An Insight into Cultured Pearls

An Insight into Cultured Pearls

An Insight into Cultured Pearls

Mention about pearls and you will hear gasps of admiration and awe among women folk. Pearl beads have been prized for their beauty since time immemorial. Pearls may be acquired naturally or cultivated. Cultured pearls are pearls which are artificially created.

Pearls have been accorded the title as the 'queen of gems'. Incidentally, it is the sole gem which does not have to be polished or cut. Cultured pearls began to appear in the market in the early 1920's when the supply of natural pearls dwindled. Hundreds of years ago, the Chinese had discovered that objects put inside oyster shells would subsequently be covered in pearl nacre. The Japanese invented a technique to produce spherical pearls.

Mantle is a part of the oyster which secretes crystalline calcium carbonate - the building blocks of pearls. From a live oyster a little sac of mantle is cut and an object is inserted into the mantle. This is subsequently put into the mantle of a matured oyster. After several years the inserted object is coated with the layers of pearl nacre similar to a natural pearl. Today, there are other techniques to manufacture cultured pearls.

Cultured pearls are less expensive than natural pearls. The question is how to identify whether the pearl is natural or cultured. One technique is to examine the thickness of the nacre. Under strong lights cultured pearls vary in brightness as you rotate them. Also under light natural pearls look like a dark round smudge whereas cultured pearls have parallel stripes.

China, Japan and US are the major producers of cultured pearls. The US has seen a dramatic rise in the usage of pearls. The Chinese now have attained technological parity with the Japanese in the production of cultured pearls. Lake Biwa in Japan is particularly famous for Cultured Freshwater pearls. The Akoya oysters are used to produce the world famous Akoya pearls. These pearls come in different shades of white and cream with pink or silver overtones.

Cultured pearls are an inexpensive and convenient option to natural pearls. Now you can flaunt beautiful pearls and impress all. Buy wholesale pearls at attractive and reasonable prices from a reputed dealer. Mother of Pearl Beads are now within the reach of the common man and woman. As long as the pearls add beauty it does not matter whether they are natural or cultured. So go ahead and acquire the great looking cultured pearls.

POST COMMENT

Barcelona and its Culture Experience Maori Culture at Plymouth's Taranaki International Village The Culture 2011 Tall Ships Regata: Klaipėda Cladding By Culture Adorn Ancient Culture with Cast Stone Corbels Culture Change, Where do you start? Understanding Shona Culture of The Shona Tribe of Zimbabwe Cuisine Focus – Afghan – A Likely Blend of Culture and Taste Practicle Permaculture: The Tao of the Turtle Creative Burberry Outlet Culture The Throwaway Culture Of The Modern Day and How To Avoid Being A Part Of It Culture Clash - What to Do When You Meet Someone You Don't Quite Get Culture of Iran