Keshi pearls and Seed pearls The word Keshi means seed in Japanese, All Keshi pearls have the most wonderful iridescent quality and exceptional lustre. This is due to the multitude of nacre layers they have and how the light plays on their surface. A keshi pearl can have one of two origins, a natural pearl... Continue Reading →
A.K.A classic twin set pearls In the past the implants used for Cultured Akoya pearls used to be a mother of pearl nucleus bead, which was shipped from Mississippi where the Pig Toe mussel grew. This mother of pearl bead had the perfect specific weight needed, to make it difficult for the oyster to spit... Continue Reading →
A.K.A classic twin set pearls Classic pearls Classic pearls are formed in the Akoya oyster, or pinctada fucata martensii to its friends, pearls from these oysters were first recorded in 1727 when Kaempfer noted that fine [i.e. natural] pearls were found in Japan within Akoya oysters, Kaempfer also noted that the quality in these... Continue Reading →
Cultured South Sea and Tahitian Pearls Proud to be beautiful, large and lustrous in white, silvery white and gold These would be South Sea pearls they are mainly 9-16mm in diameter although they can be well over 20mm in diameter; their nucleus is made from a mother of pearl bead, or resin. Their nacre covering... Continue Reading →
How do cultured pearls reproduce? How many baby oysters will it take? …..Thousands! And guess what? Their reproduction cycle is truly random. Let us first understand how pearls happen in the wild. What AM I? Oysters change sex from one season to another … confused? They must be! OK let’s have a go! Certain oysters... Continue Reading →
How to culture an oyster pearl in 6 easy steps Start with a healthy oyster, it needs to be a 3 year old oyster that is ready for an exciting adventure. Then place a peg similar to an old fashioned clothes peg onto it, so it cannot open, not much fun but the result PEARLS... Continue Reading →
Did you know there are two main types of cultured pearls? There are seawater and freshwater cultured pearls just as in the natural pearl realm. First up let’s investigate sea water cultured pearls. Not only are oysters delightful to eat, they also produce the most naturally beautiful gem known to mankind. Pearl production is the... Continue Reading →
Let’s give nature a helping hand As natural pearls were so rare and prized, during the XVII and XVIII centuries scientists in France, America and Sweden, tried to help nature. Most notably the Swedish naturalist Linnaeus in 1748, studied how to aid pearls form in a mussel, with muted success. The heart of pearl culture... Continue Reading →
The notion of helping a mollusc create pearls or a product of beauty has been around since the 14th century. When in China semi-circular pearls or “sleeping policemen shaped” Buddha figurines were made from mud and placed into the interior shell of a freshwater mollusc, the mollusc then obligingly covered the mud figurines in nacre.... Continue Reading →
