Cultured Pearls
Browse Cultured Pearls
 Cultured pearls from GoldenMine.com at wholesale, discount prices! Natural pearls were extremely rare, so pearl jewelry were very expensive until man learned how to
create cultured pearls. Today, 95% of the pearl market consists of cultured
pearls where only 1 in 15,000 are natural. Cultured pearls form when a
nucleus or piece of mantle tissue is inserted in the inner body of the
oyster where it cannot be expelled. Although the irritant is not painful,
the mollusk secretes a crystalline substance (called nacre), around the
debris to protect itself from infection. The mollusk continues to secrete
layers of nacre that surround the object for several years while farmers
protect the mollusk from storms, temperature changes, and disease. Despite
these efforts, harvests will yield only 20% marketable cultured pearls.
- Cultured pearls are grown in saltwater and freshwater rivers, ponds, and lakes. Saltwater
pearls are generally rounder and more expensive.
- Freshwater pearls are grown on a mass scale,
offering a wide range of sizes, colors, and shapes.
- Cultured pearls are available in many shapes from round, and tear drop, to baroque.
Buying Criteria:
- Luster: Look for a bright appearance and surface that can reveal your reflection clearly.
- Surface: Opt for a cultured pearl with clean surface and avoid purchasing cultured pearls with obvious cracks and blemishes.
- Color: Color is a matter of preference. Rose and white cultured pearls compliment fair
complexions while cream and gold cultured pearls flatter darker complexions. Black cultured pearls
with a green "peacock" hue are most valuable.
- Shape: Rounder pearls for pearl jewelry are more rare and consequently more expensive. Baroque pearls (irregular in shape)
are more moderately priced and have their own charm.
- Size: The average cultured pearls sold today are between 7 and 71/2 millimeters. Generally, the larger the pearl,
the more valuable it will be.
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