PEARLS
PEARLS NATURE’S MIRACLE!
Pearls are known since antiquity, in their passage they have charmed all women! It is the only classic piece of jewelry from generation to generation for the last 3000 years.
Modern Greek jewelry is distinguished for its quality and variety of designs. With influences from ancient Greece, Byzantine and Classical periods, Greek craftsmen manufacture jewelry with precious stones, using the K14 and K18 gold with central feature pearls in their natural form, pierced or treated.
The jewels of this last decade are modern, innovative, light, suitable for formal wear or during the whole day.
Necklaces, earrings, rings, pendants, white and yellow gold bracelets tied with unique pearls, precious stones and brilliant cut diamonds.
"Pearls are known since antiquity, in their passage they have charmed all women! It is the only classic piece of jewelry from generation to generation for the last 3000 years.
NATURAL PEARLS
Natural pearls are those developed by natural processes in fertile underwater areas and are a result of the defense mechanism of the soft body to an unknown attacker (grain of sand, a worm, etc.)
CULTURED PEARLS
Cultured are those developed by natural processes, but with human intervention. In fertile areas where mussels and oysters bearing pearls are grown the cultivator places a foreign body (e.g. a small bead of pearl) in the flesh, thus causing the body to put into gear the defense mechanism to protect from the “invader.” So, a substance is secreted, the nacre, which surrounds the foreign body in order to isolate it, starting the creation of the pearl.
From then on, it’s a matter of time for the development of the pearl. The more time the shell remains in the water, the more layers of nacre cover the small ball and the pearl becomes larger. The number of layers and their quality are two of the factors that determine the quality of pearls.
From the above we understand that pearls from natural (wild) oysters or mussels cannot be found in the market in recent decades. The cultured have flooded the market and are comparable or even better quality than the natural.
COLOURS
Their colour is white with different colour shades, silver, pink, salmon, gray, green, purple, blue, black, sometimes with iridescent colours.
SOURCE PRODUCTION
Source of production are freshwater and saline water molluscs, especially oysters. Natural pearls come from Sri Lanka, South India, the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea. Pearls also exist in Tahiti, Japan, China, Mexico, Panama and California.
VARIETIES OF CULTURED PEARLS
Innovative methods of cultivation in China led to increased production of pearls and, fortunately for us, at more reasonable prices.
The main varieties of cultivated pearls are as follows:
1/ FRESH WATER
FRESHWATER CULUTRED PEARLS
Chinese freshwater pearls are the cheapest and most common pearls in the market. They are systematically cultivated and marketed in several sizes, in round as well as in irregular shapes (baroque), in the shape of a pear (pear) or of a drop (drop).
The increase in numbers, as well as some new methods of treatment have given more opportunities to designers who are no longer restricted to conventional pearl necklaces, but they also produce amazing rings with pearls and brilliant cut diamonds and spectacular earrings tied with pearls and precious stones.
So, we no longer find them only in known jewelry which exudes the dynamism of the 80’s but also in minimalistic pieces, a must in jewelry of the last decade, that touches the fashionable youth of today.
2/ ΑΚΟΥΑ SEA CULTURED PEARLS
These are uniformly perfectly round pearls used in classic necklaces, earrings and bracelets and, of course, they never lose their prestige.
Their diameter is usually seven millimeters, in sizes from 2mm to 10mm. The colours vary and are mostly white, cream, pink, salmon and yellow. In recent years, China has managed to cultivate pearls of this variety successfully but has not managed to reach Japan’s quality. We find them in trendy rings, in nice vintage pieces, in bohemian earrings with colourful stones, in long art deco pendants, and of course in impressive chokers.
3/ SOUTH SEA WHITE
WHITE SOUTH SEA CULTURED PEARLS
They are considered the kings of the ocean and not unjustly so. They are the rarest pearls due of their size, colour and shine.
They are generally very large in size with diameters of the smaller not being less than 10mm and the larger going up to 20mm. Their colour varies from white, pink, light cream and silver.
They are cultivated in the zone extending from Northern Australia to the shores of the Burmese.
The key factors that determine the price are above all the shine, luster of surface, colour, and finally their size. More rarely – and hence more expensive- are the ones from Australia and of course the irregular South Sea pearls are less expensive.
Among other ways, they are laced with fabulous white gold K18 necklaces with diamonds. We often find them in cocktail rings laced with gold K18, jumbo size earrings, brooches of brilliant cut diamond rosettes and in massive glamorous bracelets.
4/SOUTH SEA BLACK
BLACK SOUTH SEA CULTURED PEARLS OR TAHITAN CULTURED BLACK PEARLS
Beautiful pearls in a variety of colours such as black, gray and black bronze. We find them in round shapes and sizes from 8mm to 25mm. Main cultivating countries are French Polynesia and Tahiti.
The items that impress are necklaces laced with white or yellow gold K18 and brilliant cut diamonds, eccentric rings with strong design, sophisticated pendants with diamonds in ethnic style and bangles-cuffs of the ’40s and ’50s in yellow and white gold.
QUALITATIVE CLASSIFICATION
The classification of cultured pearls is based on the criteria used for natural pearls to: Quality A’ meets the basic terms of the scale value of pearls:
- a. SHAPE: round >> baroque. The spherical are considered as the most valuable. Those shaped like a teardrop or pear-shaped, are assessed according to the outline, and their good symmetry.
- b. SIZE: measured in millimeters (mm) from 2mm up to 19mm for commercial use. Their measurement includes the diameter of the spherical or the length and width if they are not spherical.
- c. LUSTRE: high luster >> low luster The longer the pearl remains in the clam, the greater the deposition of nacreous substance, which results in deeper luster pearls.
- d. SURFACE: clean >> heavily blemished While small and scattered speckles is not worth noting, large or numerous defects reduce the value of the pearl.
- e. COLOUR: rose, silver/white, grey The cultured pearls range from black to totally white, while we encounter them in a variety of colours, such as pink, silver-white, cream, yellow-bronze, blue and gray.
CARE + MAINTENANCE
Pearls are more susceptible than gems and need special treatment. Certainly, a good necklace must be tied with silk thread and knotted up in between pearls. However:
- Protect them from excessive heat and flame, acids, alcohol, abrasion and sweat. At a fire they will burn and break. Their colour changes, they become brown, they dehydrate, crack and break.
- Hairsprays and perfume can make pearls lose their luster. Spray your hair and put your scent some time before putting on your jewelry.
- Do not wear your pearl necklace at the pool or the sea, chlorine and salt may alter its colour.
- Clean your pearls with a dry, clean and soft cloth. Never touch them with hands smeared with cream, cosmetics or liquid cleaning soaps.