How long do natural pearls last?

Russia has always loved and still loves pearls. They not only mined it themselves, for example, from the river, but also purchased it in huge quantities abroad. In many villages along the rivers where pearls were mined, festive headdresses were made from a huge number of pearls. The huge amount of pearls in the treasury in Rus’ can be imagined from the chronicles of the looting of Moscow. And there were, as we remember, a lot of them. Everyone was robbed. In 1611, after the capture of the Kremlin, the arrogant Poles, out of idleness, shot large pearls from muskets. And during the so-called Salt Riot of 1648, pearl robbers measured handfuls of pearls and sold them to everyone by the capful. There are statements by famous foreign travelers about Russia, mysterious and strange for Europeans. “Pearls were used more in Russia than in all of Europe,” wrote the Swedish traveler Johann Philipp Kielburger with surprise in the XNUMXth century. An incredible amount of pearls were also used in church decorations. It could be seen on icon frames, festive embroidery, and sacred vessels. All these products amazed Europeans with their luxury. In world-famous museums around the world there are also a lot of jewelry and real masterpieces with this beautiful stone.

Two Pendants from the 1590s. Enameled gold and pearls. Argenti Museum, Palazzo Pitti, Florence

A rooster holding a Caduceus from the 1570s. Enameled gold, two pearls, thirty-four diamonds, two rubies, 7x 5 cm, Argenti Museum, Palazzo Pitti, Florence

Very beautiful, isn’t it? Beautiful amazing pearls! And their age has almost exceeded half a millennium. But real pearls “grow old” quite quickly. The life of a pearl depends on the owner of this jewelry. From storage conditions first of all. they say that a pearl under normal conditions lives from 150 to 300 years. And then what? The pearl may crack, wrinkle, delaminate, and its pearlescent luster may disappear. This is how this organic product loses its appeal. It’s all about its organic origin. These are almost our kidney or gallstones. Kidding. Why do pearls age and deteriorate? A pearl has a core, prismatic and lamellar layers. We are not particularly interested in the kernel itself. These are foreign particles that get inside pearl shells. Having secured themselves under the mollusk’s mantle, these foreign particles irritate it. And the mollusk, in response, trying to protect itself from potential danger, envelops the foreign body with its secretions. This mucus contains calcium carbonate, impregnated with a horny substance – nacre, which is scientifically called conchiolin. Jewelry-quality pearls have shells represented by lamellar layers. But what happens over time? The pearl is slowly “dying.” The first such sign will be a loss of shine, the bright white color will turn yellow or gray. In some metas the layers begin to be torn away. The pearl delaminates. So it can completely fall apart. Moisture also gradually evaporates. A pearl that has lost water fades and loses its color. Its value is lost over time. Sudden temperature changes have a very bad effect on pearls. But there are some gems that are age-resistant.

Annoushka

Annoushka

Cartier

Cartier

Suzanne Syz

Dior

It's okay

Freshwater pearls are said to be less susceptible to aging because river water is cooler and cleaner. Sea water, on the contrary, is rich in salts and various microelements, which often leads to destruction. However, as history shows, stones raised from the depths of the sea, and also having a natural yellowish tint, can live for a very long time. For example, in 1588, the king of Spain sent the ship “Invincible Armada” to conquer Foggy Albion, or England. On board there were countless treasures, including pearls, but, unfortunately, it sank at a decent sea depth. Centuries later, the ship was raised and it was discovered that the jewelry with sea pearls was completely intact and of pristine beauty. But there are also counter examples. The pearls, from another shipwreck off the reefs of the Bermuda Triangle nearly four centuries ago, were brown and eroded. In general, experts agreed that deep sea pearls are more durable than those formed in the warm waters of shallow waters. And the local composition, acidity and alkalinity of water is also of great importance. How to restore shine to faded pearls? They say, but I have not tried, that a weak solution of hydrochloric acid is used for these purposes. And in India, tarnishing pearls are often fed to chickens. In their stomachs, stones under the influence of digestive juice are freed from the upper tarnished mother-of-pearl layer and, as they move through the digestive tract, they are also polished. It is clear that such methods will no longer save flaking and cracked beads.

Exhibition “Pearls: Treasures of the Seas and Rivers” Wedding jewelry with beaded pearls. Britain, 1890

Nothing is eternal. The fact that pearls live with their owner is partly a true statement. But with constant wearing, in contact with the skin, the jewelry will not only not fade, but will also retain its shine longer. They say the slightly acidic environment on our skin is to blame for this. It is this acid that gradually helps to get rid of the gradually tarnishing surface layers of the pearl and preserves its pearlescent luster. As we age, this balance in the skin changes. So it was noticed that only a child or a young woman can restore the original shine by wearing jewelry. They say that this is how the tarnished pearls from the famous staff of Ivan the Terrible were “resurrected.” Or maybe he wanted to wash something off of him? He ordered all the peas to be removed, a thread to be threaded through the pearls, and for a young girl to wear it and plunge into the waters of the northern Keret River. Fact or fiction, over time the shine returned to these pearls.

david morris

david morris

One of our favorite gems is a unique miracle of nature. Pearl jewelry belongs to the timeless classics, successfully transforming a mature woman, imparting sensuality to a young girl, embodying all the colors of stylish accessories. The mineral is not distinguished by impressive hardness, size or rich palette. But no one would dare say that even one of these shortcomings outweighs the unique radiance and mystery surrounding each pearl. Even when it became known how pearls are formed, for a long time they were extracted only from mollusks of rivers and seas. Now the situation has changed. The most beautiful stones may turn out to be synthetic, without retaining any beneficial properties. But there is something that cannot be faked, you can only try to repeat it.

Natural pearls – decoration, medicine, talisman?

• ground pearls are still used as additives for cosmetics,
• in antiquity, pearls were considered the gem of the goddess Venus, which is why they are credited with helping in love affairs,
• other advantages of the mineral are attracting good luck, financial well-being, protection from dark forces,
• if pearl gold jewelry has become tarnished, its owner may soon need urgent treatment,
• the power of pearls is associated with the Moon, so we must not forget about its fatal properties for people with base goals,
• loyalty, confidence, determination of a person are the best recommendations for choosing this stone,
• It is not advisable to wear pearls while traveling,
• Despite the legends that the pearl inevitably dies, in Europe it is considered a symbol of longevity, and Indian sages attribute to it a tendency to prosperity.

Astrologers are convinced that Pisces, as well as Libra, cannot do without a pearl necklace. This stone will not have a noticeable effect on most zodiac signs, but it can harm Virgo and Aries. It is generally accepted that it is pearl beads or bracelets that most fully demonstrate the magical properties of an organogenic gem.

What types of pearls are there?

All variants of this valuable mineral are divided into three large groups. Their names may confuse an unfamiliar person, but they contain a fundamental difference.

1. Pearl natural origin is formed on its own in the shells of some mollusks. Not all of these animals are capable of creating a pearl. Bivalves, several gastropods and one species of cephalopods – this is the entire list of valuable species. Their names are often directly related to the stone – pearl mussel, pearl barley, venerida. In their shells you can find large pearls or many small ones. The color also varies from white, silver to yellow, red, black and blue, sometimes they do not have a characteristic shine. Pearls are not always perfectly round; sometimes they are irregular in shape or partially embedded in the nacre layer of the shell.
2. How to mine cultured pearls? Also thanks to shellfish, but with human intervention. Special nuclei are placed in the mantle of a marine animal, provoking the formation of a nacreous shell. The method does not always work; many mollusks die after the procedure. But the survivors are guaranteed to form new pearls. Due to the rapid deterioration of marine ecology, natural pearls are becoming increasingly difficult to find. Therefore, it is the cultivated one that goes into mass production.
3. Imitation pearl, also known as ornamental, also stubbornly exists in store windows. It has nothing to do with the real mineral. Previously, it was made of glass, plastic, alabaster, and painted with the essence of fish scales. Now they use mother-of-pearl chips from the shells of dead mollusks, achieving a great resemblance to a real mineral. Pearl hoaxes include the coloring and irradiation of low-grade stones. This allows you to increase the price or turn an ordinary specimen into a rare variety. In some cases, imitation can bring certain benefits, but the manufacturer is obliged to warn about the processing of pearls.

The price of different types of pearls depends on many parameters, but there are ways to refine a low-quality stone, or even replace it altogether.

High-quality pearls, whether natural or sea-farmed, must meet certain standards. Of course, the imagination of jewelers will find use for the most unexpected forms, but the cost of a pearl is formed according to clear rules.

Pearls and quality assessment

The cheapest samples receive the lowest quality class D, and the larger the pearl, the closer its class is to A. The most valuable stones with a thick mother-of-pearl layer are indicated by a plus or an additional symbol. Freshwater pearls from 1mm in diameter are considered jewelry, sea pearls up to 20mm in diameter.

1. The size also depends on the weight of the pearl grain – up to 50, up to 200 and more than 200 milligrams. Even when cultivated, large pearls are less common, so their value remains high.
2. Color and shade are determined during visual inspection. Almost all types of pearls find use in one way or another.
3. The ideal shape is considered spherical. It is checked by rolling the pearl along an inclined surface – only the round one will be able to move freely. Baroque pearls have an irregular shape, but they are increasingly used in designer jewelry.
4. Luster indicates how well light reflects off the surface of the pearl. This indicator depends on the time of year – in winter the mother-of-pearl layers are thinner and denser, and in summer they become loose and less shiny.
5. Surface cleanliness indicates the absence of defects. These include dents, humps, unevenly painted areas, and surface stains of organic deposits. Any of these flaws will reduce the value of the pearl.
6. The thickness of the mother-of-pearl layer is especially important for cultivated grains. Nuclear cultured saltwater pearls must be coated with the mineral so that the internal seed remains undetected. The indicator is determined using a special scale or against light.
7. In jewelry, the selection of pearls is fundamental – all parts of the future jewelry must correspond to each other according to the above parameters.

Even knowing the intricacies of choosing pearls, you may encounter doubts when choosing a finished piece of jewelry. Low prices attract and confuse, and an unsightly appearance can hide the amazing history of a rare pearl.

Jewelry pearls can be distinguished from fakes!

Considering the difficulty of obtaining or cultivating, it is not surprising how much pearls cost. That’s why unscrupulous sellers try to pass off a low-grade imitation as a natural product. Fortunately, all of their tricks can be identified literally in a matter of moments:

• real pearls are quite heavy, artificial pearls always seem amazingly light,
• due to its organic origin, the mineral is endowed with elasticity – it can be checked by running a pearl over the surface of the teeth with a characteristic creaking sound,
• natural pearl grains are endowed with a porous structure, layers of nacre are noticeable,
• upon contact, pearls resist movement, while fake pearls slide freely,
• when dropped, natural pearls bounce off the floor several times,
• Natural stone beads have a uniform surface, while the edges of artificial ones reveal unpainted areas.

If you need to determine the authenticity of a mineral in a setting – for example, to evaluate a ring with pearls – you should pay attention to the reflections. A pearl of natural origin has a rather blue tint. And artificial variations are green or pink.

How to clean pearls at home

There is a myth that pearls live relatively short, only a couple of centuries. But with proper care, jewelry with this stone is passed on from generation to generation. Some royal jewels and archaeological finds date back several hundred years.

Therefore, pearl products require periodic cleaning:

• with a weak solution of baby soap, followed by rinsing and drying with a soft cloth,
• ordinary starch removes dirt well from the porous surface of pearls even without adding water,
• high-quality olive oil perfectly cleanses and polishes the mineral, extending the life of the jewelry,
• pearls with gold in one product are cleaned separately from the metal,
• If you are afraid of external influences, you can purchase a special jewelry paste for cleaning precious stones.

Under no circumstances should you use acetic or any other acid – they can dissolve the pearls. Harsh cleaning tools (such as brushes or sponges) may leave scratches. Excessively bright light, ultraviolet radiation and the influence of ultrasound are also undesirable for pearls. High temperatures, changes in humidity, and dusty conditions worsen the natural condition of pearls. Therefore, it is worth storing it in special jewelry boxes.