Pearl Guide
Below are some insights into pearls, that you may find useful if considering buying pearls.
What are Pearls?
Pearls are organic, natural and have a special surface, which reflects light on a complexion in a very flattering way. In other words you always look better when wearing Pearls! This is a result of the way nacre is formed on the pearl. The nacre reflects light with sharpness and intensity that gives a Pearl it’s particular glow. That’s why pearls have been worn by women for centuries, and are now making a big comeback in the fashion world. Here are some insights into pearls in this pearl guide that you may find useful if considering buying pearls.
The Pearls you see on this website have been grown on Pearl Farms in South East Asia. That is in the province of Zhuji in China, the regions of Palawan and Mindanao in the Philippines. They grow in Pearl farms in freshwater. Farmers use the Mollusc of the hyriopsis cumingii oyster and grow them on rafts floating on the water. Each Pearl takes between 2 and 5 years to actually grow. Once they are fully grown, the farmer harvests them and sends them to a pearl market. At these markets, wholesalers buy and distribute large numbers of Pearls. We buy our Pearls from Pearl farms and wholesalers directly. Some of the jewellery pieces are assembled in Asia and some we design and manufacture in our own workshop here in Ireland.
Different shapes and sizes
When you look at Pearls jewellery you will see that some Pearls grow in different shapes and sizes-some grow perfectly round (only a very small percentage of each harvest is perfectly round) but each one is unique and different. Some customers prefer perfect round shaped pearls –and indeed these are beautiful but other customers prefer the individuality of the different shapes. As a general rule the more perfectly round a pearl is the more expensive it is, but other factors are considered when looking for quality Pearls. These are: the lustre, colour, shape, size, surface quality and the thickness of the nacre. When creating a piece of pearl jewellery then the other quality factor is matching-how well the peals match each other.
The Gemological Institute of America provide the only pearl classification and is recognised in the jewellery industry as the benchmark for quality pearls.
If a Pearl has all of these quality factors, perfectly round, high luster, deep colour, and is blemish free, then its likely to cost a lot. In fact, at a jewellwery retail store you could pay thousands of euro/dollars for a necklace or bracelet which is made up of these perfect pearls. But for many of us who love to wear Pearls everyday and don’t want the responsibility of wearing very expensive jewellery, then “I love my Pearls” give you great quality Pearls and really good prices.
How to tell if it’s real?
There’s a couple of easy ways to tell if you’re Pearls are real or imitation. Firstly, fake Pearls will look too uniform –all the same shape, colour etc. They may look too shiny and perfect. Cultured Pearls are never as uniform as that. Real Pearls may be a little heavier than fake ones.
If they are glassy and shiny they could be glass or plastic. Our Pearls will be different shapes and sizes-with slight indentations and markings on the surface.
Finally if you rub a pearl gently against a front tooth it will feel chalky –while a fake one will feel smooth and glassy.
When to wear Pearls
Well it may be easier to say when not to wear Pearls. I can’t think of a time when they would not be suitable. Maybe if you were running a crèche with 20 under 5’s, then Pearls would not be a good idea as they may not last the grabbing by tiny fingers. The rest of the time you can be sure that wearing Pearls will add to the outfit you are wearing. Only one rule applies,Pearls go with anything and can be worn anytime.
The Perfect gift-anytime!
There’s one thing you can guarantee is that there is never a wrong time to give Pearls as a gift. Just think -Birthdays, Anniversaries, Graduations, Weddings, Mother’s Day, Engagements, Birthstones (June for Pearls), or simply to tell someone how much you think of them.
When you select your Pearls from I love my Pearls they will come in a modern pretty gift box with nicely packaged matching luxury tissue paper, an organza dust bag and a certificate. They look beautiful and expensive!
