Modern Pearl Jewellery - Using the New Types of Pearls

Modern Pearl Jewellery - Using the New Types of Pearls

It can be very confusing today to see lots of different types of pearls in different designs of pearl jewellery, both traditional and modern, and it can be a minefield to discriminate between the various types of pearls with the new colours and shapes of freshwater pearls available today. What benefits do freshwater pearls have in modern jewellery designs?

Only a few years ago virtually the only substantial choice was the saltwater pearl and these came in white, or pale golden colour, or silvery grey/black of a Tahitian, and invariably a round shape, which is the shape that the vast majority of people think of when they think of pearls. The shapes of these pearls were either round or an uneven form called baroque.

There are two main reasons why the choice of pearl jewellery in the market today is so much more interesting and unusual than it has ever been before.

One reason is colour, both natural and dyed. Within the last couple of decades, the Chinese started producing freshwater pearls from a new large species of mollusc. This is a complete change from the original smaller freshwater mollusc which used to produce the little uneven seed type of pearls in a neutral creamy white colour. This new mollusc can produce pearls not only in white, and cream, but also in peach, peachy gold, all shades of pink shade right through the spectrum to a deep lavender quite naturally without intervention.

Also of course today we have access to far more interesting dye colours than in the past and pearls do take dyes very well. Some of the modern dye colours can be really stunning and sophisticated, elegant silver greys, deep chocolate browns, and rich cranberry. There are also colours which usually appear on very inexpensive pearls like candy pink and pastel shades but there is a wide range of colour choice out there for all tastes.

The second reason for a recent boom in more modern, interesting and unusual pearl jewellery designs is the different shapes which freshwater pearls come in, which saltwater pearls do not. Some shapes are naturally produced i.e. baroque and keishi (uneven, organic shapes) and some are artificially produced by inserting a small shape like a disc into the mollusc to produce a coin shape, or any other shape. And because the freshwater mollusc produces pearls in a near round shape i.e. an oval or rice' shape, which can be very high quality (i.e. grade AA and above) in quite large numbers, this brings down the price to an extremely affordable level.

Today modern pearl jewellery designs sit side by side with traditional designs. Most artisan jewellers do not compete directly with the big business traditional designs (however they usually offer a twist on traditional designs). Artisans usually offer more limited editions and smaller ranges of more modern types of pearl jewellery.

And our lives are more enriched by the wonderful choices of colours and shapes in modern pearl jewellery that we have today.

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