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Pearl Care
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Caring for Your Pearls
Pearls are by nature delicate and require special care. The rule of thumb is "Last
On, First Off" because pearls are adversely affected by the application of lotions,
perfumes, hairsprays and other harsh chemicals. Avoid bathing or swimming while
wearing pearls. After each wearing wipe your pearls with a soft cloth to maintain
their luster. If your pearls become soiled, clean them with a soft cloth and warm
soapy water or have them professionally cleaned.
The silk threads used to string pearls weaken with use. We recommend that under
normal wear the pearl necklaces be restrung once a year.
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Pearl Creation
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Unique Wonders of Nature |
For centuries pearls were regarded as the most valuable material on earth, as no
two of these natural wonders are alike. The English word unique is derived from
the Latin "unios", a word meaning "singular" or "unique", which has been used to
describe "a large, fine pearl".
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Although there are two types of pearls; natural and cultured, today natural pearls
are a true rarity. In the late Nineteenth Century several methods of pearl cultivation
were invented, the most famous and successful being the Mikimoto method developed
in Japan. Japanese saltwater pearls are cultivated with Akoya oysters, and the survival
rate, which is less than 50%, is the lowest among all oyster varieties. Less than
5% of Akoya pearl output can be considered "high quality.
The cultured pearl process begins when a shell nucleus from a pig-toe mussel (the
mussel species that provides the most successful nucleus) is inserted into the pearl
oyster. This irritant causes the oyster to secrete and encircle the nucleus with
multiple layers of nacre, and over time the nucleus is transformed into a pearl.
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After the "seeding" process, the pearl farmers place the oysters in wire-mesh baskets
and suspend them in the sea, lovingly monitoring and tending their changes in the
hope of producing high quality pearls. Pearls are harvested after anywhere from
eighteen months to three years, depending on the required size and quality.
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