Spencer Square Shopping Center
8760-Madison
Blvd. Suite S
Madison, AL 35758
Phone:
(256) 464-6610
Toll Free:
1-800-296-0167
Email: Click Here
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Pearl Education
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A pearl begins its life when a foreign object enters the body of an oyster and cannot be expelled. | 
To protect its soft body against intrusion, cells within the oyster secrete a smooth and hard substance called nacre, around the irritant. |
After two to three years of depositing layer upon layer of nacre over the irritant, if the oyster survives and conditions are just right, a beautiful pearl is formed. |
You can evaluate any piece of cultured pearl jewelry on the following quality factors. But always remember that the better the quality of pearls you select, the more beauty and value they will retain over time.
1. Lustre: Lustre is a combination of surface brilliance and a deep seated glow. The luster of a good quality pearl should be bright and not dull. You should be able to see your own reflection clearly on the surface of a pearl. Any pearl that appears dull or chalky indicates low quality.
2. SURFACE: Cleanliness refers to the absence of disfiguring spots, bumps, or cracks on the surface of a pearl. The cleaner the surface of the pearl, the more valuable.
3. SHAPE: Since cultured pearls are naturally grown by oysters, it is very rare to find a perfectly round pearl. However, the rounder the pearl, the more valuable it is. Baroque pearls, which are asymmetrical in shape, can be lustrous and appealing, and often cost less than that of round pearls.
4. COLOR: Cultured pearls come in a variety of colors from rose to black. While the color of a pearl is really a matter of the wearer's preference, rose or silver/white pearls tend to look best on fair skins while cream and gold toned pearls are flattering on darker complexions.
5. SIZE: Cultured pearls are measured by their diameter in millimeters. They can be smaller than one millimeter in the case of tiny seed pearls, or as large as twenty millimeters for a big south sea pearl. The larger the pearl, along with other factors considered, the more valuable it will be. The average sized pearl sold today is between 7.0 - 7.5 millimeters.
The following is a sample picture of the quality factors of a pearl.
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1-800-296-0167
Local: 1-256-464-6610
Monday - Friday 10AM - 6PM
Saturday 10AM - 5PM
(Central Standard Time)
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