Some Pearly Wisdom on Jewelry's Treasured Bauble

When one thinks of classic and timeless jewelry, pearls are always a gem that come to mind. One of jewelry's most treasured gems, pearls have long been associated with nobility, wisdom, purity and romance. Pretty amazing, considering pearls come from such humble origins.

Feminine Power
In fact, pearls have long been considered an icon of feminine power. Think Coco Chanel and her pearl jewelry necklace strands she was never seen without. Elizabeth 1st adorned herself with pearls during her rule of the British Empire. Prior to her ill-fated end, Marie Antoinette gave a bag of pearls to the British ambassador's wife who was fleeing revolutionary France, just short year before the queen's death. She had hoped to be reunited with her treasures, which also included diamonds, but could not have known her true fate.

Even famed jeweler Cartier has been blessed by the power of pearls. It was a pearl jewelry necklace that brought about their prestigious location on Fifth Avenue in New York City.  Incredibly, banker Morton F Plant exchanged his mansion on Fifth Avenue in 1917 for a Cartier two-strand pearl jewelry necklace his wife had her eyes on. Today, that property serves as Cartier's famous headquarters.

Humble Origins
The birthstone of June, the pearl starts out as a tiny grain of sand or microscopic worm that becomes trapped inside an oyster. The oyster protects itself from this irritant by secreting a substance called nacre. As layers of nacre coat the foreign object, a pearl is slowly formed. In general, a pearl's value is greatly determined by the thickness of its nacre coating.

In the early days, pearls were harvested by the brave efforts of divers who braved the ocean's depths to gather these treasures. Today, the majority of pearls are harvested on pearl farms in a variety of shapes, sizes and color.

The classic round pearls used in many jewelry necklaces, are called Akoya pearls and are grown in waters off Japan. These come in hues of pink, peach, white and cream. Prized for their large size, the White South Sea pearl is grown in places such as Australia and Indonesia and other locations in the South Pacific.  Grown in French Polyneisa, the lovely Tahitian pearl is harvested in a variety of colors ranging from gray to black and green to purple. These often command very high prices. Freshwater pearls are considered more affordable by the general public because they are less lustrous than saltwater cultured pearls and are often irregularly shaped. Freshwater pearls are harvested in the lakes and rivers of Japan, China and the U.S.

Pearl's Five Factors
When shopping for a pearl jewelry necklace, earrings or ring, there are five factors that determine the value of the pearl. The first is luster, which describes the surface brilliance of the gem. The second is surface cleanliness, or in other words, the absence of spots, cracks or bumps. Shape is the third factor. Generally, the more round a pearl, the higher its ascribed value. The fourth factor is color. Today's pearls come in a huge range of colors. Last but not least is size. An average sized pearl measures approximately 7-7.5-millimeters. However, they can measure as small as 1 millimeter or as large as 20 millimeters.

Caring for Your Pearls
Pearls are a soft gemstone. They only rank 2.5-4.5 on the Mohs scale for hardness. That means when wearing your pearl jewelry necklace or ring, it's important these pieces avoid contact with cosmetics, hair spray and lotions. Even the natural oils from skin can dull a pearl's luster. When removing your jewelry necklace or ring, wipe it with a soft damp cloth to remove any dirt and then store the piece in a cloth bag away from other jewelry. Careful storage of your pearl jewelry will help preserve its luster and prevent scratching. Your pearl jewelry necklaces should be brought to a jeweler once a year for a proper cleaning and for examination. A pearl jewelry necklace may need to be re-strung to prevent strand breakage

Lewis Jewelers is proud to carry the full line of Pandora Jewelry.  Pandora bracelets, Pandora charms and Pandora beads are only a part of the collection. For more information, contact Lewis Jewelers, 2000 West Stadium Blvd., Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48103, 877-88-LEWIS or visit LewisJewelers.com.