Colorful pearls, where do they come from? Here is my hot tip: they are dyed pearls! Yes, those shockingly wild pearl colors are not a normal pearl color. They are the result of a little RIT dye. Are you familiar with RIT? As a child of the 70s we were well versed in the art …
In the post on Dyed Pearls I discussed how pearl companies will submerge lower quality pearls in wild dye colors to create bright and very unnatural looking pearls. But, there are more ways to color pearls. Specifically, they are other reasons for dying and tinting pearls other than the desire to take low quality pearls and …
If you have white pearls, there are a strong possibility they were bleached. Bleaching pearls is an extremely common treatment done to white pearls. Almost all akoya pearls from Japan and freshwater cultured pearls from China are bleached. Why? Well, bleaching is a great way to clean and brighten the pearl surface and it lends …
Large pearls are being cultured in the freshwater cultured pearl farms in China and it is with good reason. Large pearls are dominating the market. People want bold, bigger pearls. There was a time for the petite strand (okay, truthfully, there is always a time for a nice simple strand) but the trends are changing …
Bigger is better especially in the newest wave of freshwater pearls coming out of China. Are you interested in big freshwater pearls? Many of you have been asking about the rapidly increasing prices for smaller size cultured pearls. These smaller pearls are becoming more and more scarce because the newest wave of cultured pearls is …
While chatting with the wonderful Barbara Mann last week, I learned a bit about organic gems. Barbara is a well known metal and jewelry artists in Athens, GA and we were discussing organic gems. I always say that pearls are one of the only organic gems comparable only to ivory which is actually considered a …
Forget Ibuprofen and try this pearl healing tip! Chronic headaches and migraines may be alleviated or completely cured by wearing a pearl necklace directly on the skin. Try it and let us know if it works!! India RowsI am a modern day treasure hunter who travels the world for gorgeous pearls and amazing adventures. I …
Interesting news came out today.. a species of fly called the bone skipper has been discovered after having been extinct for 160 years. This is almost a modern miracle with so many species facing extinction. Scottish freshwater pearl mussels are among the world’s most endangered species. They joined the list of the 365 most endangered …
Continue reading “Pearl Mussels Among the World’s Endangered”
I just got off the phone with a lovely woman, Pilar, in Virginia. She is looking for pearls for her Texas niece’s 18th birthday because she believes, “every Southern girl needs pearls to take to college.” Well, Pilar had a hard time finding the right pearls because she thinks alot of pearls have a …
Continue reading “The Tint of Pearls and Pearls to Take To College”
I lead talks on the difference in freshwater and saltwater pearls. I love talking about the differences in the way they are cultured, the differences in water environments, the differences in production and more. But, let’s say, you take away all of the details surrounding how these pearls are cultured. What is the difference in …
Continue reading “The Only Difference in Freshwater and Saltwater Pearls”
Here is the story of a very large cultured pearl… Found in 1987, this pearl, at the time, was the largest cultured pearl ever cultivated. It was found on a pearl farm on Samui Island in Southern Thailand. It even made it …
This week I saw yet another post stating the difference between freshwater pearls and cultured pearls. Here is the issue, some people are not knowledgeable about the beauty of freshwater pearl jewelry. Which is why I want to show you this bit of freshwater pearl “eye candy”… Gorgeous, right? Yes, these are some beauties from …
