Colored Pearls:Real or Artificial

Ever since my last blog,I have many a  people come and ask me whether coloured pearls are real or natural pearls?So I thought that this would make  an interesting topic for my next blog.The natural color of a pearl is a result of  a combination of several factors. The main color of  a pearl is its  body color. This body color  can be white, silver, cream-colored, gold, green, blue, or even black. Like the color of a baby depends on the parental heritage ,the color of a pearl is  determined by the type of oyster or mollusk that produces the pearl (certain types of oysters generally produce pearls of certain colors), as well as the conditions of the water. At times the type of nucleus  implanted in the oyster also  stimulates the pearl's creation.

You would be surprised  to know that some of the rarest pearls are coloured. Black pearls sourced from the Black Lip Oyster is an example of the same, A simple strand of black pearls can cost in upwards of Rs. 1 lakh. They are so gorgeous, and ooze beauty and class

It is important to know   many pearls are artificially colored. This is widely practiced incase of  freshwater pearls. The colors are artificially infused by a treatment known as dyeing, or by subjecting the pearls to irradiation. The point to be noted in this case is that these  pearls are absolutely real and natural only their color is artificial.

The demand for coloured pearls have created a market and a supply of beautiful pearls. This also allows jewelers like us to create an  exquisite and fashionable pearl jewellery with different colours to suit your moods. However you must always be careful and buy your pearls from a r jeweler of repute.

Many times I am asked , how does one  distinguish  a real pearl from an artificial bead. It is not hard to do so.The simplest method is to rub the pearl on your front teeth. If it feels grainy, it’s a real pearl, if its smooth, it plastic. Isn’t that simple ? J  Similarly an artificially coloured pearlis also born naturally hence it will also , if it doesn’t you know  it is a coloured bead.

Will await more questions from your end  , would love to answer any questions you might have.

Wishing all my readers a A Very Happy and Prosperous New Year!

See you all soon again in the new year – 2012.Keep smiling.

Warm Regards

The Saga of Pearls

Pearls are nature’s gift to mankind. It is our passion for this gift that has made us start this blog. We are fascinated with this gemstone and we want to share our stories with you. Please keep visiting us to know more about the 'Wonders world of Pearls'.

Pearls are the only gemstones grown inside of a living organism. Pearls are formed within oysters when a foreign substance invades the shell of the Oyster and enters the soft mantle tissue. In response to the irritation, the oyster secretes a crystalline substance called nacre, which builds up in layers around the irritant, forming a pearl.




Pearls have been prized for their beauty purity and rarity for more than five thousand years. From ancient China, India, and Egypt, to Imperial Rome, to the Arab world, to Native American tribes, cultures from around the world and throughout recorded history have valued pearls longer than any other gem. The very first pearls are said to have been discovered approximately 5000 years ago in what are now the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.

Throughout history, we can find many fantastic episodes involving pearls. Cleopatra is said to have dissolved pearls in vinegar, believing that imbibing the resulting concoction would preserve her beauty. The first Emperor of the Shin kingdom of China put great effort into searching for pearls, believing that they could prevent aging. The famous Chinese beauty, Yang Kuei-fei, is said to have ground pearls into powder for daily consumption. Pearls also make several appearances in the 1,001 tales of Arabian Nights.

In a completely natural state, only a very small percentage of Oysters will ever produce a pearl and only a few of them will develop a desirable size, shape, and color; only a small fraction of those will be harvested by humans. It is commonly assumed that one in ten thousand mollusks naturally produce gem quality pearls. Obviously, if we relied only on nature, ownership of pearls would still be relegated to the wealthiest and pearl producing mollusks would be on the brink of extinction due to over-harvest. As pearls have been prized for thousands of years, this need has led to the development of cultured pearls.



Cultured Pearls


In the early part of the 20th century, Japanese researchers discovered a method of producing pearls artificially. The method involves inserting a foreign substance, or nucleus, into the tissue of the oyster or mollusk, then returning it to the sea, allowing a cultured pearl to develop naturally.




In the early part of the 20th century, Japanese researchers discovered a method of producing pearls artificially. The method involves inserting a foreign substance, or nucleus, into the tissue of the oyster or mollusk, then returning it to the sea, allowing a cultured pearl to develop naturally.

Kokichi Mikimoto is credited with perfecting the technique for artificially stimulating the development of round pearls in akoya mollusks, receiving a patent for this technique in 1916. Although patented in 1916 this technique has since been improved upon and used extensively throughout the pearling world - no longer simply used to cultured akoya pearls, but freshwater, South Sea and Tahitian pearls as well.

Mikimoto opened the door to a greatly expanded pearl industry in which pearls could be farmed like an agricultural crop. These cultured pearls could now be produced in sufficient quantities to make them available to virtually anyone.

The cultured pearl industry has now far surpassed that of the natural pearl industry. Although a market still exists for pearls gifted to us by nature, these pearls are becoming more and more difficult to find, with rare full strands being auctioned for hundreds of thousands of dollars.


 Come back next week to read up on the fascinating journey of Pearls throughout history. 

Please do leave comments on what you would like to see in future blogs on the world of Pearls.