Pearls have long been a symbol of beauty and purity. They are a modern classic and these days there are many varieties of pearls that you can choose from for your jewelry.

1.1 Types of pearls - natural and cultured

Pearls are formed when an irritant (such as sand) gets inside a mollusk's shell, and the mollusk reacts by creating layers of nacre around the irritant.

rice. Cross-sectional diagram of natural and cultured pearls

In natural wild pearls, the irritant usually comes from the water, while in cultured pearls, people put a seed (nucleus) inside to start the process.

rice. Cross-section of natural (top) and cultured (bottom) pearls

1.2. Types of pearls – Tahitian, Akoya and South Sea pearls

Pearls can grow in both sea and fresh water. Saltwater pearls differ in origin - Akoya pearls, Tahitian pearls and South Sea pearls.

Sea pearls
Akoya Pearl

This cultured pearl is grown in Chinese and Japanese waters (mainly in Southern Japan). Akoya pearls are round, the color of the natural shades of this type of pearl can be warm and cold from blue, cream to soft pink. The size of pearls varies from 2 to 11 mm. The most famous brand that sells these pearls is Mikimoto and, as a rule, these pearls are used in jewelry, because... Akoya pearls command a premium price (due to the low survival rate of Akoya oysters and the difficulty of cultivation).

rice. Akoya pearl sizes

Southern pearl

This pearl is grown in the Philippines, Australia and Indonesia. These are the largest of all pearls, their size ranges from 9 mm to 20 mm. The color of pearls can be cream, white or golden, and this depends on the color of the nacre of the mother shell. Shapes of southern pearls: round, teardrop-shaped, baroque, tablet, round with characteristic grooves.

rice. The color of southern pearls depending on the color of the shell

Tahitian pearls

Despite the name, it is not produced exclusively in Tahiti; it is also grown on several French Polynesian islands. The size is usually between 8mm and 16mm; These pearls are naturally colored in ranges of blue, purple, green and gray, but they are collectively known as black pearls because... The Tahitian pearl comes from the black-lipped oyster. Currently, Tahitian pearls are considered the most vibrant, popular pearls on the market.

rice. Variety of flowers and black lipped oyster

Freshwater pearls

This type of pearl is usually grown in rivers, ponds and lakes - and predominantly in China. Many of the pearls are white and typically resemble Akoya pearls in both size and shape. However, they can be made in different shapes and come in a variety of pastel colors.

Also, pearls may differ in luster, size, shape, color and surface of the pearls.

rice. Variability of pearls

2. Pearl shapes

rice. Variety of natural pearl shapes

There are a wide variety of pearl shapes, the most valuable of which is the perfect spherical shape.

rice. Traditional Russian names for pearl shapes

rice. Unusual shapes of pearls: top (from left to right) baroque, blister, soufflé, keshi, kasumi; bottom (from left to right) conk, akoya, abalone, melo, co hog

Baroque pearls

Baroque is the general name for pearls that have an original shape, regardless of their place of origin. In addition to its unusual shape, Baroque is distinguished by its ribbed surface, reminiscent of sea waves on sand. Each pearl is unique, so the demand and price for them remain consistently high.

Pearl blister

Sometimes the growth of a pearl occurs on one of the inner sides of the oyster shell, which leads to the fact that a nacreous layer does not form at the site of growth. These pearls are also called bubble pearls due to their unusual appearance.

Pearl soufflé

Translated from French, souflle means “to inflate” and this accurately reflects the technology of obtaining pearls - after removing the formed pearl from the oyster, the pearl bag is “inflated” - a special material is placed inside, which stretches the bag, swelling with moisture. The pearls turn out to be of impressive size, because... the oyster continues to deposit nacre around the new core.

Pearl Keshi

Translated from Japanese, “keshi” means “grain”. Such pearls are formed when the oyster rejects the main nucleus (seed); the oyster does not accept the implant internally, but despite this, a place remains in the pearl sac where the natural process of growth of layers of nacre occurs. Pearls come in a variety of colors - white, pink, grey, black and many more, and due to their mother-of-pearl composition, they are extremely glossy and shimmery. It often comes in unusual shapes; the flattened shape, similar to a flower petal, is especially prized.

rice. Difference between the formation of classic pearls and keshi pearls

Kasumi pearls

Real Kasumi pearls are grown in Japan at Lake Kasumi-ga-ura. The distinctive features of these pearls are their bright shine, variety of colors, large size (up to 2 cm) and teardrop shape.
It is one of the most counterfeited types of pearls at the moment.

Abalone pearls

It is one of the rarest types of pearls, as this mollusk is difficult to cultivate. Mining is mainly carried out in the USA and Mexico, but can also be found in Japan, Thailand, Korea, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It is valued for its incredible range of colors, and the brighter the color, the more expensive the pearl; the shape of the pearl also affects the price (the smoother, the more expensive, since most pearls have the shape of a horn or fang.

Non-pearl types of pearls
Conch pearls

These are Caribbean pearls that are predominantly pink in color and look like small stones. Conch pearls are not cultivated because... Conch clams die when the shell is opened. The shape of pearls is usually regular - oval or spherical, and the color range has a variety of shades, among which the most valuable are pink-purple pearls. Conch mollusks do not produce nacre, so the pearls do not have an iridescent sheen, but this does not spoil them.

Pearl melo melo

These pearls of the sun can be found in the habitats of the huge melo melo sea snails - Thailand and Vietnam. It cannot be cultivated and is very sensitive to sunlight - with prolonged exposure the color fades, so it is recommended to wear pearls only in the evening. The palette consists of shades of orange, yellow, red and brown, among which the first is the most valuable.

Pearl co hog

Among all the “non-pearl pearls” it is the most matte. The color palette of cohog is not very extensive - white, gray, brown and black; however, the rarest and most valuable is the purple/lilac version.

rice. Classification and description of the main forms of pearls

3. Pearl value and quality classification

The most difficult aspect of choosing pearls is grading. Unfortunately, there is no standard or recognized system for grading pearls. Although, Tahitian pearls are somewhat different, since export and grading are under the control of the French Polynesian government.

In international practice, the quality of pearls is designated by the letters: C, B, A, AA, AA+ and AAA. The highest quality is designated as AAA.

rice. table of pearl characteristics depending on quality

rice. How does the luster of pearls differ depending on quality?

Pearls are a gift from the sea, symbolizing fidelity, truth, love. It is an organic material valuable throughout the world.

Legends and stories

People have been thinking about how pearls are formed since ancient times. One of the most beautiful legends says that these are the tears of a beautiful nymph mourning love and family. They say that it so happened that a magnificent maiden descended from the sky, lured by the ocean, and then met a young fisherman of incredible beauty. Descending from heaven time after time, she observed the hardworking young man and finally, plucking up the courage, spoke to him. The nymph learned that the young man fished every day to cure his mother.

The beautiful maiden took pity on the poor man and made sure that the spoils increased day by day. Time passed, the mother began to recover, and the young man invited the girl to become his wife. The nymph who fell in love with the fisherman gave her consent, and they lived happily. Over time, the couple even had a son. But the gods found out about the earthly well-being of the heavenly inhabitant and punished her by locking her in a tower. How are pearls formed? The maiden's tears flow into the ocean inhabited by shellfish and become magnificent beads in their shells.

Value since ancient times

It is not known whether pearls first became popular and only then the legend was invented, or whether the opposite happened, but in ancient Greece and Rome, necklaces made from sea treasures were highly valued. Knowing from legend how pearls are formed, people considered them a symbol of marital happiness and fidelity.

Time passed, and the popularity of pearls only grew. In the Middle Ages, it was customary to embroider a bride’s wedding dress with seafood. To show their love for a girl, young people gave rings decorated with pearls. This was considered the most reliable symbol of lifelong love and even an oath of fidelity.

Fame all over the world

There are as many legends about how pearls are formed as there are peoples living on the planet. In all areas where mining of this value has been known since ancient times, there are their own legends about the origin of a magnificent treasure in an unsightly shell.

For a long time, the beauty of the sea gift has been glorified in the poetry of all nations. “Pearl” in many languages ​​is consonant with the words “radiant”, “unique”. It is traditional to compare female beauty with the charm of a sea treasure.

Want to learn more about pearls in literature? Pay attention to the poetic works:

  • Japanese;
  • Chinese;
  • Persian;
  • Byzantine;
  • Roman.

What will science say?

If you turn to scientists with the question: “How are pearls formed?”, you can find out that this happens during the synthesis of a specific calcium carbonate, popularly known as nacre. In addition, one bead also contains conchiolin, which plays the role of a horny substance.

If there is some foreign object in the shell of a mollusk, pearls will appear over time. How is treasure formed? The mollusk senses that a foreign body has appeared in its “house”. It could be:

  • grain of sand;
  • larva;
  • shell fragment.

The body tries to remove this element from the living space, in the process of which the body is enveloped in mother-of-pearl. A biochemical reaction occurs in the body, and a jewel is formed.

Who, how, which?

It is already known for certain that hundreds of species of marine and fresh water inhabitants can form pearls. The key condition is the presence of a sink. But the beads are not the same: both shape and color are different. The classic version is a slightly “powdered” grayish tint. Besides this, the sea gives pearls to humanity:

  • pink;
  • blue;
  • gold;
  • black;
  • bronze;
  • greenish.

Since pearls are formed in a shell under the influence of environmental features, it is the chemical composition of the waters in which the mollusk lived that determines the color of the treasure. In addition, the type of shellfish has an effect, since different species have different salt compositions in the body.

Since ancient times, the most valuable pearls have been mined from the waters of the Persian Gulf, providing people with creamy white and pink pearls.

Valuable sea treasures come from waters near:

  • Madagascar;
  • South America;
  • Philippines;
  • Myanmar;
  • Pacific islands and archipelagos.

Is it only natural?

One of the largest producers of this seafood gift today is Japan. Surprisingly, there are few deposits in this country, but local residents have invented several methods for artificially cultivating pearls.

Special conditions are created that are as close to natural as possible. In this case, processes characteristic of wild nature are imitated. Since pearls are produced naturally under such conditions, they are highly valued.

Specifications

They talk about how pearls are formed in a shell, photos taken on the seabed and special cultivation enterprises.

The resulting beads have the following characteristics:

  • hardness - 2.5-4.5 Mohs;
  • density - 2.7 g/cm3.

No special surface treatment is required.

A pearl lives for one and a half to three centuries. The specific duration depends on the origin. Organic matter loses moisture over decades, causing the decoration to fade, flake, and decomposition processes begin.

In order for pearls to live longer, they need care:

  • cannot be stored in a damp, dry place;
  • direct sunlight is not allowed;
  • when tarnished, wash with salt water;
  • at the first signs of destruction, use ether and potassium carbonate.

Modern myths

Despite the fact that people have long known how pearls are formed in nature, to this day there are some beliefs associated with this process. They are strongest on those islands that live off pearl divers.

In Borneo, people believe that the ninth pearl has a unique property - it produces others like itself. Therefore, local residents take small containers in which they put pearls, mixing them with rice - two grains for each sea gift, and then wait until there are more treasures.

Pearls and high technology

Since people figured out how pearls are formed in shellfish, factories were built to cultivate the sea treasure. It is cultured beads that are most often found today.

Cultivation was invented in 1896, and the process was immediately patented. The author of the idea is Japanese Kohiki Mikimoto. To make the pearl larger, the inventor came up with the idea of ​​placing a bead in the shell of the mollusk, which he removed a few years later as a mature, beautiful, large pearl.

Having studied how natural pearls are formed, several options for making artificial analogues were invented. However, in their beauty they are incomparable with seafood. As a rule, this is a glass base, decorated or covered with a thin layer of mother-of-pearl. To understand what is in front of you, perform an experiment: throw an object onto a stone plane. Natural pearls bounce high and look like a ball, but artificial pearls do not.

Another method for separating fake pearls from natural ones: run the product over your teeth. If the surface feels rough, it is a natural material. But industrial imitation will be absolutely smooth to the touch.

There is only one precious mineral in the world that does not need to be processed. These are natural pearls. How a pearl is formed is described above. It was the peculiarities of this process that determined such beauty, smoothness, and suitability for wearing the sea gift immediately after its extraction.

As archaeologists say, pearls were the first precious material that interested people because of their beauty.

The use of pearls was invented by the Chinese 42 centuries ago. Treasures mined in China were used:

  • as decorations;
  • as money;
  • to indicate social status.

Pearls were no less valued in Egypt and Mesopotamia. Semiramis and Cleopatra decorated themselves with treasures taken from the sea waves. Legend has it that an Egyptian beauty once, having argued with Mark Antony, dissolved a pearl in wine and drank the drink.

Another important historical milestone is associated with pearl fishing as follows. When Alexander the Great was about to conquer India, his advisers recommended that he start with Socotra, famous at that time for the extraction of sea jewelry. The great warrior was amazed by the beauty of the pearls, especially the magnificent combination of black, white and pink colors. Since then, he began collecting strings of pearls, which soon attracted other noble and wealthy people. This passion for collecting precious stones continues unabated to this day.

Pearls and rulers

A variety of natural pearls are valued. How is such a rich variety of jewelry formed from just one type of raw material (photos taken from under water allow us to see this)? The secret is that nature gives people different shapes of beads. There is an international classification that distinguishes:

  • buttons;
  • ovals;
  • pear-shaped;
  • spherical;
  • round;
  • semicircular;
  • teardrop-shaped;
  • irregularly shaped pearls.

Since seafood has always been highly valued, they were traditionally used to decorate the outfits of royalty. For example, at the baptism of Louis XIII she was dressed in a dress decorated with 30,000 pearls.

But Europeans first saw black pearls only in the 15th century. This happened thanks to Hernando Cortez. Centuries later, the origin of this species was discovered off the coast of North America, in the Gulf of California. Largely due to this, the city of La Paz flourished, and to this day is considered the international center of black pearls.

But the English Queen Elizabeth I valued primarily pearls from China. She decorated herself with several threads at once, and in total up to a thousand precious beads could be seen on the ruler’s neck alone.

The Spanish ruler Philip II owned a pearl called "Perigrina". It is known to connoisseurs in our time. Jewelry passes from hand to hand. It was owned by:

  • Napoleon III;
  • Mary Tudor;
  • Elizabeth Taylor.

It was through the efforts of the latter that “Peregrine” became the central element of a luxurious piece of jewelry created by Cartier jewelers.

Famous pearls

The specificity of the origin of pearls is such that the fusion of several beads into one occurs extremely rarely. If fishermen catch such a sea treasure, it creates a sensation among connoisseurs. One of the legendary pearls, consisting of several at once, was called the “Great Southern Cross”. It consists of nine elements.

Another famous name is "Princess of Palawan". It was formed in the mollusk Tridacnus. The weight of the sea treasure is 2.3 kg. The diameter of the bead exceeds 15 cm. This sea gift was put up for auction as part of the Bonhams auction in Los Angeles, organized by the Museum of Natural History.

But the most expensive pearl is “Regent”. She looks like an egg and was Bonaparte. The story tells that the pearl was purchased as a gift for Maria Louise, who later became the emperor's wife. The deal was completed in 1811. Then the sea treasure came to Faberge and was kept in the St. Petersburg collection. At an auction in 2005, the magnificent jewel went for $2.5 million to its new owner.

The largest treasure mined on our planet from the depths of the sea was called the “Pearl of Allah.” Place of origin: Philippines. Weight - 6.35 kg, and diameter 23.8 cm. Value - 32,000 carats. The pearl is included in the Guinness Book of Records.

Tahitian pearls

Of all the types of cultured pearls, the Tahitian black pearl was the last to be created. For its production, the mollusks Pinctada margaritifera are grown. Today, the black treasures produced by these organisms are the only known natural species. Any other beads are dyed.

The peculiarity of Tahitian pearls is their rapid growth. On the other hand, only a small percentage of marine life is capable of creating a pearl. Each piece of jewelry is unique and different from others. Largely for this reason, jewelry made from black Tahitian pearls is valued, because the process of working with it is painstaking and requires a lot of skills, effort and time. Jewelers select the right pearls for the job from hundreds and thousands of beads created by the molluscs.

The content of the article

PEARL, organogenic calcareous nodules formed in the body of some bivalve marine and freshwater mollusks - pearl mussels. Pearls are traditionally classified as precious stones. They are products of abnormal growth of the mollusk mantle. Pearls consist of calcium carbonate - the mineral aragonite, in exceptional cases - calcite; they necessarily contain conchiolin - an organic substance of the protein type. Conchiolin cells form the framework of the pearl - a thin mesh, in the small cells of which (not visible to the naked eye) microscopic crystals of aragonite are deposited. The average chemical composition of pearls: CaCO 3 – 91.72%, conchiolin – 5.94%, water – 2.23%; loss on ignition 0.11%.

The name “pearl” comes from the Chinese “zhen-zhu”, transformed through the Old Russian “zenchug”. In Russia in the 18th–19th centuries. pearls were often called pearls (from the German Perlen and the English Pearl, a derivative of “nacre” - slightly distorted from the German Perlmutter, “mother of pearls”).

The shape of the pearl is round, often drop-shaped or pear-shaped, ellipsoidal or irregular, bizarre (“baroque pearl”). Size from a few millimeters to a few centimeters (very rarely larger). “High-quality” pearls reach sizes of more than 3 mm, “beads” – 3–2 mm, “pearl dust” – less than 2 mm. The largest pearl, found in the Philippines in 1934, was oval in shape, measured 24 x 16 cm and weighed 6.4 kg.

If the pearl does not grow in the mantle of the mollusk, but directly grows onto the inner surface of the shell valve, then it does not have a nacreous layer at the point of attachment; Such pearls are called “blister” or “bubble pearls” and are less valued. Unlike round or baroque pearls, which do not require any processing other than drilling through holes, blister pearls are usually processed for insertion into rings, earrings, bracelets and other jewelry. The color of pearls is varied: white, pink, cream, black, bronze, brown or pastel shades of lavender, blue, yellow, green, mauve. In the jewelry trade, pink, cream, white and black pearls are preferred. It is believed that a pearl takes its color from the inner nacreous layer of the shell, or more precisely, from the area of ​​the nacreous layer near which it was formed, i.e. The color of the pearl depends on the type of host mollusk. In addition, the color of pearls is influenced by the temperature and composition of the water, the health of the mollusk and even the nature of the food that it digests.

The pearl is built from several thousand thin concentric layers of aragonite and conchiolin. A peculiar iridescent shine, delicate shimmering iridescence of rainbow colors on the surface of the pearl, giving it a unique charm, constitute a special property of mature Orient or “chandelier” pearls, for which it is mainly valued. This property is due to its multilayer structure, the phenomena of reflection and refraction, diffraction and interference of light on the translucent surface of the pearl. The shine of black pearls is metallic. The hardness of pearls is 3.5–4 (same as aragonite). The average density of natural pearls is 2.685.

However, many natural pearls do not reveal any traces of foreign irritants when cut. It is assumed that in such cases the core was of an organic nature, but after the precipitation of calcium carbonate began, it decomposed, leaving no traces.

Oriental sea pearls are the most highly valued, while freshwater pearls are less valuable.

In the USA, in Iowa, there is a center for the production of mother-of-pearl buttons based on regular catching of freshwater bivalves of the genus Unio in the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Their shells serve as material for buttons. This is a very labor-intensive trade. To find a pearl suitable for sale, it is necessary to open tens and hundreds of kilograms of shells.

The world's best pink and cream pearls come from the Persian Gulf, where they grow in small pearl oysters Pinctada vulgaris. This mollusk is rarely larger than 8 cm in diameter. Pearl mussels, found off the northern coast of Australia, produce beautiful silvery-white pearls that are larger than Gulf clams. Australian pearl mussel Pinctada maxima sometimes reaches a diameter of 30–36 cm. The main business of pearl fishermen in Australia is collecting shells for mother of pearl.

Other famous places for pearl mining are Sri Lanka, Venezuela (Columbus found pearls off its coast), Tahiti, the Mergui Archipelago in Myanmar and the Gulf of California in the USA. Each region is characterized by a certain type of pearl (in particular, a specific color). High quality pearls from the Persian Gulf determine the maximum price level for any natural pearl.

Freshwater pearls were once found in England and Ireland; the Romans brought it from the British Isles. Currently, freshwater pearls are mined only in Germany (Bavaria) and the USA. The northern and northwestern rivers of the European part of Russia also previously abounded in pearls. Since ancient times, pearls have been highly valued in Rus'; They used it to embroider women's clothing and headdresses (sundresses, kokoshniks, etc.), vestments of the clergy, and sometimes the robes of nobles, decorate icon frames, bindings of handwritten church books, church utensils, etc. Particularly valued were sloping (i.e. round) pearls from Kafa (the ancient name of Feodosia in Crimea) - Kafimsky (great, great), which were brought there from the East. Pearls were held in high esteem in Ancient Rome. Pliny the Elder (77 AD) placed it in second place in the hierarchy of precious stones after diamond and before emerald. In the medieval East, where red stones were especially valued, the first place, naturally, was given to the ruby, followed by diamond and pearl (also before emerald). Currently, natural pearls are among the most expensive jewelry stones.

Unfortunately, pearls do not last long. After 150–200 years, pearls “get sick”, i.e. it becomes dull and cracks due to conchiolin drying out, losing its iridescent shine and thus losing its main dignity as a jewelry stone. However, pearls are known that have retained their brilliance and beauty, despite a very respectable age - 300-400 years or more (such pearls were found during archaeological excavations of the city of Pompeii, buried under volcanic ash during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD).

Cultured pearls.

In 1894, the Japanese perfected the 700-year-old Chinese art of pearl farming and began producing cultured pearls. To do this, into the parenchyma of the pearl oyster mantle, which carries out secretory activity (secretion of calcium carbonate and conchiolin) Pinctada martensi an artificially carved small mother-of-pearl ball is introduced. This irritant is left in the body of the mollusk, which is then returned on a suspension to the Sea of ​​Japan. After 7 years, the mollusk is removed from the water and the finished cultured pearl is extracted from it. It has a perfectly round shape. Its main part (according to measurements, in a typical case, 75–90% of the total linear diameter of the pearl) is a nacre ball, around which the pearl oyster deposits a layer of nacre approx. 1 mm. Once drilled, cultured pearls are dyed to give them the desired hue, such as pink, which imitates the color of natural Orient pearls from the Persian Gulf. Mass production of Japanese cultured pearls began in 1915, but it was not until after the end of World War I that they entered the world market. Nowadays such pearls cost about 10 times less than natural ones. Japan supplies the market with up to 100 tons of cultured pearls per year. Over 80% of pearls traded on the US jewelry market are cultured pearls. The density of cultured pearls is 2.75 ± 0.03, i.e. it is noticeably heavier than natural. Its difference from natural pearls is clearly visible on x-ray photographs. The Japanese grow not only saltwater, but also freshwater pearls “Biwa” (the name comes from Lake Biwa on Honshu Island, where it is cultivated), as well as blister pearls (“Mabe”).

Pearl- a rounded biogenic calcareous formation inside the shells of some genera of elasmobranch mollusks, both marine and freshwater, in which the shell inside is folded with a mother-of-pearl layer. Pearls are formed as a result of irritation of the mantle by some accidentally ingested foreign body, around which calcium carbonate (mainly in the form of aragonite) with an admixture of organic matter is deposited. It is not a mineral, but contains the mineral aragonite. The classification of pearls as minerals found in popular literature is incorrect, as it contradicts the modern nomenclature of minerals approved by the IMA. Deprecated synonym: pearl.
The shine and play of light on pearls is caused by the interference of light on the wavy surface of the layers of nacre. Pearls are usually white in color, sometimes cream or pink in color; There are also yellow, green, black and blue (rare) pearls.

A pearl is formed inside a mollusk shell as a result of a foreign object (a grain of sand, etc.) getting there. After which, pearlescent layers are deposited around the “seed”. “Unlike mineral spherulites, not only mineral, but also organic matter is involved in the structure of pearls. The mineral components of pearls do not come into contact with each other anywhere, they are always separated by organic matter” (A.A. Korago, 1976).

Currently, saltwater pearl fishing is carried out mainly in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, as well as off the coast of Sri Lanka and Japan. Freshwater pearls are mined in small northern rivers in northwest Russia, Germany, China and northern countries. America.
The practice of growing pearls on an industrial scale is also widely used (mainly in Japan). For this purpose, seeds made of pressed pearl powder are placed inside the shell of a living oyster, after which the oysters are returned to the water. After a certain time, the seed, overgrown with layers of nacre and acquiring an appearance that is difficult to distinguish from a naturally occurring pearl, is removed from the oyster.

Magical and healing properties

In reality they do not exist, although they are diligently described (attributed) by many charlatans.

Natural, cultivated, artificial

Incredibly delicate, magically beautiful pearls are so popular in the world that the shortage of their natural reserves began to be felt at the beginning of the 20th century. To satisfy the growing aesthetic needs of the fair half of humanity, men have learned to grow cultured and synthetic pearls. Today, pearls of divine beauty are grown in industrial conditions.

What is the difference between cultured pearls and natural pearls?
What are artificial pearls?

Natural pearls

Natural pearls are formed in the shells of mollusks. It is also called wild pearls.

A grain of sand, larvae of small insects or other foreign body of the smallest size gets into the shell of a mollusk. Inside, the walls of the shell are covered with a mollusk mantle, which has many small nerve endings. They instantly react to a foreign “object” and, as a reaction of a living organism, a substance is released, which is nothing more than the well-known mother of pearl. This is how a tiny pearl grain is first born, which after a few years turns into a full-fledged pearl.

How long does it take for natural pearls to grow and mature?

The growth rate of a pearl is influenced by many different factors - it depends directly on the type of pearl mussel, its age, place of growth (sea, fresh water), and the state of the environment.

A pearl oyster is a mollusk shell. The largest pearls mature in young pearl oysters. With age, the pearl oyster's mantle becomes depleted, and small pearls mature in the shell.


Pearls grow fastest in the first year – 2.3 mm. In subsequent years, pearls grow more slowly - no more than 0.38 mm per year.

Sea pearls are 2 times larger than river pearls. This is due to the richness of the biochemical composition of sea water. But river mollusks are fertile - several pearls ripen in them at the same time.

Cultured pearls

Cultured pearls are not artificial pearls. These are natural pearls grown in a mollusk shell in natural conditions with the help of humans. So-called “cultured” pearls.

Currently, there are incomparably fewer natural pearls on the jewelry market than cultured ones. For example, the American pearl market is 80% cultured pearls.

This happens because natural pearls grow very slowly, and there are more and more people who want to admire them and decorate themselves. Humanity is growing in number, and people's needs are also growing. Therefore, cultured natural pearls are most often used in jewelry.


The process of growing cultured pearls is multi-stage, extremely complex and delicate. Cultured pearls are grown for 3 to 12 years. In rare cases, faster - which depends on the type of mollusk.

An implant is inserted into the mantle of the pearl oyster Pinctada martensi - an artificially carved, tiny ball of mother-of-pearl. Then the shells are lowered into the sea, securing them on special hanging nets. To the appearance of a new irritant, the living mantle reacts by releasing a pearlescent composition, which gradually and very slowly covers the foreign body inside the shell. On average, cultured pearls take 7 years to grow. Some of the largest plantations are located today on the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan.

A cultured pearl has a perfectly round shape. Almost its entire thickness is made up of the ball itself - 75–90%. The layer of nacre that the pearl oyster secretes is usually 1 mm.

What determines the quality of cultured pearls?

Mainly, it depends on the time of pearl ripening. The longer it matures inside the shell, the thicker the layer of nacre grows, which preserves the pearl in all its glory for many decades. Six-month-old pearls have a fairly thin nacreous layer that wears off quickly. High-quality cultured pearls are considered to be those that have been growing for at least 2 years.

Once cultured pearls are recovered from the depths of the sea, they are first drilled and then dyed in various colors. But not always. It depends on the properties of certain mollusks. The most popular pearl color after classic white is pink.


Cultured pearls in China and Japan

It’s hard to imagine, but the art of cultivating natural pearls is at least 800 years old! The Chinese were the first to cultivate pearls back in the 13th century. They discovered that pearls are formed from foreign bodies trapped in the shell, and began to try to grow them themselves.

Craftsmen carefully opened the shells with bamboo sticks and placed tiny balls of clay or copper, or pieces of wood inside. The shells were then tightly sealed and immersed back into the sea. The pearl harvest took several years to arrive.

One of the most amazing inventions of Chinese masters is the “pearl Buddha”. Copper or lead Buddha images of the smallest size were placed in the mollusk shell, which was then displayed on the ripened pearl.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Chinese technology was patented by enterprising Japanese and they began mass production of this most valuable natural mineral. Today Japan occupies a leading position in the world in the cultivation of cultured pearls. The country has a powerful industrial sector.

Japanese craftsmen cut out a small piece of living tissue from the mantle of a pearl mussel, wrap a ball of various materials in it, then place it in the mantle of the shell of another mollusk, making a neat cut. The pearl matures naturally over several years. Moreover, this process is quite difficult to influence. Recently, they have learned to grow pearls of a certain shape, size and color.

What kind of pearl you will get can only be determined after the shell has been completely opened. After this procedure, the process of growth and maturation stops. It is simply impossible to know in advance what the size of a ripe pearl will be and what shape it will be. Often the mollusk rejects the foreign ball inserted into it immediately after insertion, and the result of the work turns out to be zero. So pearl production has a very certain percentage of commercial risk. Not a single specialist, even the most experienced, will undertake to predict what the percentage of defects will be in each batch of cultured pearls. In practice, on average, only one out of ten pearls meets the required standards, which cannot be called a high “yield”.

Today, cultured natural pearls cost 10 times less than natural ones. Moreover, the price very much depends on whether the pearls are freshwater or saltwater. Growing freshwater pearls is much easier. Up to 7 pearls mature in one growth cycle! Whereas in marine mollusks, in most cases, only 1 pearl is born per cycle. This is why freshwater pearls are cheaper.

In recent years, the Japanese pearl industry has been in the lead and supplied up to 100 tons of cultured sea and freshwater pearls to the world market.

But the catastrophic tsunami in 2011 in Japan destroyed most of the pearl farms, making the Chinese the leaders in pearl cultivation in the world. It should be noted that Chinese pearl farmers have worked very hard and hard to achieve this success. They began to study Japanese advanced cultivation technologies 50 years ago, diligently mastering the experience of their colleagues. For a very long time, Chinese pearls were not quoted on the jewelry market, since they were largely inferior in quality to Japanese ones. Today, Chinese pearl farmers have caught up with the Japanese and become the leaders in pearl farming in the world. But Japanese pearl culture traditions are too strong to disappear. Industry is gradually recovering. Japan maintains its leadership in terms of pearl size. The fact is that in Chinese waters, due to climatic conditions, it is impossible to grow pearls larger than 7 mm in size. And if the size of the pearl exceeds 8 mm, then its cost increases significantly. This fact allows Japanese pearl farmers to maintain a leading position in this category.


Akoya cultured pearls are one of the most popular varieties of cultured pearls in the world. It is grown in large volumes on Chinese and Japanese pearl farms, as well as in small quantities on Vietnamese ones. Akoya pearls have a distinctive feature - a rather intense metallic luster. To ensure that Akoya pearls reach their maximum possible brilliance, they are harvested in late autumn - early winter. This is the optimal harvest time for this oyster variety. It is noteworthy that these are the smallest pearl oysters. An even more amazing fact is that up to 5 pearls can mature in this tiny shell at the same time! Not every large oyster can ripen such a harvest. In addition, she grows the fastest - only 8 months. Here she is, little Akoya.

Akoya is a well-known and long-loved classic in the pearl market.
Popular shades are white, cream, pink. Metallic silver pearls are very beautiful and popular. But most often oysters give birth to yellow, brown, greenish and blue pearls. Perfectly round Akoya pearls are widely used in the jewelry industry - pearls from 5 to 9 millimeters in diameter are excellently selected for necklaces and bracelets.

Artificial pearls

Artificial pearls are imitation pearls created in a factory.


The mollusk shell plays absolutely no role in the creation of synthetic pearls. The entire process is carried out by humans. At the same time, there are separate technologies for creating artificial pearls, which use exclusively natural ingredients - mollusk shells and its components.

It is curious that artificial pearls began to be produced back in the 15th century. In those days, Roman pearls, which were glass balls with paraffin poured inside, were very popular.
A little later, glass pearls were covered with a special “pearl essence”, which for a long time was made from sparkling fish scales. Today, mother of pearl is extracted directly from mollusk shells.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, the ancient Indians mastered the skill of creating artificial pearls. They used clay balls as the core. A special composition of mica and natural mother-of-pearl, which was extracted from the inside of mollusk shells, were used as a mother-of-pearl coating.

Today, the core of artificial pearls is made from a variety of materials - plastic, alabaster, glass, etc. Pearls are cut from pink coral and some varieties of hematite. Depending on the technology and place of production, there are many varieties of artificial pearls.


In the 20th century in the United States of America, a method of multiple coating of beads with varnish was invented - Shell pearl. Synthetic pearls, popular all over the world, are still produced using this technology to this day. The high quality of this variety is evidenced by the fact that it is used in production by the Chanel jewelry house. It feels much nicer to the touch than glass pearls, and is also much better quality and more durable. And in terms of the number of shades, it has no equal, in principle, among all types of pearls. These are hundreds of truly luxurious shades: from classic glossy to modern “acid” ones. Shell pearl is based on a core cut from a natural mollusk shell. The average diameter of such a ball is 10 millimeters. The coating is made from natural mother-of-pearl, which is initially crushed to a powdery state and then mixed with a special binder. The result is a pearl emulsion made from natural mother of pearl. Multi-layer indelible Shell pearl coating is a guarantee of many years of pearlescent shine. Such artificial pearls are in no way inferior in appearance to the beauty of wild natural and cultured pearls. In addition, its composition is almost completely identical to the composition of real pearls. The only visual difference between Shell pearl is the incredible smoothness of the surface. The structure of wild pearls is noticeably porous.


Another of the most common and famous varieties of artificial pearls is “majorica”. Many layers of natural mother-of-pearl are applied to the alabaster ball. Spanish technology is so advanced that this type of synthetic pearl is almost impossible to distinguish from natural pearls with the naked eye. The technique was developed and honed on the Spanish island of Mallorca over 120 years. The founder and developer of this coating technology, German emigrant Eduard Hugo Hosch, dreamed of achieving complete external similarity between artificial pearls and natural ones - and he succeeded! Currently, synthetic Majorica pearls are sold in huge quantities all over the world and are distinguished by their excellent mother-of-pearl luster, ideal round shape and affordable price. Interestingly, under electric lighting, artificial pearls are distinguished by an unusually beautiful light refraction effect.

Which pearl is better?


Natural wild pearls are a rarity on the jewelry market today. This does not mean that absolutely all pearls offered to customers are artificial. In the vast majority of cases, jewelry is made from cultured pearls - these are also natural pearls, the quality characteristics of which are no worse than the real (wild) ones. Only its cost is several times lower. Real natural pearls are quite expensive - depending on the size and color, the cost can be tens of times higher. Currently, small-scale mining of natural pearls is carried out in Japan, in the Gulf of California. Moreover, out of 100 mollusks, only 5-10 pearls of decent quality can be found. Today, wild natural pearls are on the verge of extinction. Which, in turn, deals a powerful blow to the ecological system of the sea as a whole. To find 1 pearl you have to kill up to 100 mollusks! This is why hunting for wild pearls has virtually ceased throughout the world. Cultured pearls are no worse, cost less and do not destroy nature. It is so identical to the wild one that it is simply impossible for a non-specialist to distinguish it from the natural one. The natural “wild” origin of pearls is evidenced by a slight, barely noticeable surface roughness and other factors.