Victoria's Pearls!
Akoya Pearls
Pearls
are unique in the world of colored gemstones as they are the only gemstone
formed within a living creature. Old
Arabian legend says that pearls were formed when dewdrops filled with moonlight
fell into the ocean and were swallowed by oysters. Pearls were so cherished by man that as the sources of
natural pearls became exhausted, man learned to cultivate them by implanting an
irritant into the oyster. The
Japanese developed this to a fine art using the Akoya breed of oyster and
spherical implants cut from fresh water mollusks. The Japanese
Akoya cultured pearls became the standard for many years.
They are available in many beautiful colors, sizes up to about 8
millimeters, and can be acquired in graduated or uniform strands.
Our source for Akoya pearls is the highly esteemed pearl house of Frank Mastoloni Sons. Check their website for
additional styles available through our store.
South Sea Pearls
As the desire for ever larger pearls grew, the search was
on for a larger breed of oyster that could be implanted with larger nuclei. This search ended in the warm
waters of the South Seas. This is the home of the Gold Lipped Oyster (Pinctada Maxima) and the
Black Lipped Oyster (Pinctada Margaritafera). These huge oysters, many as big as a dinner plate, are implanted with
nuclei from 9 millimeters to 20 millimeters. Most of the white
South Sea Pearls are cultivated in Burma, Indonesia,
and the bays of Thursday Island. Tahitian
Black Cultured pearls are cultivated in the French Polynesian Islands.
Tahiti, the namesake of this dramatic black pearl, is the most famous of
these islands but curiously black pearls are never found in the waters of the
island of Tahiti. The most prized
color is solid dark black with “peacock” overtones.
Fresh Water Pearls
Early
last century, pearl farmers found that a different type of pearl could be grown
in mollusks in the fresh water of Lake Biwa, Japan. Here fresh water mollusks are implanted with many small
pieces of mantle tissues producing an irregularly shaped pearl with great
luster. Today, pollution of Lake
Biwa has stopped all production and only limited quantities are available from
dealers with old inventories. More
recently Chinese fresh water pearls are being produced with a variety of
techniques. The Chinese mollusk is
larger than the Akoya and can be implanted for up to 30 pearls, making prices
quite reasonable. Chinese farmers
are producing pearls that appear more and more like the saltwater Akoya with
each harvest. These are rapidly
being accepted as a more affordable substitute for the traditional Japanese
cultured pearls.
