Pearls to me, are Fruit of the Sea. So it's no surprise that a strand of pearls was my first piece of big girl jewelry - a gift from my parents when I was in my teens. I treasured them so much...and still wear them to this day.
I remember opening the fancy red box and thinking that they must have cost a small fortune...
And I was almost afraid to wear them....because, what if I lost them, or they broke or worse...what if someone stole them? At the time, I thought a pearl was a pearl was a pearl...but as it turns out, not all pearls are created equal.
Natural pearls are pearls formed without any human influence and are formed when an irritant enters a mollusk, more commonly found in oysters. Because these are natural, the pearl usually takes on the shape of the irritant and is rarely, if ever, round. So with that bit of knowledge - I figured out - none of my pearls are natural.
So onto cultured pearls... these are similar to natural pearls, except the irritant is artificially inserted into the mollusk, by a Pearl Farmer (who knew)... and therefore, the shape can be controlled.
Freshwater pearls are either cultured or natural, although cultured are more common and they are grown in rivers and lakes. These are very popular because they are inexpensive and durable, although they do not have the same luster as natural & saltwater cultured pearls.
Saltwater pearls are the most valuable, because of their luster and beauty. Most popular are Tahitian, Akoya and South Seas and they can be natural or cultured - although most are cultured, making natural ones rare and very expensive.
My most treasured pearls (except my first pair of cultured pearls from my parents) fit into the last category - imitation pearls. These are faux and man made of materials such as glass, plastic and ceramics. They are sold as costume of designer jewelry and have no real gem value. BUT - whenever I want to dress up an outfit, whether it be a t-shirt and jeans - or a LBD - my favorite go to piece of jewelry are my classic imitation pearls.
It seems I'm in good company ..... (except for the imitation part...)
Audrey
Grace
Elizabeth
Marilyn
Natalie
Jacqueline
Diana
I have no idea who this is - but I liked the photo!!
.....And this is my favorite.....
I'm linking this up to Faded Charm's White Wednesday. Please check it out!!!
