Pearl Processing & Treatments: What Happens After Harvesting?

Unlike gemstones, pearls are created by a natural process and come out of the mollusk requiring no cutting or polishing. But that doesn’t mean pearls are not treated at all after being harvested from their mollusks.

Some processes and treatments are commonplace, acceptable, and enhance the cultured pearls, while others can be damaging to the pearls and even deceiving to the customers.

Let’s shed some light on what treatments you can expect, and which you should try to avoid.

Pearl Treatments Explained

•       Cleaning: After extraction, pearls are washed by tumbling them in rotating barrels with salt added to remove particles and odor. For high-quality pearls, this is often the only treatment they undergo.

• Polishing: Most pearls are also polished after cleaning. The polishing material consists of natural products, like slivers of bamboo, eucalyptus leaves, or ground walnut shells. An oily medium, like beeswax, is added to the mixture, and pearls are gently tumbled to smooth out small imperfections and enhance their luster. This process is done without chemical interventions, as chemicals can affect the nacre-quality.

• Bleaching: Many pearls are bleached to lighten and even out the color. This is mostly done on lower-quality pearls with a thin layer of nacre. The first layer of nacre covering the core of the pearl is darker than the other layers, but with enough layers, this darker color is hidden. If a pearl has been bleached, it usually is a sign that the pearl is of low quality, however, it may also be bleached to satisfy a market that prefers their pearls to be as near to white as possible. 

• Drilling holes: If a pearl is used in a design where a hole is needed, like a necklace, a hole will be drilled through the pearl.

• Filling cracks and holes: Lower quality and baroque pearls may have hollow areas or a loose nucleus. These are sometimes filled with an epoxy, which makes them more solid and improves durability. Fillings are very difficult to spot with the naked eye as colors are matched with that of the pearl.

• Dyeing: Pearls are sometimes dyed to satisfy a fashion trend or to create a color that is rare to find, like gold. Pearls can also be dyed to make it easier to match a strand of pearls. Without intervention, it can take years to find enough pearls of the same color to complete a string of pearls. Depending on the quality of the dye-work, dyeing can be completely undetectable or it could be easy to spot if colors look unnatural or too perfect. Dyeing isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as long as that is disclosed and the customer knows up-front what they’re buying. Timeless Pearl always discloses whether a pearl has been dyed in the product description.

• Coating: Pearls can also be coated with a clear, lustrous coating to improve the luster of the pearl. This improvement is temporary as the coating can peel off over time, exposing the inferior luster underneath. 

• Heat treatment: Heat treatments can be used to transform white pearls into gold, to darken pearl colors, or to enhance the luster artificially.

How Do You Know If Your Pearls Were Treated?

When you buy pearls from us, you can expect that all pearls are cleaned, most will be polished, and holes will be drilled where needed. Dyed pearls will be marked as such. Other treatments may depend on the farmers the pearls were sourced from. If you are unsure if any of the pearls in our shop have been treated, get in touch.

If you bought your pearls from another shop and you’d like to find out whether it has undergone any treatments, you can send your pearls to a lab to be tested. Most treatments can be picked up by using a loupe glass or using equipment like a UV spectroscopy to detect heat treatment.

Resource: timelesspearl.com/blogs

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How to Choose Jewelry Made From Cultured Pearls for Your Wedding?

Pearls have always been beautiful but people are also acknowledging their uniqueness these days. That is why this particular gem became the most popular choice of wedding jewelry after diamonds. Pearls are the ultimate symbol of love and purity, and some believe that wearing pearl jewelry on the wedding day allows happiness to be a constant companion of the couple. Traditionally, the bride wears a classic white pearl necklace on the big day. Due to the versatility of this gem, they are available in a wide range of shapes, colors, and styles. This topic will help you to choose the right pearl jewelry pieces that you should wear on the day of your marriage.

The Wedding Dress: Expert dealers of cultured pearls Collection in Timeless Pearl

• These jewelry specialists suggest you start with your dress while searching for the right jewelry. You must select something that will complement the style of the wedding dress and any hair accessories that you will be wearing. You should make sure to avoid mixing vintage pearl jewelry with a modern and contemporary wedding dress.

• Strands and pendants: The choice of bridal pearl jewelry will also depend on the neckline of the wedding dress. Based on the neckline of your clothes, specific necklace styles will work better than others. For instance, if your dress has a deep V-cut neckline, then an intricately designed pearl pendant necklace embedded with other gemstones will draw the attention of the attendees. Such a necklace will further elevate your choice of the dress and add a level of elegance and sophistication.

• Matching rules: Brides often wonder whether they should match their jewelry with the details on their gown or not. Experts believe that there aren’t any rules regarding matching the bridal jewelry and the wedding dress. Then again, it is wise to seek out a few common elements such as lace, ruffles, and fabric. You should focus on everything that would coordinate with your jewelry. In that respect, pearls happen to be one of those few gemstones that are versatile in terms of styling.

• Budget considerations: Since wedding jewelry is sentimentally valuable to the bride, you will probably want to buy something that will remain a treasure to you for the rest of your life. That is why you should purchase pieces of high-quality designed with gold or silver if possible. You must ensure that the luster and the surface quality of the gems are above-excellence. There shouldn’t be any visible imperfections.

 

• The dress comes first: Indeed, jewelry experts say that one must always purchase trinkets after buying the wedding gown. After all, the jewelry pieces and the accessories serve to elevate your dress. You should also ask the jeweler to gain information on the quality of the products available and price range. It will help you understand more about the jewelry that you are planning to buy.

Final considerations

Pearls have always been the undeclared ruler of wedding jewelry pieces. They are the purest forms of ornaments that you can wear at your wedding. Indeed, some people believe that wearing pearls can bring bad luck. However, if you don’t believe in such superstitions, then you must give pearl jewelry a try before wearing them at your wedding.

Resource: timelesspearl.wordpress.com

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Look glamorous in festive season by decorating yourself with pearl jewelry

Pearls have been enchanting people for centuries, even in the ancient world. Not only do they stand as a symbol of purity, but the elegance and uniqueness of the pearl can be translated into royalty. Pearls are universally flattering. They bring light to the face and look great with any outfit. Multi-string pearl necklace, pearl chokers and bracelets add a surreal charm to your festive outfit. Cultured pearls too are very much in trend this season for their uniqueness in hues and shapes. The pearl styles cover the full range of jewelry, from bracelets and delicate necklaces to rings and eye-catching earrings which are all sure to turn heads this festive season. No matter what style you decide on, these modern pearl pieces will add a special touch to all of your festive looks.

These are a few tips to help you choose the perfect jewelry so you look amazing during the festive season

Your Style Matters

Your everyday fashion style is a direct reflection of your personality. Instead, go with pearl jewelry pieces you really like. Do you typically like wearing lots of jewelry pieces or layered necklaces? Long strands of pearls layer perfectly to make beautiful necklaces for the festive season. They can also be used to create your own multi-layered bracelets. Or, you can go with pearl bangle bracelets instead. Then, simply find a few festive season pieces you can coordinate with your cultured pearls jewelry. For a simpler look, tone it down with a pair of  stylised pearl studs. Or, choose a simple necklace with a single pearl surrounded by festive season theme-coloured gems.

Less is Always More

This is an idea to keep in mind when shopping for festive jewelry. If you get too carried away, you may find yourself looking like Cupid. So, always remember… less is more. Keep in mind that cultured accessories can be really flashy and colourful. So, choose Cultured pearls pieces for the festive season that stand out. But, don’t choose multiple pieces that make your appearance seem cluttered. White pearls have a way of adding luster to your look, without adding “too much” to your look. Choose pearl jewelry that blends in with your festive jewelry, not overpowers it.

Colour Matters

Most festive season have theme colour. Most festive people like to use these colours to show their festive spirit. But, try not to go colour-overboard. Choose one colour for your festive pearl jewelry that unifies your look.

Pearl jewelry for every festive season

To wear pearl jewelry is to reflect the purity of the ocean … the mystery of creation … and to know you are adorned with the finest cultured pearls in the world. To add some flare to your festive look, choose several pieces of pearl jewelry in various styles and sizes, but make sure they’re the same colour. This will give you a more sophisticated look for the festivals. Have fun with your pearl accessories, but don’t overwhelm your outfit. Small pearl studs in the ears, a pearl necklace and you are good to go. If you are looking for jewellery to wear at work, pearls can be your best bet.

Conclusion

Having Cultured pearls is now easier than before because of their availability and accessibility, they are widely chosen for presents to the loved ones and used by young and old ladies and men simultaneously in rings and jewelry pieces in all the festive season.

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A GUIDE TO BUYING YOUR FIRST PEARLS

Have you dreamed of owning your own pearls since you first saw Breakfast at Tiffany’s? Audrey Hepburn has iconized pearls and inspired women all over the world with her now classic strand of pearls, so we understand the enchantment!

Buying your first piece of pearl jewelry can be intimidating (what color do you choose, what type?), but once you know what to look for, it can be an exhilarating experience that will leave you feeling glamorous. With these handy tips below, we’re confident you can pick out the perfect piece of pearl jewelry that truly represents the best of you!

Factors Influencing the Price

First, you need to know the difference between natural and cultured or farmed pearls. Natural pearls are grown in the wild without any human interference while cultured pearls need humans to cultivate them. Natural pearls are extremely rare and much more expensive than their farmed cousins. Most pearls currently used in jewelry are cultured unless it explicitly states they are natural.

Six factors determine the value and price of pearl jewelry: size, luster, shape, color, surface, and match. The higher the quality of the pearls, the more valuable they are and, of course, the more expensive. If you need to decide whether to go for a higher quality or bigger sized pearls to fit in with your budget, go for higher quality.

Personal Style

It is important that you choose pearl jewelry that fits your personal style and suits your skin tone. Many women believe that your first pearls should be a classic white strand, which works for many women, but if that’s not your style, choose something you know you’re going to love wearing.

Where you want to wear the pearls– for work, formal events, or in a casual setting– will affect which kind of jewelry you choose.

The color you choose is a great way to show your personal style. Just remember that colors can limit the clothing choices. Classic, white pearls are versatile, can be dressed up or down, and can fit in with almost any outfit. Darker pearls such as black, silver, and chocolate can be exotic, bold, and dramatic. Softer colors like pink, peach, and lavender are fun, flirty, and young – a perfect choice for spring and summer.

The shape you choose is also an important factor. There are many shapes available, ranging from perfectly round to drop, button, oval, and baroque pearls.

How to Care for Your Pearls

If you look after your pearls well, they can remain in good condition for a lifetime. Chemicals are not good for pearls and will eventually dull the pearls’ luster. Keep them away from perfume, makeup, and hairspray.

Wipe the pearls with a soft cloth after you wear them and store them separately from other jewelry to avoid scratching.

Tips on Buying Your First Pearls

When choosing a retailer to buy from, keep these factors in mind:

• The color of pearls may look different from a photo or inside a shop depending on the light. Choose a retailer with a return policy in place.
• Select a retailer who specializes in pearl jewelry as other jewelers may not have the necessary knowledge to advise you.
• Don’t pick pearl jewelry according to brands. High-quality pearls are available to retailers no matter their size. Branded jewelry may be more expensive just because of the brand name, not the quality.
• Retailers who buy directly from the farmers can sell high-quality pearls at a much more affordable price.
• Make sure you buy real pearls. You’ll be able to spot the difference with this guide.

If you need any help choosing your first organic gems or buying pearls online, feel free to contact Ying of Timeless Pearl for advice.
Blog Source: https://timelesspearl.com/buying-your-first-pearls/

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10 Ways to Tell a Real Pearl

Tired and True ways to tell a REAL PEARL from a FAKE ONE!

Pearls have always been one of women’s favorite jewelry. In the market there is a wide range of pearl jewelry, and it is often difficult for consumers to distinguish the real pearls from the fake ones.

Here are 10 simple rules:

1. Observation
   Pearls are unique. When you look at each pearl on a necklace, the color, shape, size and luster the pearls are not all exactly the same. Because they have been made by nature, each pearl has its individual “personality.” Fake pearls usually have the same size and shape.
2. Shape
   True pearls do not have a particularly neat shape. Naturally grown pearls are very difficult to have a necklace all the same shapes, especially those that are rounded or pearls that is particularly uniform in size. The perfect pearl is so rare, that’s why perfect pearls with big size and good luster usually sell for hundreds of thousand dollars.
3. Touch
   Even when the weather is hot, true pearls have a sense of cool. Plastic beads generally feel warm. Real pearls give a sense of cool when they are in your hand, while imitation pearls have a sticky feeling when rolling and sliding. If the imitation pearls are pure glass beads, the weight is usually heavier than real pearls, but if imitation beads are waxed glass, it will only have about half of the weight of real pearls.If you hold one pearl in each hand (could be from the same necklace) and rub them against each other, there is a sense of an uneven feeling (jerky rough feel) If the pearls are real, then a pearl powder will be produced when you rub them together. But if the pearls are fake, they will have a slip or smooth surface.NOTE: don’t be afraid to rub the pearls together, it will not harm your real pearls. Just blow away the powder and your pearls will still have their usual luster.
4. Sound
   When you shake and knock an entire string of pearls, the real pearls will have a softer more comfortable sound and the fakes will sound thin or tinny. If you bite a real pearl and scrape it slightly with your teeth, you can feel and hear the sandy, grainy surface of the pearl. But a fake pearl will be slippery with no sound. And if the fake is plastic, sometime your teeth will make depressions in the pearl.
5. Magnifier observation.
   Use 5x or 10x magnifying glass to observe the pearl surface, if they are real pearls (including natural pearl and cultured pearls), the surface seems to be grown as grain, like the wind over the dunes; but, if you see rugged eggshell surface, then they are imitation pearls.

The above 5 ways described are generally used for pearl identification and will not damage your pearls. However, the following 5 ways is for Professionals only.

6. Knife
   With a knife or scissors scraping the surface of the real pearl, it will only fall a number of powder; and in the artificial coated beads scraping, blowing a layer of film will expose the true face of the glass; if uncoated glass beads scraping action, it just gives a smooth feeling.
7. Fire
   When you mild burn the pearls with a lighter, surface seems to be intact, still shiny, no odor; when burning time is extended to two minutes or more, there would be a popping sound, shedding phenomenon occurs when the layer of beads with a fingernail scratch. Plastic imitation pearls mild burning smell bad, pearls lose their luster, and burning fire occurs, while the surface is like a black pot, washed off the surface, exposing the bead core.
8. Bounce test
   Drop the pearl from 60 cm height on a piece of glass, the rebound height should around 35 cm. Under the same test conditions, imitation pearls’ rebound height is much worse.
9. Chemical solution
   Put the pearl into acetone solution, glorious should be as usual. Imitation pearls will lose total luster within one minute under the same conditions. Pearl’s relative density is about 2.73, and can dissolve in hydrochloric acid, but no reaction in case of imitation pearls.
10. Polarizer observation
    Pearls are almost all light or semi-transparent; while imitation pearls have a transparent layer and do not have a uniform torus.

What are real pearls?

The real pearls are grown in the ocean or freshwater shellfish, suffering (or artificial implants) body and foreign objects friction stimulation, the fluid secreted by the body to foreign material forms layers of pearls wrapped ball formed body.

There are two categories of pearls: Natural pearls and cultured pearls.

The cultured pearl market is broken down into saltwater cultured pearls and freshwater cultured pearls. About 99% of the pearls on the market today are cultured freshwater pearls.

In terms of color, there are natural colored pearls and artificially colored pearls.

The biggest difference between saltwater pearls and freshwater pearls is the structure: whether natural or cultured, freshwater pearls are nuclear-free (except for Edison pearls), all the ingredients are by nacre composition, so most of the pearl powders used today are made of freshwater pearls.

The saltwater pearls are nucleated, which generally consists of nuclear mussel shells trotters ground, covering the surface nacre thickness 0.1-0.3 mm. Therefore, the saltwater pearl powder would consist of a small majority of nacre shell powder, which is not good for medicinal or cosmetic products. If you need 100% saltwater pearl powder, you first must remove the core, so the cost is very high and the process is not easy. That’s also why saltwater pearl powders are more expensive than freshwater ones.

Because saltwater pearls always have a kernel, most of their regular shapes are round. As they have a shiny crystal clear center, they are easy to be used for ornaments or jewelry. Only a small part of the irregular shape saltwater pearls are used to make pearl powder, so the whole production quantity is far lower than freshwater pearls.

Saltwater pearl production is very low, as generally three mother of pearl shells produce only one pearl. As you can imagine, freshwater pearl production is relatively high. You can easily find 6-8 freshwater pearls inside the mother shell. That’s part of the reason why the price of saltwater pearls is so much higher than freshwater pearls. In the past, most freshwater pearls are rice shaped or irregular shaped with a low shiny effect, so there is only a small part of freshwater pearls that will be used to make ornaments or jewelry.

What are fake pearls?

The so-called fake pearls, refers to all or part of the artificial production of imitations and alternatives; because of their strong simulation to real pearls, these fakes often cause difficult true chaos. There are fake pearls such as waxed glass beads; solid glass beads or glass beads coated fake pearls.

Most fake pearls on the market today are made in the following five ways:

1. Waxed glass beads imitation – that is full of paraffin in the hollow of opalescent glass round pellets. Such imitation bead density, generally less than 1.5 g / mm3, the weigh is very light, and can be distinguished easily.
2. Solid glass beads imitation – Coming milky solid glass balls soaked in the “pearl of semen” together. Drilling observed at 15 times the magnifying glass, you could see a very thin layer of “pearl of semen”. If you struck with a needle it will fall into pieces, but not the small scale-like powder.
3. Plastic beads coated imitation – that is plated with a thin layer “pearl of semen” in milky white plastic balls, the surface was coated with a magnifying glass like pimples evenly distributed, as natural pearls and cultured pearls as real smooth paste. If you struck with a needle, not fine powder would be found.
4. Imitation pearl beads – because it is made of polished shells with nacre on thick, very round, has a similar pearl luster, its density has no big difference from real pearls. The best way to identify it is to put it before a strong light source; under the light transmittance you can often see obvious parallel strips, which are traces of pearl powder into a layer.
5. Shell powder synthetic beads – by definition, it is made with shell (black shells removed) after adding powdered adhesive inside.
   
   Blog Source: http://timelesspearl.com/10-ways-to-tell-a-real-pearl/

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