Pearl is a hard spherical object produced within soft tissues of living shelled mollusk.

The term pearl literally means unique which refers to a facts that two pearls are not identical.

It is the oldest known gem and for centuries, it was considered as the most valuable. The most valuable pearl are symmetrical, relatively large and naturally produced.

The natural colors of pearl include white, silver, gold, cream, lilac and black. Black pearls are called Tahitian pearls comes from black lipped oyster and valued highly because of its rarity.

To Greeks, it is considered that pearl signifies purity and loyalty to marital bed. The Greek god Hymen, god of marriage is often depicted holding a strand of pearls, representing the marital bond between Eros and Psyche.

In Persia, pearls are used to cure indigestion, hemorrhaging and malaria.

Stone History

The discovery of pearls had been cultivated in freshwater mussels which is believed to have been made in 13th-century in China, and the Chinese had been expert in cultivating pearls for hundreds of years by opening the mussel's shell and inserting it into a small pellets of mud or tiny bosses of wood, bone, or metal and returning the mussel to its bed for about three years to await the maturation of a pearl formation. Cultivated pearls of China have been almost absolutely blister pearls.

Description

Pearls are shaped by a mollusk consisting of the identical material (called nacre) as the mollusk's shell. It is an extremely treasured gemstone.

The shell-secreting cells of the mollusk are situated in the mantle of its body. When a distant particle penetrates the mantle, the cells attach to the particle and build up more or less concentric layers of pearl around it. Erratically shaped pearls called as baroque pearls are those that have grown in muscular tissue.

Blister Pearls are pearls that grow adjacent to the shell which are frequently level on the other side. Pearls are characterized by their fineness and luster and by a fragile play of surface color called orient. The more ideal is its shape and the deeper its luster, the greater its value. Only those pearls produced by mollusks whose shells are lined with really fine pearls. Pearls from other mollusks are reddish or whitish, porcellaneous, or lacking in pearly luster.

Color

The colors of pearls vary with respect to the mollusk and its corresponding surroundings. It ranges from black to white, with the rose of Indian pearls valued most. Cultured pearls are being produced in virtually every color of the rainbow. Green, cream, blue, yellow, lavender, mauve and gray are the other colors of pearls.

Varieties

Saltwater pearls which are basically called as Oriented Pearls comes under the jewelry which are produced by the freshwater mollusks as fresh water pearls.

Pearl as Birthstone

Pearl is considered to be the birthstone for the zodiac sign Gemini (Twins): May 21- June 21. Pearl is the anniversary gem for the 12th and 30th year of marriage.

Therapeutic ability

They help in the eradication of emotional imbalance, masters the heart chakra, aid stomach, spleen, ulcer problems and intestinal tract.

Books on Pearls

Pearls by Fred Ward

Soft cover, 6" x 9", 65 pages, and copyright 2002.
In Pearls, Fred Ward presents the history and lore of pearls. Chapters include History and Lore, Natural Pearls, Cultured Saltwater Pearls, Cultured Freshwater Pearls, Mother-of-Pearl and Shell Products, Imitation Pearls, Buying and Caring for Pearls, and Determining Pearl Quality. Any reader with an interest in gemstones and pearls will appreciate this lavishly illustrated book.