Understand how production is and why pearls are so valuable

One of the most coveted and valuable jewelry items in the world is pearls. But whoever gets a necklace or a pair of pearl earrings often has no idea what that means, or at least why it is such an expensive thing. Some who buy also have little idea of ​​the real reason why they pay them so much for props containing these objects.

The truth is that pearls are a defense mechanism of oysters against foreign objects that end up inside the shells. When a grain of sand, a parasite or any other organic material comes into contact with the blanket that protects the internal organs of the mollusk, the process of producing a pearl begins.

In some situations, objects can even do some damage, and to avoid even greater complications, the oyster organism will deposit the mother-of-pearl on the intruder. The substance is the same as the inner part of the shell, so it is rigid, and the object receives several layers to reach its final shape. Just for the sake of curiosity, when there is some external damage that reaches the inner region of the oyster shell, recovery consists of the same process, depositing the nacre in the affected region.

The Types Of Pearl Making

Pearls can be produced by oysters naturally or in cultivated form, and the process that results in this artifact is the same in both cases. However, there is one detail that makes the natural pearl more valuable than the creation version. Natural ones are much rarer, specifically the spherical variety, which is much sought after for jewelry making.

However, to identify whether a pearl is natural or cultured, an X-ray is usually required, given the similarity between them. The main difference is the microscopic nuclei formed, which tend to have concentric growth rings in the natural versions, while the cultivated ones have solidity characteristics.

But if there is a mass production of cultured pearls, why is the object still considered rare and therefore precious? The answer lies in the process of cultivating and producing these items, as shown below.

The creation of cultured pearls

The process of obtaining a pearl through cultivation already begins with a somewhat complicated factor. Breeders need to wait about two to three years until the oyster is mature enough to start production. Prior to this time, mollusks need to be well-placed somewhere with water that provides the conditions for development.

At the right point to start the process, the oysters are taken from their natural environment and placed in a dry place where they stay for at least half an hour. At this time, the oysters usually open up at some point, and that's when the breeders put a kind of shim between the shells to hold them ajar.

Molluscs that do not open their shells for as long as they stay in a place without water will return to their habitat and try again later. Already the open are moved to another environment where is applied more force so that the gap between the shells is a little larger. This has to be done carefully, as very fast openings can even kill the oyster.

Then the designers insert a core that can have many variations depending on the shape and final size of the pearl. Briefly, the points involving these variations also contribute to a possible increase in the price of these objects. At the end of the entire implementation process, the oysters are closed again and returned to the water.

What makes pearls more expensive and precious

Production is a procedure that can be extremely shocking and harmful to oysters. Many end up not holding up and die. Therefore, after a period of six weeks, ideal for the recovery of these creatures, they are removed again in order to verify if they started the accumulation of nacre in the inserted object. Those who end up dying and do not complete the process are discarded at this stage.

Approximately half of the oysters that start are lost during the procedure. In addition, pearls may take 6 months to 6 years to complete, depending on the type of core inserted into the shells. In the end, only 5% of the pearls produced will be of sufficient quality to be involved in the production of large luxury jewelry.

In the case of a necklace or other jewelry with more than one pearl, these items are carefully selected from approximately 10, 000 units. The aim is to gather specimens that have uniform characteristics of color, shape, size and brightness in order to make the most beautiful and luxurious artifacts possible.

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