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Natural river pearls: photo, stone properties. The obvious and hidden sides of freshwater pearls How to distinguish saltwater pearls from freshwater

Pearls can be sea and river. Both of these species are beautiful in their own way, but differ significantly in cost. They can be easily identified independently by some characteristic features and properties. River pearls are similar to sea pearls in appearance and according to the principle of formation. Both of them are often used in the creation of jewelry and jewelry. It is important to understand how to distinguish sea pearls from river ones.

Pearls, according to the modern classification approved by the International Mineralogical Society, are not included in the class of minerals, but despite this, such a stone is used quite widely among jewelers. Pearls can be obtained naturally, as well as cultivated, and each such type is divided depending on the method of cultivation and place of origin into river or sea.

Pearls are considered the most ancient breed which is widely known to people. In the Roman Empire, several names of the gemstone are used at once. Large and even in shape, pearls were called unio, which translates as unique. The second name is Margarita.

In Russian, the name "pearl" arose around the seventeenth century, this word was taken from the Chinese language. If translated in detail, then “zhonchu” includes two parts: zhon - a real one, as well as a foreign one.

In Russia, pearls with the highest quality parameters were called pitched or rolled. This word perfectly described the good shape of the stone (it could roll).

Until the nineteenth century, pearls surpassed in value all known gems, and even diamonds. Although pearls were known to many jewelers already in the fifteenth century, they began to be widely used by the population in the late nineteenth and early twentieth. In the "pre-diamond" time, such a jewel was the most elegant and elite.

Over time, the attitude towards this jewel has changed greatly. If during the Renaissance, a scattering of pearls looked like an attractive decoration for any man's suit, then at present every designer knows that there should not be a single pearl on these clothes for the strong half of humanity. This decoration can only be used by girls. An exception can only be mother-of-pearl buttons created by hand.

There are two main types of stone on the market today:

  • natural or cultivated marine;
  • natural or cultivated river.

Gem Growth

Currently, cultured freshwater pearls occupy the first place in the world market. A large amount of this stone comes to Russia from China, which supplies about a dozen tons of pearls every year. River stone grows freely even in damp and unused rice fields. It is here that a more favorable microclimate for molluscs dominates, which can quickly multiply and form beautiful pearls.

Freshwater pearls come from lake oysters. They live mainly in clean rivers with a low rate of water flow. The size of river mollusks can reach up to 18 cm in diameter, weight - up to 300 g, and their age - up to 50 years.

Mollusks that are found in river water belong to the Unionidae family. The most famous representative of this group in European countries is margaritifera, which is valued by producers. Beautiful buttons are made from its shells. Experts say that mollusks quickly adapt to changes in physical, biological and climatic conditions. They are long-lived, in natural conditions, some individuals can live for about 250 years.

Unlike freshwater pearls, marine pearls do not have nuclei, they are grown in a nuclear-free way. In this case, specialists place a piece of foreign tissue in the mantle of the mollusk, which quickly begins to be enveloped in layers of mother-of-pearl. This method is considered nuclear-free, since a special artificial ball-nucleus is added to pearls for this. It is for this reason that the lake stone has a thicker layer of mother-of-pearl, unlike the sea stone.

The non-nuclear method allows the manufacturer to plant several seeds on the mollusk and extract two beautiful stones from one shell at once. One lake oyster can give the manufacturer about fifteen pearls. As the pearls grow, it is important to turn them over regularly so that they “run in” and become flatter. The correct smooth stones make up a small amount of the mined jewelry, and therefore are much more expensive.

For a year and a half, one pearl adds up to three millimeters in height. In three years, this figure will increase to seven millimeters. In rare cases, they can be more than 10 mm, and in this case the cost increases many times over. River stone has gained wide popularity due to the variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Pearls can reach up to 8 mm in diameter, but their average size is 5 mm.

Hard mother-of-pearl is dull, does not have a characteristic luster, like marine, but is more resistant to damage and abrasion, which is very valuable for any piece of jewelry. The color is uneven, it can change in some places from one shade to another, but all of them do not differ in brightness. Rose-orange, lilac, lilac, brown, pale purple, pure white and cream colored pearls can be found.

Freshwater gems are more often distinguished by their irregular shape. They can be in the form of a drop, an oval, etc. Completely round and large pearls are considered very rare.

Since the cost for freshwater pearls is less than for sea pearls, this helps manufacturers create inexpensive costume jewelry.

Features of natural jewelry

Natural pearls are only those that were formed in nature without human intervention. The main condition of natural origin is the non-interference of man. As in antiquity, such pearls are very rare to find, so even in modern conditions its value is greatly overestimated.

Mollusks are attacked by irritants very rarely. In the event that there is no provocateur, then the pearl is not formed. The role of a person in the formation of a pearl lies in the fact that he places the irritant in the mollusk shell on his own. Such a stone is referred to as cultivated.

Since naturalness will determine the final value of a pearl, it is difficult and costly research to determine its quality. Only in this case it is possible to accurately determine whether a person interfered in the creation of such a breed, or whether a real price can be set for it.

The extraction of natural sea pearls was carried out only in the waters of the Persian Gulf. Already at the end of the nineteenth century, due to the barbaric use of shellfish and their extraction, the pearls in this bay were almost gone. Now only single pearls are found in these places, which are sold through special auctions.

Natural pearls are now very rare, and their value is very high. For example, necklaces made of natural pearls in the composition were sold at Christie's auction in 2008 for 1.7 million. At the same event, a string of river jewelry went for 1.4 million.

Criteria affecting the assessment

Cultured and natural gems are judged according to the same criteria. All over the world, the assessment is carried out according to the main system, which was created by the Gemological Institute of America.

Main indicators:

There are four main types of human-produced pearls on the jewelry market. Three types are grown in sea water, and one in fresh water.

  • Akoya (marine type);
  • Black Tahitian (marine);
  • Freshwater Chinese (the second name is Chinese non-nuclear);
  • Pearls of the South Seas.

Differences in origin

Before buying pearl products, it is important to determine the difference between river and sea pearls. These include:

Counterfeit detection

Some self-serving manufacturers create fake pearls that can be easily distinguished from natural ones. There are several methods that will help you quickly identify a fake stone:

If you follow the assessment of pearls, then the quality is evaluated according to seven main criteria, which will depend on the characteristics of the jewelry.

In the event that a bracelet, ring or pendant with several pearls is considered, then the quality indicator is evaluated on six points. If a whole string of pearls or a necklace is taken, then the seventh parameter appears, which is called selection. It is used only if several pearls are drilled and put on one common thread.

Freshwater pearls are similar to sea pearls in appearance and in the process of formation. It is formed in the shells of river molluscs. Just like the sea, it is used to make costume jewelry and jewelry.

What are river pearls

River pearls are mother-of-pearl beads, which is formed in the body of a mollusk from a grain of sand. One shell can contain from 12 to 16 pearls.

Under natural conditions, the places of its production are located in the habitats of freshwater oysters. But today, both river and sea pearls are grown on special farms. In appearance, it is impossible to distinguish a stone obtained naturally from a specially grown one.

Each pearl is unique in its appearance. The shape and color depends on the development of the mollusk: the stone can turn out to be an ideal spherical shape or irregular oval. A person cannot influence this process in any way, so even specially grown pearls look unusual.


One shell can contain from 12 to 16 pearls.

How to distinguish from sea pearls

Pearls have the main characteristics that make it possible to distinguish river from sea:

  1. Shine. Sea pearls shine much brighter than river pearls. The latter look a little dull and muted.
  2. The form. There are several varieties of pearls that differ in shape. But in most cases, freshwater has an oval oblong shape, and marine is round.
  3. Price. In the market, the price of a sea stone is much higher, since one pearl is grown in sea oysters, and about ten in river oysters.
  4. Abrasion resistance. Over time, sea stones cease to shine, as the mother-of-pearl layer is erased. River pearls have a thicker and more durable mother-of-pearl layer.
  5. Color. Freshwater pearls most often have a milky hue. It is impossible to grow black or pink freshwater pearls. The sea has brighter shades.

Types of river pearls

There are two types of river pearls:

  1. Natural pearls are formed spontaneously. A person can learn about its deposit only by indirect signs: the habitat of a large number of freshwater oysters. The extraction of such stones is associated with a large expenditure of money and time, so they are practically not mined.
  2. Cultured. Growing pearls on farms is the main way of obtaining pearls. Special particles are introduced into the shells of mollusks, which are overgrown with mother-of-pearl, and after a few years a stone is obtained.


How is formed

In nature, a pearl is formed by a grain of sand that enters the shell of a mollusk. An insect larva or other foreign body can also be used as a raw material. The mollusk has many nerve endings that sense this foreign object. As a result, the mollusk releases mother-of-pearl as a reaction to a grain of sand.

After 3-12 years, a pearl grows. The rate of its formation depends on the age of the oyster, its species and the state of the environment. With age, the shells are depleted, and the pearls become smaller.

To grow cultured pearls, it is necessary to introduce an implant into the shell, which already consists of mother-of-pearl. As a rule, this is done with a certain type of oyster. They are lowered into rivers on special nets. The growth process takes longer than with the natural look.


How is it mined

Today, freshwater pearls are grown and mined in Russia, China, Germany, and the USA. Several centuries ago, on the numerous rivers of Russia, peasants searched and found pearls, they were used to decorate kokoshniks and sundresses. Today, China is the world leader in the extraction of these jewels.

You can try to find pearls on your own, but it will take a lot of time. First, you need to collect oysters from the bottom of a river or lake.

There are several signs by which you can recognize a pearl oyster:

  • leaf deformation;
  • Tubercles on the surface of the shell;
  • Traces of injury.

Use a knife to open the shells and check if they really contain pearls.

Shapes and colors

Cultured pearls most often have an even, regular shape. The following types of pearls are distinguished by shape:

  • A circle;
  • Button;
  • Oval;
  • Pear;
  • Baroque (irregular shape);
  • A drop.

The color palette of river stones is not as rich as that of sea ones. The color depends on the type of mollusk and habitat conditions. The most common pearl shade. There are also gray, beige, brown and green shades.


Dimensions

The size of the pearl depends on the age of the oyster. There are the following types:

  1. Varietal - 5-10 mm in diameter. This is the most expensive species, as it is more difficult to grow. Typically, these pearls are used to make jewelry.
  2. Beads - 3-5 mm in diameter. Used in the manufacture of jewelry. Such pearls can be grown in 1.5-2 years.
  3. Pearl dust - up to 3 mm in diameter. Most often used for embroidery of suits and couture dresses.

Price

The price is influenced by the method of extraction of pearls, its shape, color and size. The most expensive pearls are natural ones with a diameter of 10 mm (the cost of such a pearl is on average $400). Currently, you can buy both pearls and products made from them at retail.

The cost of jewelry with pearls depends on additional materials - framing, precious metals, other stones. The average cost of a string of beads made of medium-sized freshwater pearls is 1000-1500 rubles.

Most often, silver and freshwater pearls are used for jewelry. These products are low cost. The most expensive are pearls of ideal spherical shape, 10 mm in size and more.


How to distinguish from a fake

There are several signs by which you can distinguish a natural stone from a fake:

  • Imitations weigh less;
  • Natural stone is cool to the touch;
  • A fake can be recognized by traces of paint on the edges of the hole;
  • If two natural stones are rubbed against each other, then scratches will not appear;
  • If a natural stone is thrown on a table, it will bounce off the surface.

By the same signs, you can find out whether natural or artificial pearls are in front of you. At present, they have learned to grow artificial pearls without the use of shellfish. In appearance, it is difficult to distinguish them from natural ones. But they are much cheaper in price.

Products from river pearls

Many jewelry makers use freshwater pearls to make costume jewelry. Beads, earrings, pendants using these stones are in demand.

Sets of beads, rings and earrings are popular. They can be worn together or separately, combined with other jewelry.

Beads and necklaces that combine pearls of different colors look unusual. Zirkonia and diamonds complement pearls well.

Mother-of-pearl jewelry never goes out of style. Coco Chanel loved them very much, thanks to her pearl beads became a classic. They are suitable for any occasion and any outfit, so they should be in every woman's wardrobe.

Freshwater pearls look just as beautiful as sea pearls. It has a matte sheen and an unusual shape. If the sea is always perfectly round, then the river can be oval, teardrop-shaped, flat. It is used for embroidering clothes, making accessories, and making bijouterie and jewellery. It is much cheaper than sea pearls, but not inferior to it in beauty.

Pearl earrings beckoned with mother-of-pearl shine? It seems that the shape of the beads is correct, and they sparkle as they should. And the seller nods contentedly: “It suits you very much!”. But what if they sell an imitation under the guise of the original? Or is a river copy given out as a sea one? We reveal the secrets that will save you from ill-conceived investments: we understand how freshwater pearls differ from sea ones.

The name depends on the water in which the mother-of-pearl bead grows: it is river (freshwater) or sea.

Wild pearls, like many centuries ago, are mined at the bottom of salt and fresh water bodies. Now this method is considered expensive.

In order to reduce costs, humanity decided to artificially cultivate the mineral, inspired by nature: therefore, the methods for producing river and sea pearls are almost the same.

Mystery of birth: in the sea and in the river

In the natural environment, a pearl is born by chance:

  1. The smallest foreign object gets into the sink: for example, a grain of sand.
  2. Protecting its inner space, the mollusk coats this object with mother-of-pearl layer by layer.
  3. The more time passes, the more layers are formed and the more valuable the bead.

Hunting for such treasures is a long, costly and very painstaking business. Therefore, a wild natural mineral is a rarity and an object of desire for investors.

Cultivated specimens are grown on special farms:

  1. Foreign particles are intentionally placed in a suitable sink.
  2. Further, the maturation ritual is no different from the natural one.
  3. After about one and a half to two years, the beads are “ready to use”.

It is believed: the more time the pearl spent in the shell, the thicker and better its covers. Therefore, sometimes the mineral remains “in the house” for up to four to six years.

Nautical

Natural natural sea pearls are created by oysters who have chosen the salty waters of the oceans. The main deposits are in Thailand, Australia, Indonesia, Tahiti and other countries.

One of the most popular is the "" variety. Grown in Japan, China and Vietnam. Recognized for its high quality, dazzling brilliance and almost perfect round shape.

River

As for river pearls and how they look, such minerals with their marine “colleagues” are practically twins. However, mussels, which have chosen rivers and lakes, are involved in the creation of freshwater mother-of-pearl beads. Up to 16 river pearls can be found in one shell.

Now most of the river specimens are made in China, and earlier freshwater pearls were collected almost all over the world.

Nuclear and non-nuclear technology: what is the difference

Cultured specimens are grown using two main technologies.

  • Nuclear technology is considered optimal for obtaining marine grade. A seed core is placed in the shell, which turns into a mineral.
  • River (freshwater) pearls are grown in a nuclear-free way. With this technology, a mini seed core is used: usually it is a piece of mother-of-pearl from the shell itself. A pearl with a microscopic core takes longer to mature to the desired size than a pearl growing with a nuclear method.
In terms of size, color and quality of the layers, cultivated samples are in no way inferior to natural ones, and sometimes even surpass the original.

PROPERTIES OF RIVER PEARL

There are several secrets that will tell you how to distinguish sea pearls from river ones.

The form

Sea and freshwater pearls have a different appearance.

Popular processing:

Baroque, or baroque form:

Sea pearls are often close in shape to a perfect circle, and their river "colleagues" are usually oval and elongated. In addition, oceanic ones look more accurate. River beads, rather, - style.

Shine

  • The second difference is the degree of gloss. River pearls, produced in fresh water by molluscs such as mussels, are dimmer than their marine relatives.
  • If you compare pearls in daylight, the radiance of oceanic mother-of-pearl will immediately catch your eye. The river bead will look much more modest: almost matte.

Color and shade

In terms of such parameters as a palette of colors and shades, river pearls are still inferior to their counterparts.

  • The main color of the freshwater bead is milky. You can find pearls of gray, beige, brownish and even greenish shades. The probability of finding black or pink freshwater pearls is zero. Such colors are only found in a mineral from salt waters.
  • If you like earrings or a ring with pink mother-of-pearl, and even a regular round shape, this is definitely sea pearls.

Nacre

According to this criterion, in a dispute which pearls are better - sea and river, the advantage is on the side of the latter.

  • The “enamel” layer on river pearls is usually thicker. Therefore, they retain their shine for many years.
  • Beads from the salty ocean floor will fade faster - as soon as the mother-of-pearl is erased from them. The thickness of such “enamel” on sea pearls is from 0.5 to 6 mm.

Shelf life

Pearls are a living mineral. Like all living things, it has its own “shelf life”. It is strongly influenced by the conditions in which mother-of-pearl beads are stored and how they are used.

  1. The main causes of aging of sea and river pearls are damage and drying of pearls. The main component of the mineral is water, and it tends to evaporate.
  2. If you want to prolong the life of your favorite jewelry, it is better to store them in the right conditions. Ideally, keep a separate box for pearls in a humid place, protected from sunlight.
  3. Tarnished jewelry will be grateful if you wash it in soapy water.

To “revive” the color, in no case do not use toothpaste, alcohol or acids. Harsh agents destroy the pearlescent layer, which cannot be restored.

The size

So which pearl is better to choose - sea or river? Here it is better to focus on personal preferences.

Fans of more massive jewelry are more suited to the oceanic design.

The freshwater counterpart of the mineral is usually more modest in size. One of the explanations is the nuclear-free production technology.

Pearls are divided into:

  1. Large, varietal. The diameter of such a “stone” can reach 10 mm.
  2. Beads are also popular in jewelry. Such beads - no more than 3-5 mm in diameter - look good in discreet, classic jewelry.
  3. Dust is pearls up to 3 mm in diameter. It can rarely be found in jewelry, but it is loved by designers who embroider haute couture outfits with mother-of-pearl dust.

SIZE MATTERS

The price of varietal pearls is always higher, and the love of jewelers is stronger.

Price

Sea pearls usually cost more than their river counterpart. Ocean rocks are larger, with regular roundness and a bright sheen.

Cost is affected by:

  • bead size,
  • pearl quality,
  • the metal from which the jewelry is made.

So, silver earrings with freshwater pearls can be found in Moscow for one and a half - two thousand rubles. In gold, the price starts from five thousand. A pearl thread that will decorate the neck and make any look elegant and concise will cost two or more thousand rubles.

Any fashionista can afford pearl jewelry: their prices are quite democratic. The final price tag depends on the size, shape and quality of the “stones”.

WHAT DEPENDS ON PEARL YIELD

Another difference between river pearls and sea pearls is “yield”.

In an oyster at the bottom of the sea, as a rule, only one pearl ripens. Whereas in shells from fresh water you can find ten mother-of-pearl beads.

The cost of cultivating ocean pearls is higher - and so is its price.

Summarize

When choosing a pearl jewelry, it is worth considering: if there is a small matte stone of imperfect roundness on the window, it is a river mineral. Marine will shine and surprise with unusual shades - from pink to black and blue.

The price of salt water mother-of-pearl is higher than that of fresh water. Color, shine, size, shape - you have to pay for everything. But river pearls have a thicker layer of “enamel”, which means that the stone retains its natural properties longer. A more affordable cost is another plus for freshwater specimens.

With this knowledge, you can make a choice without spending extra money.

Almost every one of us knows that pearls can be sea and freshwater. Sea and river pearls differ in many ways. The first can be found in an oyster, and the second can be found in a river shell. An ignorant person will not be able to distinguish these stones at first glance, since they are very similar, but looking at the price of products made from them in a jewelry store, he will immediately understand that the difference between these stones is very significant. To understand how to distinguish sea pearls from river pearls, you need to analyze the characteristics of each of the stones.

Pearl jewelry is constantly attracting women. Undoubtedly, their unique and elegant color, cool shine and beautiful shapes of beads can make any lady elegant, while giving her some charm and mystery.

In addition, natural minerals such as pearls can bring wealth and beauty to a woman, and they also have a beneficial effect on health. They can improve the functioning of the digestive system, calm the nervous system, and also allow you to identify malignant tumors. Freshwater pearl jewelry darkens if a person has cancer.

The longer the foreign body stays in the oyster, the thicker the mother-of-pearl layer is on it. As a result, after a few months or years, an elegant round stone is formed, which is called pearls.

Mother-of-pearl consists of calcium carbonate, which refracts light so that a rainbow forms on the surface. Therefore, if you do not know how to check a natural stone, do the following: take it out into the sun and twist it - the natural one will shine with a bluish and pink light.

Differences of the grown mineral

From the 13th century, they began to grow pearls. The technology of growing pearls is identical to natural. A special core is implanted into the oyster shell, which in the oyster is covered with a mother-of-pearl layer over several years. It is this layer that turns the implant into a brilliant pearl. But due to the different features of the anatomical structure of different types of oysters and the characteristics of the water in certain places, the pearls turn out to be different from one another.

Differences between two types of minerals

To understand the differences between sea and river pearls, you need to understand the main characteristics of these stones:

  • Shine.

It can be seen with the naked eye that shelf pearls have a bright mother-of-pearl luster that shimmers in the light, while in specimens from rivers, the luster, on the contrary, is dull and matte. This is due to the fact that salt water is alkaline, which affects the body of the mollusk. Fresh water is not alkaline, as it does not contain salts, so the stone looks simpler. This property allows you to quickly understand how to distinguish river pearls from sea ones.

  • The form.

Perfectly round pearls do not exist in nature. Pearls from the rivers, most often, irregular shape. It is oblong and oval. Seastone, on the contrary, has a more round shape.

Therefore, jewelry made from oval or egg-shaped beads are signs of a stone from the day of the river. Such pearls cannot be spherical.

Jewelry made from sea pearls looks neater and more ideal, since all the beads are round in shape - this can be quickly determined even by eye.

  • Price.

Sea pearls are much more expensive than river pearls, since the process of growing it takes more time and requires significant costs for keeping and caring for oysters. In addition, it is impossible to place more than three mother-of-pearl kernels in a sea oyster, and a shell from a river can accommodate more than ten mother-of-pearl kernels.

Another reason for the high cost of sea pearl jewelry is that they shine better, are lighter and have a uniform spherical shape, which is significantly different from river stone.

  • Durability.

Freshwater pearls have increased wear resistance, so jewelry made from this stone is more suitable for everyday wear. Although the beads look paler, their mother-of-pearl layers are stronger than those of sea pearls, on which the top layer is erased during intensive use. But here it all depends on the manner of wearing jewelry and on proper care for it.

Therefore, products made from river pearls in the form of a thread are much stronger, although they have a paler mother-of-pearl. Such things are undemanding to care for, and if you inherited a pearl necklace from your grandmother that shines as if it had just been bought, then these are definitely products made from river stone. Jewelry made from sea pearls lose their radiance with prolonged use, as thin mother-of-pearl is erased, so the beads in worn places will be matte - this is their clear difference.

  • Colour.

It may seem that all the pearls are of a noble color, but in reality they are not. Sea pearls often have unique, monophonic and rather saturated tones, which is not the case with river stone, which is almost never bright.

They have a uniform coloring, unlike river pearls. In addition, river stone cannot be black or bright pink, and shelf stone cannot be bluish and greenish. This also distinguishes river pearls from sea pearls.

Therefore, we can conclude that the river pearl cannot be represented by a wide variety of shades, unlike the sea stone.

Shelf specimens have a uniform whiteness without any color flaw, and river pearls have small gray or yellow spots.

findings

Now you know the difference between river pearls and sea pearls. Given all these nuances, you can quickly determine the type of stones. It is impossible to understand their origin from a photograph, since most often the pictures are processed on a computer using special software. It is necessary to purchase pearl jewelry in trusted jewelry stores, where you can appreciate the stone with a glance, touch it, consider the texture of mother-of-pearl.

sea ​​pearl Akoya

The choice of pearls is a pleasant process, but not an easy one.
Even after reading about the types of pearls, you can still get a box full of low-grade pearls, well, a lot of experience.
We have already considered natural and cultured - both types of pearls are natural.
Further, natural pearls are divided into river (freshwater) and Akoya sea (salt water, sea water), according to the habitat of the mollusk. Saltwater pearls are considered more brilliant, but also more expensive, since the conditions for their cultivation are more difficult, and the output is less quality pearls.
For freshwater pearls, a large mollusk is used, in which dozens of "seeds" can be placed and up to 30 pearls can be obtained. Therefore, it is much cheaper. Such pearls grow faster. In fresh water, there is no storm that can bring colder layers of water to the coast, where pearl clams grow on farms.

With the same quality of a pearl (size, luster, surface smoothness), a sea pearl will cost you much more than a freshwater one.
A solid “seed” is placed in sea pearls, and a piece of mollusk mantle is placed in freshwater pearls, it begins to be enveloped in layers of mother-of-pearl, in the process it dissolves and a whole pearl is obtained, completely from mother-of-pearl.

If you take two necklaces for comparison (sea and freshwater), let's say the price is $ 100 per thread (the cost is also approximate, depending on where to buy), you will get an excellent freshwater necklace, 7 mm in diameter, with almost selected pearls, the shape of the pearls is close to the circle. The necklace looks beautiful and expensive. At the same price, saltwater pearls will either have significant pearl flaws, visible growths, a baroque “spouted” shape that makes the pearls look teardrop-shaped, or a very thin layer of mother-of-pearl,

aged for no more than six months in a pearl oyster with a seed core with a mother-of-pearl layer thickness of up to 0.5 cm. The brilliance will be better, but you will need to be very careful when wearing such a necklace; the necklace will be lost.
It can be imagined that the price-quality ratio in freshwater pearls is better.


Photos are the best way to help you understand and make up your mind. The title photo shows Akoya sea pearls in baroque form, the photo in the text - earrings and pendant - Akoya sea pearls are round, the most recent photo is a necklace made of excellent quality freshwater pearls.
Look, decide, the final choice is always yours!

Anna Kushkova

Comments

  1. Lena
    08.02.2012 @ 19:30

    I haven’t received such pleasure from reading for a long time. Even my husband listened with great attention. Through the text, you can feel Anna’s love for pearls. And Sergey, as a kind and strict teacher, dotted the “I”. THANK YOU.

  2. Sergey
    20.11.2011 @ 10:18

    Anna, sometimes, river sea pearls can be distinguished even from a photograph. And your example is just such a case. Both of your strands are river pearls. I explain:
    Growing even, round freshwater pearls is next to impossible due to the "nuclear free" method you describe. Mother-of-pearl grows on an initially uneven base - a piece of the mantle (meat) of the donor mollusk. A uniform rounded (precisely rounded, not round) shape is achieved by rejection. Naturally, no one throws uneven pearls away, they simply move into other categories of commercial forms of pearls. These are forms: rice, baroque, potato, drop, button, etc. Of these, they later make magnificent decorations. In some cases, a pearl that has reached a certain size undergoes an additional alignment procedure. She is again wrapped in a thin layer of mantle and re-placed in a mollusk to continue growth. Pearls of non-commercial form (having very strong defects or simply terrible as death) are used in crushed form in cosmetics and medicines.
    Sea pearls are obtained precisely by the “nuclear” method. And this very nucleolus is a ball, regardless of the material of which it consists, it is always even, round in shape. The ball can be plastic, glass or made from shell mother-of-pearl. Cheap pearls in Asia use a plastic ball. The thickness of the mother-of-pearl layer can be incredibly small - a tenth of a millimeter. Therefore, the ball is used white or, in the worst case, transparent with a matte surface, otherwise it will be visible through a thin layer of mother-of-pearl. When using transparent plastic, these pearls even partially transmit light. Such pearls cost a couple of hundred rubles per thread, and with careless handling, mother-of-pearl peels off it faster than nail polish. Nevertheless, this is a real sea pearl! The main thing is that even such pearls have a round shape without dents, flattening and barrel-shaped.
    When growing higher quality saltwater pearls, a thicker layer of mother-of-pearl is achieved over a longer period, but even with the appearance of growths, the initial round shape of the pearl does not change. The build-up does not "spread" over the surface of the pearl, changing its shape, but continues to grow in the direction from the center of the pearl. As a result, you get a round pearl with growths sticking out of it. Jewelry made from such pearls is valued for its originality, but is much cheaper than pearls with a smooth, defect-free surface.
    So, we can say with almost one hundred percent certainty that uneven - elongated, barrel-shaped, and in general of any rounded shape (as in your photo) pearls are freshwater pearls obtained by the "non-nuclear" method. No matter what the seller says!

    • Anna
      22.11.2011 @ 15:43