Pearls have been highly valued and treasured throughout many cultures from nearly the beginning of history. There are references to pearls in Chinese texts from as early as 2300BC. India Hindu texts refer to pearls, stating in one place that the god Krishna discovered the first pearl. In ancient Roman times, pearls were worn as a symbol of wealth and prestige. There were attempts made to prohibit the wearing of pearls by those not so deserving. Historical records report military campaigns were financed selling just one pearl.

Pearls have been prized and collected for more than 4000 years, giving them the title of the world's oldest gem and...

Natural vs. Cultured Pearls

To understand pearls, one must understand the difference between, natural pearls, cultured pearls, freshwater pearls, saltwater pearls, Akoya pearls, South Seas pearls, Tahitian black pearls and simulated pearls and what the single word "pearl" means.

Natural Pearls are formed randomly and really are just simple accidents of nature. When some types of irritants, such as a parasite or the proverbial grain of sand, become lodged in the tissue of a mollusk, the animal responds by secreting a calcium carbonate substance called nacre to coat the intruder and protect the mollusk. Over a period of several years, this build-up of nacre forms a natural pearl. Pearl fishermen go out to seas or rivers to gather the mollusks in hopes of finding pearls. There are both freshwater and saltwater natural pearls, but sadly today, few are found due to centuries of over fishing, pollution and human encroachment.

Cultured Pearls are any pearls grown with the intervention of man. Cultured pearls are still real pearls, grown organically inside of the mollusk in the same way as natural pearls. The difference is that in the case of cultured pearls, the pearl farmer intentionally stimulates the development of the pearl by inserting a mother-of-pearl bead or "nucleus", and usually along with a piece of tissue from another mollusk, into the host mollusk. Thus, the formation and discovery of the pearl are no longer left to chance.

Freshwater Cultured Pearls are cultured pearls from a freshwater mollusk produced by pearl farms located in rivers, lakes and ponds. The largest source for these pearls is China. Usually only the tissue is implanted into the mollusk. No mother-of-pearl bead or nucleus is usually inserted. Therefore, the cultured pearls are made of solid nacre which produce very durable cultured pearls but ones which do not usually look as beautiful as a saltwater Akoya cultured pearl in regard to the luster or shine.

Saltwater Cultured Pearls are cultured pearls produced by a saltwater mollusk in saline waters. The three most common types of saltwater pearls are Akoya cultured pearls, Tahitian black cultured pearls, and South Sea cultured pearls. Saltwater cultured pearls tend to be more round than freshwater cultured pearls and have the potential of a higher luster or shine. The roundness is due to the fact that saltwater mollusks are universally bead nucleated. Unless the saltwater pearl is a keshi pearl, it will have a bead core under the nacre.

Simulated Pearls or Imitation Pearls are simply "beads" made of any natural or man-made substance and "finished to look like" a natural or cultured pearl.

Pearl Identification and Grading

Identification - To identify a natural pearl from a cultured pearl often requires the use of x-rays. Although when a drill hole is available for examination it may reveal some secrets to the method of origin. However, confidence in your jeweler and trust in his supply chain are often required for a level of assurance in a pearl purchase.

Grading - There is no universal grading system like diamonds used in the pearl industry. The three major grading systems employed by most suppliers and retailers of pearls are:

The AAA-A System

This system grades pearls on a scale from AAA to A, with AAA being the highest grade. This grading scale is common to freshwater and Akoya pearls only, but is accepted by many with South Sea and Tahitian pearls as well:

• AAA: The highest-quality pearl, virtually flawless. The surface will have a very high luster, and at least 95% of the surface will be free from any type of defect.
• AA: The surface will have a very high luster, and at least 75% of the surface will be free from any type of defect.
• A: This is the lowest jewelry-grade pearl, with a lower luster and/or more than 25% of the surface showing defects. In many cases, if the pearl is being mounted into a piece of jewelry, it can be mounted so that the defects are hidden -- thus providing a lovely jewelry piece at a lower price.

The A-D System (or Tahitian System)

This system grades pearls on a scale from A to D, with A being the highest grade. This is the system used in French Polynesia (based on a government standard there) to grade Tahitian pearls, and South Sea pearls only. It is therefore sometimes referred to as the "Tahitian system." While this system is standard in producing countries, other markets will still utilize AAA-A.

• A: The highest-quality pearl, with very high luster and only minor imperfections over less than 10% of its surface.
• B: High or medium luster. Surface may have some visible imperfections, but over no more than 30% of its area.
• C: Medium luster with surface defects over not more than 60% of the surface area.
• D: May have many slight defects, but no deep ones, spread over 60% of its surface; or deep defects over no more than 60% of its surface; or a combination of minor and deep defects over no more than 60% of its surface. In this grade of pearl, the luster is irrelevant. Even the most lustrous pearls will be graded D if their surface is blemished to this extent. Pearls below D grade are considered not acceptable for use in jewelry.

GIA 7 Pearl Value Factors™

This system is used by many retailers who purchase cultured pearls from their sources based on the grade of the pearl using a comprehensive standard for describing pearls. It is a similar approach to grading systems used with diamonds or colored gemstones. These standards are the GIA 7 Pearl Value Factors™, Pearl Species, Shape, Surface, Color, Nacre Thickness, Matching, and Luster. Generally Schuck Jewelers use this system for their items of pearl jewelry.

For additional information about pearls we suggest you look at the PBS NOVA program "The Perfect Pearl" at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pearl/ and the information found at the Jewelry Information Center at http://www.jic.org/?page=cultured-pearls.

So what does the single word pearl mean? It may be used in any context and may mean many things such as a natural pearl or cultured pearl of either freshwater or saltwater origin from many sources and locations or just a bead which looks like a pearl. Trust your jeweler to explain the "pearls" you are looking at.