Mother's Day Gift - Pearls

Think of pearls and the image of divers in saltwater bays comes to mind. Ah, but there are also freshwater pearls that are just as magnificent.

Long a symbol of culture and class, pearls have been worn for centuries by wealthy women who wanted to show off their money and status. While pearls still hold some of this meaning today, there is a new class of pearls available that are affordable and accessible to nearly everyone.

Freshwater pearls, in their many shapes, sizes and colors, can be worn by women young and old, and are both classic and hip in their looks. Pearls are no longer seen as jewelry that is just for the mature and dressed-up woman.

Freshwater pearls do not come from oysters, the way that saltwater pearls do – but they are created in much the same way that a saltwater cultured pearl is created. In both cases, an irritant is introduced into the mollusk (in the case of freshwater pearls, this is a mussel), which causes the mollusk to coat the foreign object with nacre. Nacre is the same material that mollusks and oysters use to build their shells.

When a “natural” pearl is found in a freshwater mussel, it is usually because sand or a pebble was able to breach the shell, and became coated with nacre.

When a freshwater pearl is cultured, the mussel is opened slightly, and small cuts are made in the mantle tissue of the mussel. Pieces of tissue from other mussels are inserted into these cuts – and these pieces then become the foreign object that is coated with nacre, becoming a pearl.

The Chinese were the first to come up with this manner of culturing freshwater pearls, and they began having large scale success with the process in the 1930's.

Today, some freshwater pearls are as round and beautiful as saltwater cultured pearls – some even more so. Many consumers prefer the pearls from the Biwa region of China for their jewelry, as these pearls have the best sheen and lustre.

Freshwater pearls are also cultured in other parts of the world, and even in the United States –but the goal is not always a perfectly round pearl. Potato pearls, stick pearls and other odd shapes are also prized in jewelry making, and colors ranging from light purple to pink, peach and cream are also found.

Freshwater pearls are a great way to have the natural beauty of a pearl in your jewelry without having to pay the sometimes exorbitant prices of saltwater pearls. These pearls also have “character”, meaning they can go with many other jewels and gems, as well as different metals, allowing a combination of different looks from just one pearl.
By Arsene Bergkamp