Pearls
When buying pearls the main categories are cultured, natural and synthetic. Natural pearls are usually rare and expensive where as cultured pearls are farmed through human intervention – however, they are still produced in oysters or mussels. Finally, there are synthetic pearls, which are entirely man made.
There are basically five types of cultured pearls
- Akoya (small cultured pearls from Japan in pale colours)
- Fresh water (mainly from China and their colours range from white through to lavender)
- Keshi (these are irregularly shaped but can be very large)
- South Sea (from the Australian and surrounding regions these tend to be large with a range of colours from silvery white to gold)
- Tahitian (as one would expect from French Polynesia and the Cook Islands these are arrange of colours from black green and aubergine through to gold).
When looking for quality pearls you should take into account lustre, texture, shapes, size and colours.
A good lustre and deep coating is desirable with a flawless texture size and shapes are really a personal preference as is the colour.
(This brief resume has been compiled with the assistance of the British Jeweller’s Association for further more detailed advice you can consult the Website of the British Jewellers Association on http://www.bja.org.uk/consumer_information.php)
