Baja California, Venezuela, Myanmar, China, Japan, India, French Polynesia, Australia and Africa – the same regions that have cultured pearl industries.
Saltwater Cultured Pearls
Ask anyone to picture an Akoya pearl and they’ll describe a white, round, lustrous gem cultured in Japan and China in Pinctada fucata (martensii). Most Akoya cultured pearls are white or cream, some with hints of rosé (pink) or green. The Akoya oyster is small, so it rarely produces a cultured pearl larger than 9 mm. Natural pearls from Pinctada fucata (martensii) are extremely rare.
Tahitian cultured pearls have only been on the market since the 1970s and come in naturally dark colors including eggplant purple, peacock green, metallic gray and grayish blue. The mollusk that produces them (Pinctada margaritifera) is native to French Polynesia and is farmed there and in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Australia and elsewhere in the Pacific.
South Sea cultured pearls come from one of the world’s largest pearl oysters (Pinctada maxima), which can produce cultured pearls of 15 mm or more. They are farmed in Australia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Indonesia. While South Sea pearls occur in other colors, the most common are silver, white and yellow — the warmer ones often called “golden.”
Freshwater Cultured Pearls
Cultured pearl farmers in China produce the overwhelming majority of cultured freshwater pearls. These cultured pearls vary widely in color and are generally more affordable than saltwater cultured pearls. Sizes are comparable to akoya cultured pearls, with a range between 2 mm and 13 mm, although larger sizes are now available. Newer freshwater cultured pearls, from fireballs to soufflés, keep emerging from China in a dramatic array of colors.
The chief cultured pearl-producing mussel in the U.S. is the “washboard” M. nervosa. Only a small fraction of the total number of freshwater cultured pearls produced come from the U.S.
What to look for when picking out pearls
GIA, a leading authority on gems, created a pearl description system to evaluate pearl quality. GIA’s 7 Value Factors are Size, Shape, Color, Luster, Surface, Nacre and Matching. Ask your sales associate to walk you through each one. (Note that the “AAA–A” letter grades many sellers use are a producer and retailer convention, not part of the GIA system.)
Size: As with other gems, a larger pearl (measured in millimeters) is typically more valuable, since size adds rarity. But fine pearls can be small and poor pearls can be large, so a pearl’s real worth depends on how all the value factors combine.
Shape: Round is the most familiar shape, but pearls come in a whole range of forms (round, near round, oval, button, drop, semi-baroque, baroque). Whatever the shape, a symmetrical pearl is worth more than an irregular one.
Color: A pearl’s color combines its dominant bodycolor, its overtone (the subtle colors that seem to come from within), and orient (the play of color you see as the pearl moves). Cultured pearls show a broad palette, from warm yellows, oranges and pinks to cool blues, greens and violets.
Luster: Luster — the intensity of light reflected from or just below the surface — does more for a pearl’s beauty than any other factor. It reads as an inner glow. A high-luster pearl looks bright and sharp; a dull one is worth far less. Fine Akoyas show a bright, mirror-like gloss, while South Sea and Tahitian pearls tend toward a softer, satiny glow.
Surface: A completely clean pearl is rare, and rarity drives price. The number, type and position of surface marks (abrasions, bumps, chips, cracks) all affect value. Numerous or severe irregularities can even threaten durability, causing a pearl to break or peel. A minor mark near the drill hole, where it’s hidden, detracts far less.
Other value factors can offset surface marks. A large, highly lustrous pearl can carry a slight blemish or two without much loss — in fact, strong luster makes small surface marks harder to see.
Nacre: Nacre is the very essence of the pearl, and its thickness affects value directly. Quality cultured pearls — South Sea pearls can carry 2–6 mm of nacre — have ample depth to show their full beauty and to last.
Matching: Matching describes how uniform the pearls look across a strand or a multi-pearl piece. Close matching in size, shape, color and luster takes large quantities of pearls to achieve, which is why a well-matched strand commands a premium.
How to Care for Pearls
Now that you’ve got your pearls, a few care habits will keep them beautiful.
Pearls need a little moisture to stay at their best, so avoid storing them somewhere airtight or very dry, such as a bank safety deposit box. The human body supplies just the right amount of moisture. Worn often and cared for properly, pearls can look as good in 50 years as they did the day they left the store.
Pearls are not durable gems — softer than almost everything they’ll meet at home or the office, so careless contact wears them over time. Chemicals are the main threat. Perfume, makeup and hairspray contain ingredients that eat away nacre and permanently dull it. Cleaning products with ammonia or chlorine can pit gold alloys and quickly damage pearls, and chlorinated pool water is just as harmful. Take pearls off before cleaning the house or doing yard work.
The best way to clean your pearls is with a soft damp cloth, ideally after each time you wear them.
Are you ready to learn more?
Consider a course to understand this gem more deeply. GIA offers an online pearl course in its gemology eLearning curriculum that you can take from home — a thorough look at pearls, including their origin, how they reach market, and the 7 Value Factors used to describe quality. There is also a one-day instructor-led GIA Pearl Grading class, where you learn to evaluate freshwater, South Sea and Tahitian pearls hands-on.
Leave a comment