subject: June Birthstone – Pearls [print this page] The birthstone for the month of June, Pearls are one the most beloved gems. Pearls have a timeless beauty and elegance that has fascinated man for ages.
Pearls are organic gems, that is, they are formed or produced by living organisms. Natural pearls are beautiful accidents of nature. They are formed when an irritant such as a parasite accidently gets trapped into the body of a mollusk. To get rid of the irritant, mollusk produces a substance called as nacre'. The pearl gets more beautiful as the nacre becomes thicker.
Since ages, pearl has been greatly valued by man. In ancient times the value of a pearl was comparable to owning a piece of land. Famous Roman historian, Pliny the Elder described pearls as, "The richest merchandise of all, the most sovereign commodity, through the whole world are these pearls." For long, pearls were believed to possess special mystical quality, symbolized by the glow that radiates from its very center. In ancient Rome, only the people with certain stature were allowed to wear pearls.
One of the oldest and the biggest pearls is crafted in the Aphrodite pin. The Aphrodite pin is a gold plated bronze that dates back to around 300 B.C. It is an astounding pin from the sanctuary of Aphrodite, Greek Goddess of love, beauty and desire.
Natural Pearls V/S Cultured Pearls
Natural pearls are formed accidently in nature. They are formed without any kind of human intervention. Thus they are prized dearly as thousands of oysters had to be searched for one pearl.
Cultured pearls on the other hand are not accident of nature but planned by humans. Here, the foreign object is planted into the body of mollusk. The rest of the process is completely same.
Most popular kinds of cultured pearls
Akoya cultured
Akoya cultured pearls are grown in China and Japan. They were developed in Japan by Mikimoto. These pearls are one of the most lustrous pearls. Although in recent years China has been successful in producing large quantities of Akoya cultured pearls but it is said that they are not as high quality as the Japanese ones.
White South Sea
Grown in Australia, Myanmar, Indonesia and Philippines; white south sea cultured pearls command high prices given their rarity and large sizes.
Tahitian
Grown in French Polynesia, Tahitian cultured pearls are cherished for their unique colors. Ranging from light gray to black, green and purple are loved for their unconventional yet classy looks.
