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COLOUR
  • white, grey, orange, black, brown
PEARL TYPES
  • Natural pearls form accidentally in the interior of molluscs without interference from man. Most pearls for sale at present are cultured but auctions often still sell jewelry with natural pearls 
  • Special types: Melo melo, Conch, Horse
  • Cultured: with human intervention which should only stimulate the mollusc to produce a pearl formation and the substance formed should only be that normally produced by the mollusc
  • Freshwater pearls are mostly cultured and in particular China is a large supplier of them


(click on colour to find other gemstones and jewelry)
TREATMENTS
SHAPES
  • Color: bleaching, deying. Tinting: a treatment which causes a subtle change in colour and/or appearance
  • Luster: oiling, waxing. Lustre enhancement: Any treatment or process applied to enhance the lustre of a natural or cultured pearl
  • Luster: working: significantly remove layers of nacreous or non-nacreous material from a pearl, usually to remove blemishes and/or to reshape a pearl, especially blister pearls
  • Other: filling, irradiation

A perfectly round cultured pearl is worth the highest value. However, a beautiful symmetrical drop shape is also highly valued.
Shape is divided into the following:

  • round, semi-round,
  • oval, drop,
  • button,
  • semi-baroque, baroque
  • circled



care

Most collectible are perfectly round pearls and exceptional natural pearls such as melo melo, conch and horse conch pearls with perfect shape and intense colors .
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