Natural Pearls

Natural Pearls Defined Natural pearls are calcium carbonate secretions which form within mollusks without human intervention. Natural Pearls – Accidents of Nature Natural pearls are formed randomly and really are simple accidents of nature. When a certain type of irritant, such as a parasite, becomes lodged in the tissue of a mollusk, the animal responds by secreting a calcium carbonate substance called nacre to coat the intruder and protect the mollusk. Over a period of several years, this build-up of nacre forms a natural pearl. Natural pearls of any commercial value or desirability are extremely rare. Since the early part of the 20th century, cultured pearls have replaced natural pearls as the most common available pearls. Cultured Pearls vs. Natural Pearls Cultured pearls are still real pearls, grown organically inside of oysters in the same way as natural pearls. The difference is, that in the case of cultured pearls, the pearl farmer intentionally stimulates the development of the pearl by inserting a “nucleus” into the oyster. Thus, the formation and discovery of the pearl are no longer left to chance. Pierre Cartier established the New York City branch in 1909, moving in 1917 to the current location of 653 Fifth Avenue, the Neo-Renaissance mansion of Morton Freeman Plant (son of railroad tycoon Henry B. Plant) and designed by architect C.P.H. Gilbert. Cartier acquired the mansion from the Plants in exchange for $100 in cash and a double-stranded natural pearl necklace valued at the time at $1 million. Everyone knows about the great American Gold rush in the middle of the 19th century, but there was also a great discovery of pearls in the rivers of Wisconsin in the 1880s. It was in the Gilded Age, identified by it often extravagent displays of wealth. It was at a time when the demand for pearls was very high and the truditional salt water sources for natural pearls, the Perisian Gulf and the Indian Ocean were not able to keep up with damand. Also, this was just before the new diamond mines in South Africa came into production, and the age of diamond began. From ancient times pearls were concidered the most precious of all of the precious stones. If you study the paintings and photographs of the Royals in Europe and India, they are adorned with pearls. When you look at portiait of Henery Vlll, you will see pearl sown on to his garments. Mikimoto did not start to cultavating cultured pearls until just before 1900. The first pearl rush in the United States was short lived in 1857 in the Notch Brook in northern New Jersey. The news of this discovery began to leak out, more pearl hunters appeared in the rivers of the North Eastern part of the US. A few year later in the Suger River in Wisconsin another ‘pearl rush’. The Suger River pearls came in many colors including lavender, pink, blue, white and lilac. Tiffany & Co., purchased most of the pearls for sale in Europe. George F. Kunz, one of the very first gemologist and the gem expert for Tiffany & Co., in his book,”The Book of Pearls”, of the famous Lady Dudley pearl necklace. Kunz recounts, “The pearls of Lady Dudley were sold at Christie’s (auction house in London) on July 4, 1902. Among them was a magnificent necklace of forty-seven slightly graduated round pearls, of large size and unusually brilliant  orient; some quite possibly from Wisconson, their gross weight was 1090 grains…” This was an average size slilghtly smaller than a pea. The auction price was L22,000., which today would be $2,558.581.00 or over $54,000 per pearl. The ever-rising price of pearl jewelry in Europe, Asia, and in New York continued to give impetus to the US pearl rush until about 1910. By then, many of the easily accessible waters in the United States were stripped of their pearl bearing clams. Natural Pearls Today MELO MELO PEARLS A Melo Melo pearl is non-nacreous, natural calcareous concretions by a marine gastropod Melo Melo. Virtually unknown in the west until very recently, Melo pearls might fail to attract attention, let alone action, if put up for sale anywhere but Asia. The reason is simple: habitat. Melo pearls-all of which, it should be pointed out, are natural-are found in the Indo-Pacific region, more particularly in Myanmar (Burmese), Thai, Malaysian, Vietnamese and Australian waters. Melo Melo pearls are usually large and round.  Melo Melo pearls are extremely large and generally very round. One of the largest discovered is nearly the size of a golf ball! The pearl’s color range from tan, dark brown, white, pink to vivid orange. The latter twocolors are the most desirable. Also like the conch pearl, the color is believed to be subject to fading over time · Flame Structure – One of the most attractive features of melo pearls is their fiery flame structure. On some pearl surfaces there is a regular pattern of parallel elongated striations that impart a silky sheen. In some specimens distinct microscopic “flames” can be observed that are actually thin lamellae. The lamellae are almost parallel to one another and when sometimes perpendicular to the axis of the pearl result in a “pseudo-chatoyancy” effect. Pearls with a distinct flame structure have a “watered silk” appearance towards the periphery of the sphere. In cases where a mottled texture of white or brown spots occurs, the flame structure is coarse and difficult to resolve to the unaided eye. These pearls tend to exhibit dimpled surface features. · Luster – Melo pearls exhibit a porcelain-like luster. Especially when they are repolished, they then impart a very shiny luster like porcelain chinaware; this feature is referred to as “porcellaneous luster. CONCH PEARLS One of the world’s most unique and luxurious gems, Conch pearls are produced naturally by the Queen Conch mollusk. The highest quality exampels are characterized by a distinctive ‘flame structure’ that give the appearance of a fire burining on the surface. It is said that only one in ten to fifteen thousand Queen conchs produces a pearl-this would account for so few people, including jewelers, having ever seen or known of the existance of the pastel pink, naturally occurring pearl of the Caribbean. To find a gem Conch pearl brillantly surrounded by the lights of its magnificent flame struture, the number of conches to be found rises to 120 to 150 thousand. While the various shases of pink aare most in demand,  conch pearl colors range from gold to magenta, lavender and orange. QUEEN CONCH CULTURED PEARLS: A NEW GEM Natural conch pearls, especially those with attractive pink coloration and flame structhre, have a very limited avalilability in the jewelry market. For more than twenty-five yearl, attempts at culturing pearls form the Queen conch (Strombus gigas) have been unsuccful-until now. Scientist from Flordia Atlantic Universithy’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (authors Scosta-Salmon and Davis) have developed proprietary techniques to produce beaded and non-beaded cultured pearls from the Queen conch. ABALONE PEARLS Abalone pearls are concidered by many to be some of the most beautiful pearls in the world, and they are also some of the rarest. Abalone is a type of gastropod mollusk, Haliotis, a primitive, uni-valved (which means single-shelled), and at least thirty million years old.  There are only eight varieties of abalone, which is low, when compaired to the other pearl producing mollusks such as oysters and mussels. The inner mother-of-pearl of the abalone has an intense luster and a mixed color palette of blues, lavender, orange, pink and silver, in nearly every conceivable compination. The beauty of the abalone pearl is the reflection of this color potpourri in its typical irregular shape. Different forms of abalone are found anywhere from Califorina to Alaska, as well as in Korea, Japan, New Zeland, and Australia. The reason that these pearls are so rare is that they require about 8 to 10 years to form (note that it takes only 24 to 36 months for the pearls to develop in pearl farms, as ideal circumstances are provided). As abalone are commonly subject to commercial fishing at about the age of four or five years.