Happy Birthday PEARLS!

If you hadn’t already guested this months gemstone is ….. PEARLS!
Here at Coleman Douglas Pearls we have a stunning collection of :
Freshwater Pearls
Akoya Pearls
Tahitian Pearls
South Sea Pearls

Did you know that Freshwater Pearls are created in mussels that can produce at least 40 – 80 pearls in their lifetime! They are made by inserting a piece of mantel tissue that contains epithelial cells from a donor mussel into the new mussel which will then start the nacre production.
Normally no bead is inserted into the mussel as a nucleus, which is why a large amount of freshwater pearls are irregular in shape, having been given the affectionate nickname ‘Potato Pearls’!
If you were to x-ray a freshwater pearl you would see the solid nacre layers and a very small empty cavity at the center, where the mantel tissue used to be.

Cultured pearl mussels have a short life, starting work at 3 years old and retiring at the age of 18. The size of freshwater pearls is purely determined by the amount of time that the pearls spend in the water. The longer they stay in the water the larger the pearls will be.

If you would like to find out more about pearls then come along to one of our fantastic Pearl Talks held at 42 Beauchamp Place, London, SW3 1NX.
Learn all about the different types of pearls, how they are made, the various colours and shapes they come in, how to look after them, what to look out for when purchasing pearls, and much, much more.

We would also like to invite you to come and view a beautiful range of portrait paintings by the very gifted Lorna Lawson-Cruttenden from 3rd to 22nd June at our Pearl Showroom.
Our opening hours are Monday to Saturday, 11am-7pm.