About Pearls

Vogue Pearls carries only genuine cultured pearls. Fine cultured pearls are the most popular pearls today and what you usually see when you go into retail jewelry stores.

Pearl Types

Pearls are either Natural or Cultured. Natural pearls are a product of nature and cultured pearls are a product of nature helped by science. For cultured pearls, a nucleus is implanted into the mollusk to stimulate nacre production and over a few years nacre builds up layer by layer, ultimately creating the pearl. Natural pearls are formed entirely by nature when an irritant enters the shell of an oyster or mollusk and then the irritant is covered in layers of nacre to form the pearl. Natural pearls are extremely rare due to overfishing and pollution, and a pearl diver may dive a lifetime and only collect a handful of natural pearls, most of which will not be desirable for jewelry.

The nets contain the mollusks in
which the pearls are cultivated.

Sources of Pearls

Cultured pearls come from two sources - freshwater and saltwater. Freshwater cultured pearls are grown in lakes and rivers, whereas saltwater cultured pearls are grown in bodies of saltwater such as bays. The majority of freshwater cultured pearls are grown in pearl farms in China. Saltwater cultured pearls most commonly consist of Akoya (Japanese) and South Sea pearls, also know as Tahitian pearls. Various types of pearls are produced as a result of different oyster/mollusk use, the environment in which they live, and different cultivation techniques used by the pearl farmers.

One mollusk can produce a variety of pearl
colors and sizes.

Pearl Characteristics

The quality of a pearl is judged based on multiple characteristics - luster, size, shape, color, and surface.

Luster: The intensity of light reflected from the surface of the pearl. High luster pearls reflect light well and show mirror-like reflections. Low luster pearls appear milky or chalky. Luster is generally considered to be one of the most important characteristics of a pearl's valuation.

Nacre: The nacre is the substance secreted by the mollusk that actually forms the pearl. The thicker the nacre, the higher quality the pearl, as it will shine more deeply.

Size: The larger a pearl, the more valuable it is. Large pearls must remain in the mollusk longer, thus incurring a higher investment cost. Pearls are measured in millimeters (mm). Freshwater pearls range from 3mm to 12mm, and Tahitian pearls range from 8mm to 18mm or larger.

Shape: Pearls come in a wide variety of shapes. While the rounder a pearl, the more valuable it is, the baroque and off-round shapes have become very popular today. Pearls can be perfectly round (extremely rare), near-round, oval, button, drop, semi-baroque, baroque, or non standard shapes such as bar, cross, or coin.

Color: Pearls come in a wide range of natural colors and shades, and many pearls are dyed to further expand the possibilities. Natural colors include the white, cream, pink, lilac, silver and gold shades of freshwater pearls as well as black for Tahitian pearls. Color is really a matter of personal taste and should be chosen depending on whether it suits the wearer's skin tone and taste in fashion.

Surface: The amount of blemishes a pearl has. The fewer blemishes, the more valuable the pearl is. To find pearls without blemishes is rare, and these pearls are extremely expensive. When assessing pearl jewelry, look at each pearl individually to judge the surface quality. Remember that pearls are nature's only organic gem so some small blemishes are natural.

There is no internationally accepted grading system for pearls, unlike diamonds. In the U.S., the main system used to grade pearls is GIA certified grading, although very few pearls are actually sold with a "certificate" of grading. While Vogue Pearls jewelry is not GIA certified, we promise that our products are extremely high quality.

Pearl Care

Gently wipe pearls with a soft cloth to remove body oils or dirt before putting them away.

Pearls should be stored away from other objects or jewelry that may scratch the pearls' surface. Wrap the pearls in linen, a soft cloth, or place in a soft pouch.

Keep pearls away from chlorine bleach, vinegar, ammonia, hairspray, perfume and cosmetics, as these substances will damage the pearl surface. Make sure to put pearls on after spraying perfume or applying cosmetics. Also, remove pearls before exercising to keep them away from perspiration. So: no cleaning, spraying perfume, applying makeup, or exercising in your pearls! This will keep them beautiful for a lifetime.

Restring pearls occasionally, depending on how often they are worn. Jewelry worn several times per week should be restrung annually. Be sure to have each pearl knotted separately so they do not rub together and damage the pearl nacre. If pearls are very small, knots between each pearl may be undesirable.