The Pearl industry has made a major effort to educate the public about cultured pearls for the last 50 years. It has been 100 years since the designation of the word "cultured" to the farmed pearl. So, why is the lab grown diamond using the designation of "cultured" to market its synthetic diamonds?
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All pearls are unique, but there are some historically significantly unique pearls and The Hope Pearl is one of them. Of course you have heard of the Hope Diamond, but there is the Hope Pearl, as well.
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Nacreous pearls are the pearls that we mostly talk about and see. These are the South Sea Pearls, Tahitians, and Freshwater Pearls. Non nacreous pearls are grown in conch shells. There are many varieties, but the main ones are the Conch Pearls and the Melo Melo Pearls.
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A millionaire, Morton Plant traded his Fifth Avenue Mansion for a 2 stranded Cartier Necklace of natural pearls. This was the extreme value of natural pearls in the very early 20th century.
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Golden South Sea Pearls are some of the most valuable pearls cultured today. The most beautiful and most valuable are the deep golden colored pearls grown in the gold lipped variety of the Pinctada maxima South Sea oyster.
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This woman is working on a pearl farm to open and clean oysters for their pearls.
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Buying pearls should be a very tactile experience as well as visual. The nacre IS the pearl and that is what you will be judging. Of course, the design of the piece is part of your decision, but that is personal. I want you to get the best pearls and here are a few suggestions to help you make that decision.
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Nucleation Nucleation is the process of surgically implanting a spherical “starter” mother of pearl bead into the gonad organ of (in saltwater) oysters or (in freshwater) mussels. It is an extremely delicate operation to slice into the organ without harming the mollusk. Along with the bead, a tiny piece of mantel tissue that is cut...
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Fijian Pearls are grouped in the usual collection of Tahitian Pearls, but they are technically not Tahitian Pearls. They are Fijian Pearls. They are even cultivated in a subset of oyster than the Tahitian Pearls. Tahitians are farmed in the Pinctada Margaritifera oyster, while the Fijian Pearls are farmed in the Pinctada Margaritifera typica oyster.
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