Cultured Pearls - Diamond Council of Americadcec.diamondcouncil.org/Documents/CourseMaterials/Gem... · 2017-01-19 · pearl’s distinctive beauty. Natural pearls were once found

Colored Gemstones

Cultured Pearls

Diamond Council of America ©2016

Colored Gemstones 5 1

In This Lesson:• A World Apart

• Pearl Traditions

• Natural Pearls

• Cultured Pearls

• Value Factors

• Product Highlights

• Culturing Sales

A WORLD APART In Lesson 1 you learned that any kind of gem except

diamond is considered a colored gem. Although pearls areincluded in that broad classification, they really belong to aworld apart. Most customers recognize this instinctively,sensing a special appeal about pearls.

There are several themes you can use in a sales presenta-tion to evoke or enhance pearl’s separate place in the gemkingdom:

• Pearls are born in water. This intuitive contrast withother gems, which are dug from the ground, givespearls an aura of gentleness, freshness, and fluidgrace.

• Pearls originate from life. While most gems areminerals produced by inanimate geology, pearls areorganic. They come from living beings. Much ofpearls’ mystique arises from this connection.

• Pearls possess a beauty that’s all their own. Mostgems depend on cutting or carving to reveal theircharms, but pearls emerge gleaming from their shells.Though certain factors of pearl value are comparableto those of other gems, key considerations are unique.

Cultured Pearls

Cultured pearls are born in water andoriginate from living organisms. Theyare natural in their beauty and classicas a gem.

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Cultured pearls are modern forms of a classic gem. Theycombine Nature’s creative power with human art andscience. You could even say that cultured pearls show howpeople can work with the environment to make age-oldbeauty available now, and for future generations as well.

In the following pages you’ll explore these themes andfind information to help customers understand their signifi-cance. The lesson begins with the romance of natural pearls.Next, you’ll see how pearls are cultured. You’ll learn aboutfactors that affect beauty, quality, and value. You’ll also findout how these apply to different types of pearls. Finally,you’ll examine ways to guide your customers into the fasci-nating world of pearls.

Photo courtesy Cathleen Bunt.

JA® SPC SKILLSIf you’re participating in the JA®

Sales Professional CertificationProgram™, this lesson presents infor-mation related to the following SkillAreas:

PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE• Pearls• Disclosure• History of Jewelry• Designer & Brand Name Jewelry• Custom-manufactured Items

SERVICES AND GUARANTEES• Store Service Programs

CUSTOMER SERVICE• Building Customer Relations

SELLING PROCESS• Customer Needs• Building the Sale• Closing the Sale

OPERATIONS• Merchandise Maintenance

BUSINESS ETHICS• FTC Guidelines• Trade Practices

Lesson Objectives When you have successfully completedthis lesson, you will be able to:• Describe how cultured pearls are created.

• Explain factors that affect pearl beauty, quality, and value.

• Discuss the features and benefits of different types of pearls.

• Open customers to the possibilities of pearl wardrobing.

Cultured Pearls


PEARL TRADITIONS Since the dawn of history, pearls have been counted among the

most beautiful, magical, and valuable of gems. Early hunter -gath-erers probably found pearls during their search for food, makingpearls among the first gems treasured by humans.

Pearls have also appeared in the folktales, religions, andpopular traditions of many cultures. Here are a few examples youmight share with customers:

• For centuries, many people in Asia believed that pearlsbegan with drops of divine moisture falling from dragonsin the sky. When the drops landed in seashells and werenourished by moonbeams, they grew into pearls.

• Pearls have long been seen as religious symbols. InBuddhist art, pearls represent enlightenment. A Christianparable compares the kingdom of heaven to a pearl ofgreat price. According to Islamic tradition, every event –past, present, and future – is recorded on a vast pearl thatextends from heaven to earth.

Throughout history pearls have beenone of the most highly prized andsought after gems.

Photo courtesy Japan Pearl Exporters Association.

Cleopatra

• In the ancient Roman world, pearls were the most concentratedform of wealth. Egypt’s queen Cleopatra once bet the Romangeneral Marc Antony that she could consume the value of a wholenation in one meal. To win the wager she crushed a large pearl,mixed it in glass of wine, and drank it.

Because of their appearance and aquatic origins, pearls were associatedwith the bewitching beauty of the full moon and the life-giving power ofwater. From these natural links, pearls grew to symbolize purity and love.Ultimately, the rich traditions surrounding pearls made them birthstones forthe month of June, as well as designated gems for both the 3rd and 30thwedding anniversaries. (You’ll learn more about birthstones and anniversarygems in Lesson 12.)

Today, pearls still embody the meanings they’ve possessed for thou-sands of years. The science and magic of culturing have added new dimen-sions, too. Though you probably have only cultured pearls in your show-cases, let’s look at the original inspirations.

NATURAL PEARLS Natural pearls are produced by about two dozen kinds of mollusks,

including oysters, mussels, and other shellfish. (Pearl oysters, however , aremore closely related to scallops than to common edible oysters). Theprocess of natural pearl formation usually begins when an irritant of somekind accidentally enters the mollusk’s shell. Many people think a grain ofsand is responsible, but the “trigger” is more often a tiny worm, crab, or fish.

As a defensive response, the mollusk coats the invader with layer afterlayer of nacre (NAY-ker). This is composed mostly of microscopic calciumcarbonate crystals which accumulate like overlapping shingles. Nacre issimilar to the inner lining of the mollusk’s shell, more commonly known asmother-of-pearl. Besides protecting the mollusk, nacre is responsible forpearl’s distinctive beauty.

Natural pearls were once found in significant quantitiesaround the world. They came from saltwater bodies such as seasand oceans, and also from the freshwaters of streams, rivers, andlakes.

The most famous source of natural saltwater pearls was thePersian Gulf. This locale was fished commercially before 300BC. The pearls found there were called “Oriental” pearls andhave often been mentioned in literature and history. Much later,Columbus and the explorers who followed him discovered salt-water pearls in the New World. In the 1800s, new kinds of naturalsaltwater pearls were recovered as by-products of fishing formother-of-pearl shell in Australia and French Polynesia.

Natural freshwater pearls were available treasures, too. The emperors of China decked them-selves in pearls from the rivers of their kingdom. Freshwater pearls were also found in much of Europeand America. Old European laws decreed them to be royal property . Native tribes prized those from thewaters of the country that became the United States.

Over the centuries, natural saltwater pearls gradually disappeared. Chinese sources becamedepleted almost 2,000 years ago. Most American saltwater pearls were gone by the 1600s, and theirfreshwater kin followed in the 1800s. After more than 20 centuries, the flow of pearls from the PersianGulf dropped to a trickle in the early 1900s. In most cases the cause was overfishing, but in moderntimes, pollution became a factor as well.

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Natural pearls areproduced by severaldozen kinds of mollusks.

Throughout history, the best knownsource of natural salt-water pearls wasthe Persian Gulf.

Natural pearls are still found in limitednumbers at a few locations. You’re most likelyto see them in antique stores and estate auctions.(You may not recognize them because it takesX-ray testing to tell the difference betweennatural and cultured pearls.) For the most part,natural pearl’s ancient place in the gem kingdomhas been taken over by the cultured pearl.

Cultured Pearls


CONCH AND MELO PEARLS

The Queen conch (kahnk) is a large snail-like mollusk thatinhabits parts of the western Atlantic Ocean and the

Caribbean Sea, from Bermuda to South America. Famous forits ornate shell, this animal also produces the gems known asconch pearls.

The finest conch pearls are delicate rose to deep orangish“salmon” pink. They have a porcelain look, with a silky sheenand a surface patterning that’s described as “flame structure”.Similar pearls come from other sea snails called Melo, whichlive in coastal waters of Southeast Asia. These are goldenyellow to amber orange in color, with similar sheen andpatterning. Both types occur in other colors as well.

Conch and Melo pearls are made of calcium carbonate. They form inside a mollusk,and are as rare as natural pearls. Many dealers and gemologists,

however, say they aren’t true pearls because they don’thave a nacre coating with the shingle-like structure. In schol-arly publications they’re often called “calcareous concre-

tions” or “non-nacreous pearls”. They can be very beau-tiful, though – and amazingly expensive. At a 1999

jewelry auction in Hong Kong, a single Melopearl sold for almost $500,000. Now, THAT’S

appreciation of nature’s rarity!

CulturedPearls

NaturalPearls

It takes x-ray to tell thedifference between naturaland cultured pearls.

Conch Pearl.

Photo courtesy Tino Hammid.

Queen conch shell

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CULTURED PEARLS Natural pearls form without human help of any kind. Creating a cultured pearl,

on the other hand, involves human intervention and care. It’ s important to make thisdifference clear to customers. You might say cultured pearls depend on the same lifeprocesses, but people play a role in their formation and growth. Describing that rolecan help some customers more fully appreciate cultured pearls’ beauty and value.

Modern pearl culturing represents centuries of experiments followed by ahundred years of concentrated development. The first steps occurred in China about800 years ago. At that time, small lead figurines were placed in river mussels to becoated with nacre. The resulting objects grew attached to the mollusk’s shells, andwould today be classified as blister pearls. In the 1700s, scientists began trying toproduce whole pearls, which grow unattached to the shell. Around 1900 three Japanese researchersfinally succeeded. One of them was Kokichi Mikimoto (1858-1954), who went on to pioneer thecultured pearl industry.

Sources

Until the 1950s, pearl culturing was focused in Japan. Since then, the industryhas grown to include about a dozen producing nations. Like their natural counter-parts, cultured pearls occur in saltwater and freshwater varieties. Saltwater pearlsare cultured in specific oyster species while freshwater pearls come frommussels. Methods have been adapted to suit dif ferent environments and pearl-bearing mollusks, expanding the choices available to consumers.

Later in this lesson you’ll look at the features of dif ferent types of pearls.First, here’s a rundown of the most important sources:

Saltwater Cultured Pearls

• Japan and China – These are top producers of thepopular Akoya pearl. Akoya is the Japanese name for thesmall oyster used for saltwater culturing in both countries. (Itsscientific name is Pinctada Fucata.) This oyster is relativelysmall, growing to only about five inches in diameter . Japanhas been producing Akoya pearls for 100 years. China didn’ tbegin until the 1980s, but its output now equals Japan’ s. Onereason is that many of Japan’s Akoya oysters died in the 1990sdue to pollution and disease. In addition, China has resourcesthat Japan lacks – a long coastline with many inlets, and anextremely large workforce.

Kokichi Mikimotois known as theFather of theCultured PearlIndustry.

Akoya molluskand culturedpearl.

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• Australia, Indonesia, and Philippines – Most SouthSea cultured pearls come from these countries, while Myanmarand Thailand produce smaller quantities. The culturing mollusksare gold- and silver-lipped oysters. (These are varieties ofPinctada Maxima.) Growing to about twelve inches in diameter ,they’re among the world’s largest oysters. Australia began pearlculturing in the 1950s. Indonesia and the Philippines followed inthe 1970s. Harvests increased and the popularity of South Seapearls soared in the 1990s.

• French Polynesia – The pearls cultured in this region are namedfor Tahiti, the best-known island of the territory. Most Tahitian pearls,however, are actually grown hundreds of miles away, in the GambierIslands and Tuamotu Archipelago. The Cook Islands, which belong toNew Zealand, are another source. Tahitian pearl culturing startedaround 1970, using the black-lipped oyster (Pinctada Margaritifera).Named for the dark-colored edges of its shell, this is another lar geoyster. Like South Sea pearls, Tahitian pearls have attracted growinginterest in recent years.

The Pinctada Maxima mollusk isused widely in Australia, Indonesiaand the Philippines for pearlculturing.

Freshwater pearls are culturedinto many different shapes.

Photo courtesy Cultured PearlAssociation of America.

Freshwater Cultured Pearls

• Japan – Commercial freshwater pearl culturing origi-nated here in the 1930s, at Lake Biwa. Though Biwa’sproduction has dropped due to pollution and competingactivities like farming and land development, the nameremains linked to the product. Elsewhere in the countrythere’s just limited freshwater culturing now.

• China – Launched in the 1960s, Chinese freshwaterculturing now supplies the world with hundreds of tons ofpearls each year. Ranging from small private efforts togiant government enterprises, many farms are located ineastern China along the Yangtze River and its tributaries.Most pearls come from the triangle-shell mussel(Hyriopsis Cumingi).

Tahitian pearlgrowers use theblack-lippedmollusk whichproduces avariety of darkcolored pearls.

• United States – Since the 1980s the US has beena minor but noteworthy producer of freshwatercultured pearls. The most successful farm is inTennessee. It specializes in blister pearls and wholepearls grown in fancy shapes. The company useswashboard mussels (Megalonaias Nervosa) forculturing.

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Methods

No matter where they come from geographically, cultured pearls are theresults of scientific know-how, skilled farming, and diligent care – with lots ofhelp from Nature. Creating a cultured pearl also takes a great deal of time.

The work usually starts with breeding and raising mollusks until they’re oldenough to produce pearls. Then comes the procedure known as nucleation. Forsaltwater pearls, technicians implant spherical shell beads along with small piecesof mantle tissue from other oysters. (The mantle is the or gan that lines themollusk’s shell and envelops its body.) The number and sizes of nuclei depend onthe mollusk. Akoyas are nucleated with as many as five beads, each 2 to 6millimeters in diameter. The larger South Sea and Tahitian oysters receive asingle nucleus measuring 6 to 10 millimeters (occasionallybigger). Most Chinese freshwater mussels are nucleatedwith only mantle tissue, and they can take up to fiftynuclei. Ideally, each nucleus acts as an artificial irritantthat stimulates nacre secretion and pearl formation.

After nucleation, the mollusks are returned to thewater and tended while they grow their pearls. They’reperiodically cleaned, given health checkups, and treatedwith medicinal compounds. Many saltwater oysters arehoused in cages that can be raised, lowered, or even relo-cated to ensure optimum conditions. Some farmers usespecial nutrient formulas that accelerate mollusk develop-ment and pearl formation.

Expert technicians implant the sphericalbeads into the body of the mollusk.

Photo courtesy Paul Holewa.

The American pearl – taken from mussels offreshwater rivers – is the official state gem ofTennessee.

Cultured Pearls


At the end of the growing period – if everything has goneright – the pearls are harvested. A number of factors can nega-tively affect the outcome, though. Many mollusks reject theirnuclei or die at some point following the implant. Mollusksare also sensitive to changes in their environments. Thesechanges can come from weather events such as typhoons andtorrential rains, or less dramatic fluctuations in nutrients andwater conditions. There are also diseases, parasites, and preda-tors to worry about, and pollution is a growing problem.

Only about 20% of nucleated Akoyas produce marketablepearls, and only a fraction of those are fine quality . Successrates for Chinese freshwater pearls are around 50%, but atsome South Sea farms they reach 90%.

CULTURING TIME

To help you give customers a sense of the time it took to create the cultured pearls youpresent, this table shows average periods for raising mollusks to maturity and growing

pearls after nucleation. (South Sea, Tahitian, and Chinese freshwater mollusks can often bere-nucleated, extending the total production time.)

Pearl Raising Growing Type Mollusks Pearls

Akoya 2 years 8 months to 2 years

South Sea 2 years 2 years

Tahitian 3 years 2 years

Chinese Freshwater 6 months 2 to 6 years

Eventually, if the mollusks withstandweather, environment and disease, theyare harvested.

South Sea Baroque Freshwater

South Sea Round Akoya

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Preparation

Following harvest, cultured pearls undergo varyingdegrees of processing. This most often includes washing,followed by light polishing. For polishing, the pearls areplaced in a rotating tub filled with salt, soft buf fers likebamboo chips, and sometimes, wax. That’s about all the“cosmetics” some South Sea and Tahitian pearls receive.Most American freshwater pearls are simply washed.

A standard step for Akoyas and Chinese freshwaterpearls is bleaching. The pearls are immersed in a mildhydrogen peroxide solution under bright fluorescent lightsfor several months. This makes the color whiter and moreeven.

A further possibility is some kind of color-adding treat-ment. Akoyas can be darkened or tinted by dye or irradia-tion. Similar methods make freshwater pearls available in awide range of colors. South Sea pearls are sometimes dyed“golden” yellow. All these treatments can usually bedetected with standard tests, but advanced lab help may beneeded in certain cases.

Most cultured pearls are made into necklaces. So, drilling ispart of the preparation. Although this sounds simple, it requiresexpert work to ensure that every pearl rides properly on the string.After being drilled, the pearls are sorted and assembled intostrands.

The final step is transforming a strand into a necklace. This isanother task that takes skill and contributes to the value of thefinal product. The traditional stringing material is silk, whichmakes the necklace flexible yet strong. In many necklaces, eachpearl is individually knotted to prevent it from rubbing against itsneighbors or falling off if the string breaks. The finishing touch isan attractive clasp that holds the work of humans, nature, and timesecurely.

For most pearls, drilling is part ofthe preparation for market.

After harvest, pearls are sortedfor size, color, shape and othercharacteristics.


Akoyas are sometimes tinted bydye or irradiation.

Cultured Pearls


OTHER CULTURED PRODUCTS

In addition to whole pearls, culturing offers other productsthat maximize the recovery from farming and increase

choices for consumers:

• Three-quarter pearls – These are usually made fromAkoyas or other pearls with an obvious surface blemish.Careful grinding eliminates the trouble spot, and theremaining pearl goes into a ring, tie tack, or other jewelrywith a covered back.

• Keshi – These pearls form accidentally (without intentionalnucleation) in mollusks being used for culturing. Keshi oftenoccur after nucleus rejection. In Japanese, the word means“poppy seed,” reflecting the small size of Akoya keshi.Those from other mollusks can be quite large, however.Most keshi are irregular in shape, but they come in thesame colors as whole pearls, often with bright luster andorient.

(Because keshi aren’t nucleated, there’s been some debateabout whether or not they might be called natural pearls.Since they occur in cultivated mollusks, however, mostexperts agree they’re a cultured product.)

• Blister pearl – This is a natural or cultured pearl thatgrows attached to the shell. In cultured blister pearls, thebead nucleus can be half-round or fancy-shape (oval, heart,teardrop, etc.). Instead of being inserted into the mollusk’sbody, the nucleus is glued to the shell. Because of thisplacement, the nucleus and resulting pearl can be largerthan normal. Many blister pearls are used to make mabés(see the next entry). Others are cut to include part of theshell in an attractive outline.

• Mabé (MA-beh) – This is an assembled product madefrom a cultured blister pearl. First, the pearl is cut from theshell and the nucleus is removed. Next, the hollow nacredome is filled with epoxy resin. The inside of the dome mayalso be dyed or coated to impart color or increase luster.Then the piece is cemented to a mother-of-pearl back.

3/4 pearl.

Keshi.

Blister pearls.

Mabe pearls.


Photo courtesy The West AustralianPearl Company, Ltd.


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VALUE FACTORS Aside from the economics of supply and demand, six factors can af fect the value of cultured pearls.

These factors are size, shape, color, luster, surface, and nacre. A seventh factor – matching – becomesimportant when pearls are sold as strands or made into jewelry .

To help customers make purchase decisions, you should be able to define cultured pearl valuefactors and explain how they relate to beauty and quality as well as cost.

Although perfectly round pearlsare treasured, every shape can beinteresting and beautiful.

Photo courtesy Cultured Pearl Associationof America.

Perfectly round pearls

are rare.

• Shape – There are three general categories for thisvalue factor: spherical (round and near-round),symmetrical (oval, button, drop, etc), and baroque(irregular). Shape’s influence on value also relatesmore to rarity and tradition than to beauty or quality .Though perfectly round pearls are rare, mostconsumers picture rounds when they think of pearls.Rounds, therefore, have the highest value of theshapes (other factors being equal). Symmetricalpearls, however, can be stunning in pendants, earrings,and other jewelry styles that display them ef fectively.Off-rounds and baroques appeal to customers who liketheir unique look.

• Size – The size of a cultured pearl is measured in millimeters. This value factor isgoverned by four things: the kind of mollusk that produced the pearl, the size of thenucleus, the conditions in which the mollusk lived, and the time allowed for pearlgrowth. While large pearls are dramatic, size doesn’t directly relate to quality. A molluskis more likely to reject a large nucleus, so fine-quality pearls near the top of the sizerange for their individual type are comparatively rare and command premium prices.(Size ranges and other individual differences are described in the next section of thislesson, and also in the Colored Gemstone Compendium.)

Round Baroque

• Color – A pearl’s color can have up to three separate components.These are the basic body color, a blush-like overtone, and iridescentorient. Body color is always present, and it’s the easiest color compo-nent to judge. (Use diffused light and a neutral background.) If there’san overtone, it will add a translucent tint. Orient shows best underdiamond display lights. It resembles rainbow colors on a soap bubble.This relatively rare effect is seen most often in baroque pearls. Orient iscaused by light breaking up as it passes through layers in the nacre.

Some customers think of pearls as white,but cultured pearls come in a wide range ofnatural and treated colors. White or pinkare traditional recommendations for lightcomplexions, with cream or yellow forolive or dark complexions. Body colormatters most with short necklaces that lieagainst the skin. Much more important,however, is the customer’s preference.

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• Luster (also spelled lustre) – Simply defined, this is a pearl’s “reflectivity.” It combinessurface reflections with a deeper glow caused by light reflecting back from layers in the nacre.Luster ultimately depends on the size, transparency, and arrangement of the calcium carbonatecrystals that make up the nacre. These, in turn, are influenced by the mollusk and growth condi-tions (particularly water temperature). As a result, different kinds of pearls have differing lusterpotentials.

Luster is a critical beauty element for every pearl. The higher a pearl’s luster is, the better it will“mirror” the color on which it rests – whether that’ s the color of skin or fabric. For this reason,very high luster pearls are always complimentary.

You can demonstrate luster by gently rolling a necklace across a counterpad and calling attention tothe quality of light reflections on the surfaces. When you deal with comparison-shoppers, cautionthem to be on guard for “bargain” pearls with low luster. These will always look “chalky” – whiteand dull – on skin or fabric.

Orient resembles the rainbowcolors on a soap bubble.

Photo courtesy Hugh Powers.

Though most people thinkof cultured pearls aswhite, they come in arange of colors.

Photo by Robert Weldon cour-tesy of Rafco International.

The higher the luster ofa pearl, the better itwill “mirror” the coloron which it rests.

Photo courtesy CulturedPearl Association ofAmerica.

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• Surface – This factor is also called surface condition, surface quality , spotting, blemishing, andcleanliness. You might say it’s the cultured pearl version of clarity. You can most easily definesurface quality as ‘relative freedom from blemishes’. These include bumps, spots, pits, scratches,and nacre cracks. Almost all cultured pearls have some surface characteristics. These aren’t toosignificant unless they affect appearance or durability. Like baroque shapes, lightly blemishedpearls have a “natural” appeal for some customers. Conversely , you can emphasize rarity when youpresent exceptionally “clean” pearls.

• Nacre – This is the thickness of the cultured pearl’s nacre coating.It’s most often a concern with Akoyas. Tissue-nucleated freshwaterpearls are almost solid nacre, and South Sea and Tahitian pearlsusually have thick coatings. Good-quality Akoyas have about onemillimeter of nacre, which is sufficient for years of normal wear.Lower qualities, however, may have only 1/2 millimeter or less. Thinnacre shows little luster, and can wear away to expose the nucleus. Ingeneral, nacre thickness depends on how much time the oyster isgiven after nucleation to coat the pearl. One clue to thin nacre is“blinking” – the pearls in a necklace flicker lighter and darker asthey’re rotated under a bright light. This is caused by reflections frommother-of-pearl on the shell nuclei. Sometimes, in the lowest qualitypearls, the shell beads can be seen through the nacre.

• Matching – This is critical for pearls in most necklacesand many other jewelry styles. Matching normally meansselecting pearls that look alike in size, color , and otheraspects of appearance. Since no two pearls are identical, thegoal is producing a visual blend rather than exact uniformity .Matching contributes to beauty and quality, but it also affectscost due to the time and labor involved. Expert sorters mustexamine as many as 10,000 Akoya pearls to create one well-matched strand sixteen inches long. Some South Sea pearlnecklaces take years to assemble. Even in designs thatemploy intentional mismatching for creative effects, thepearls are carefully chosen.

Almost all pearlshave some surfacecharacteristics.

Photo courtesy CulturedPearl Association ofAmerica.

Good quality Akoyas haveabout one millimeter of nacre.

Photo by John Parrish courtesy of A&ZInternational.

Matching impacts pearl value becauseof the time and labor involved.Months - even years - can go into thematching of an exquisite set.

Photo courtesy Albert Asher, South Sea PearlCompany.

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PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS Like gem species and varieties, different kinds of pearls have

differing standards when it comes to the factors that af fect beauty,quality, and value. You need to highlight these individual possibilitiesin sales presentations. Distinctive features also provide images andideas you can use to help customers appreciate each pearl type in aunique way.

• Akoya Pearls – Traditional beauty and elegance make goodthemes when you present this classic cultured pearl. The full sizerange is about 2 to 10 millimeters, but 4 to 8 is more usual, and 7millimeters (just over 1/4 inch) is the favorite. Rounds and near -rounds make up about 3/4 of Akoya production. Top-selling colorsare white and cream (or crème). Others include light pinks,yellows, greens, blues, and grays. Treatments extend the Akoyapalette all the way to black. Common overtones are rosé (pink)and green. Growing oysters in the cool waters of Japan and Chinaproduces fine-grained nacre, and luster in cultured pearls fromthese sources can be outstanding. With their almost mirror-likeshine, high-luster Akoya pearls compliment any color or texture offabric, and any skin tone.

Spectacular size and seductiveallure are the hallmark of SouthSea Pearls. White commandsthe highest price.

Photo courtesy Assael International.

• South Sea Pearls – Spectacular size and seductive allure arehallmarks of these rare and costly pearls. They normally measure 8to 18 millimeters (averaging around 13mm), but can grow to 20millimeters or more. True rounds are not common, and many shapesare “circled” with parallel ridges or grooves. Colors run from whiteand cream through silver gray, golden yellow, rose pink, and aquablue. (Currently, white South Sea pearls command the highestprices.) Overtones include rosé, mint green, and ice blue. BecauseSouth Sea pearls grow in warmer water than Akoyas, they havenacre that’s sometimes described as coarse-grained. This gives thema satiny luster instead of high gloss.

• Tahitian Pearls – Exotic is the best word for these pearls, whichare striking in appearance. Though Tahitian pearls tend to beslightly smaller than South Sea pearls – typically 8 to 14 millime-ters and averaging about 9 mm – size is still a notable feature.Circling gives many shapes intriguing individuality. Luster can bealmost metallic – and Tahitian colors are amazing. The palette

The full size range of akoyas isabout 2 to 10 millimeters. Theyare prized for their fine -grained luster.

Photo courtesy Tiffany & Company.

The choices for American freshwater pearls (which have flat bead nuclei)include bar, button, coin, navette (marquise), teardrop, and triangle. Typical sizesare about 3 to 7 millimeters, but rounds range from 2 to 14 mm, and some fancyshapes measure more than 50 millimeters (2 inches) in length. There’s a rainbowof attractive colors: white and cream through shades of rose and salmon pink,apricot and tangerine orange, creamy or golden yellow, sea green,

periwinkle blue, lavender, lilac, and mauve, as well as copper ,bronze, silver, and gunmetal gray. Some occur naturally, andothers come from treatment. Freshwater pearls are signifi-cantly less expensive than their saltwater counterparts. So,while cost is never a lead feature, it can often serve as an

exclamation mark.

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Unusually shaped freshwater pearlsinspire creativity and uniqueness.

Photos courtesy A & Z Pearls.

The colors ofTahitian pearls areamazing – silver-grey, golden yellow,bronze, pistachioand aubergine.

“Corn” pearls yield novel designsin row after row of uniformity.

Photo courtesy Frances Morris.

includes silver gray, golden yellow, bronze, copper, deep“cherry” red, yellow-green “pistachio,” and purple-gray “aubergine.” (Aubergine (oh-ber-zheen)is French for eggplant.) Near the top invisual impact and value is the colorknown as “peacock” – deep greenishto bluish gray with strong rosé orpurple overtone.

• Freshwater Pearls – Novelty, variety, andaffordability are strong selling points forfreshwater pearls. Chinese freshwater pearlscome in a multitude of shapes. Among themost popular are the “veggies” – rice,potato, and corn. Rounds and symmetrical shapesare also available. These latter two offer alternativesfor the traditional Akoya look at dramatically lowerprices. While an Akoya saltwater cultured pearlnecklace might sell for $1,000.00, a similar -appearing necklace of round Chinese freshwaterpearls might be only $300.00.

Circling gives many shapesintriguing individuality.

Photo courtesy Tahitian PearlAssociation.

Cultured Pearls


ABALONE PEARLS

Some of the newest and showiest additions to the pearl world comefrom abalones. Abalones are snail-like marine mollusks native to

warm and temperate waters around the world. Considered a fooddelicacy and collected for their shells, they occasionally producenatural pearls of great beauty. In recent years declining wild popula-tions have led to restrictions on commercial fishing. This spurred devel-opment of abalone farming.

Abalone pearl culturing began in New Zealand and the US in the1990s. The world’s largest farm is located on the coast of northernCalifornia. After being spawned and raised for three years, theanimals receive a single nucleus. The pearl growth period is one ortwo years. The results so far include blister pearls and mabésmeasuring about 10 to 15 millimeters. Efforts are under way to findreliable methods for producing whole pearls. (There are challengesrelated to the animal’s biology and behavior.)

Abalone pearls often display ametallic luster with vivid color and orient.The body color spectrum includes red,orange, yellow, green, blue, magenta,pink, gold, bronze, and silver. Sometimesseveral of these colors create an opal-likemixture in a single pearl.

Abalone pearls often displaythe same metallic luster andvivid colors as the lining of theabalone shell.


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CULTURING SALES Surveys show that pearls are favorite gems for many consumers.

They also gain in popularity with age, af fluence, and sophistication.Women make two out of three pearl jewelry purchases, and half ofthose are for themselves. Though pearls were once considered femi-nine gems, there are now some attractive choices for men, too.

The diversity of cultured pearls allows you to present customerswith an almost limitless selection of beauty and value. Always infashion, right for any occasion, today’s pearl jewelry ranges fromsimple and traditional to elegant and daring. As a result, culturedpearls – perhaps more than any other gem – can inspire customers tocreate wardrobe collections.

The wardrobing concept is simple: Start with pieces that arebasic and versatile, then add accents, accessories, and extras forspecial occasions and variety.

Rene Russo in Tin Cup – Themovie that inspired the popularityof the “tin cup” pearl necklace.

While it may not be the first component a womanacquires, the centerpiece of the most essential pearl wardrobeis the necklace. For a self-purchase, the customer can try ondifferent styles and lengths to decide which she prefers. If thenecklace is a gift – and particularly when the purchaser ismale – you may need to provide suggestions and guidancebased on careful profiling.

There are many options for starters or add-ons. Amongthe most popular are solitaire pendants. Another is the stationnecklace, with pearls interspersed on a chain, cord, or wire.More elaborate necklace styles include the bib and torsade(tor-SOD). The first has three or more concentric strands. Thesecond is a multi-strand twist of small pearls, sometimesmixed with different gems.

Other wardrobe essentials are earrings, rings, andbracelets. These run from classic studs, solitaires, and single-or multi-strands to elegant combinations with diamonds orother gems in gold and platinum.

The torsade is often a blend of multi-color variety.

Photo courtesy Modern Jeweler.

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Moving beyond basics, a necklace can be upscaled with a jeweledclasp or a removable pendant known as an enhancer. Clip-on short-eners make longer necklaces more versatile. There are also specialclasps that can be added to expand or diversify the lengths of necklaces.Pins provide dramatic accents. Ornate versions of fundamental elementscan be just the right touch for special occasions.

In almost every category, customers can choose from all types ofpearls. There’s no need to stick with just one for the entire wardrobe.Creative mixing and matching makes the same jewelry look fun orformal – which is the whole idea. Build collections in silver , gold andplatinum, with and without diamonds.

Hidden clasps canexpand and diversifylength of strands.

Photo courtesy Honora.

Suggesting different pearls for different items can also help customersbalance their desires with their budgets. Akoyas provide chic that’s easilytailored for any taste or pocketbook. In traditional styles, freshwater pearls canbe remarkably inexpensive. Even opulent freshwater designs deliver unbeatabledrama for the dollar. Blister pearls and mabés create bold ef fects in pieces byimaginative jewelry designers. Even if a complete necklace of South Sea orTahitians has to stay on the “dream list,” a pendant or ring might put theirdramatic beauty within reach.

The great thing about pearls – for you as well as your customers – is thateach year, and almost every season, brings new products and new designs. Thereconstantly are new occasions and reasons for owning them, too. Once you guidecustomers into the wonders of this special realm in the gem world, you’re on anodyssey that may never end.

Creative mixing and matching makes the same

jewelry look fun or formal – which is the whole idea.

A graduated necklace of SouthSea pearls may stay on the“dream list”, but the variety ofpearls at different prices makethem accessible to everyone.

Photo courtesy Australian Pearl Centre.

• Collar – 12 to 13 inches. Very Victorian yetcompletely “now,” this style has multiple strands thatfit snugly at mid-neck. With bare-shoulder fashions,the pearl collar can be captivating, particularly onlong, thin necks.

• Choker – 14 to 16 inches. Classic and versatile,this length accents slender necks. It goes with anyoutfit, from jeans and tank top to fancy eveningattire.

• Princess – 17 to 19 inches. The most popularlength, it’s suited for both crew and low necklines.Uniform strands, with pearls close to the same size,offer a contemporary look. Those that are gradu-ated, with pearl size increasing from back to front,have a more traditional appeal.

• Matinee – 20 to 24 inches. This length has a slen-derizing effect. It’s probably the minimum you shouldsuggest for customers who wear plus sizes. Amatinee-length necklace is also a great choice forcasual or business dress.

• Opera – 28 to 34 inches. The opera is oftendescribed as the “queen” of lengths. Worn as asingle strand, it’s refined and perfect for high neck-lines. Doubled, it becomes a two-strand choker.

• Rope – Over 45 inches. Elegant and sophisticated,the pearl rope – also called a sautoir (saw-TWAR)– conjures images of Coco Chanel and high-style ArtDeco. Wearing it loosely knotted or with a shorteneradds variety. Many ropes have invisible clasps instrategic locations, which allow them to be dividedfor wearing in various lengths.

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NECKLACE LENGTHS

Traditional pearl necklaces come in various lengths that create different looks andflatter different customers. If your firm offers stringing as a service you may be able

to customize these, or suggest adding to previous purchases.

Collar

Princess

Opera

Choker

Matinee

Rope

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FTC GUIDES ON PEARLSSections 23.18 to 23.21 of the FTC Guides discuss

natural, cultured, and imitation pearls. Section 23.22 coversgemstone treatments. All these pages of carefully wordedtext boil down to three easy-to-understand principles:

• Identify your products clearly. Be careful not toleave customers with the mistaken idea that pearls arenatural when they’re cultured. This also holds true forimitations versus cultured pearls.

• Describe your products accurately. Usegeographic terms like “Biwa,” “South Sea,” and“Tahitian” only for the types of pearls to which theyproperly apply. “Oriental pearl” is appropriate only fornatural pearls like those from the Persian Gulf.

• Be honest about the features of your products.Don’t overstate the growing period or nacre thickness.Always disclose color-adding treatments such as dyeingand irradiation. (Some trade organizations advocatedisclosure of bleaching as well.)

For the complete versions of these and other guidelinesvisit the FTC website at www.ftc.gov/bcp/guides/jewel-gd.htm.

Identify and describe yourpearls appropriately.

Photo courtesy Mastoloni Pearls,New York.

Photo courtesy Tahiti Perles.

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RECAP OF KEY POINTS

• Although pearls are generally classified as colored gems, they’re special inmany ways. Customers recognize this instinctively. In sales presentations thereare a number of themes you can use to enhance customers’ appreciation ofpearls.

• Pearls are surrounded by rich cultural and historical traditions. They’ve longbeen symbols of love and purity. Today, pearl is the birthstone for the monthof June, and gems for the 3rd and 30th anniversaries.

• Natural pearls are produced by certain mollusks, usually when an irritantenters the shell and becomes coated with nacre. They were once found aroundthe world, but have become rare due to overfishing and pollution.

• The cultured pearl industry began in Japan almost 100 years ago, and spreadto about a dozen countries in the past fifty years. Most Akoya pearls comefrom Japan and China. Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines produce SouthSea pearls. The islands of French Polynesia are sources of Tahitian pearls.China is the leading freshwater pearl supplier, with Japan and the US addingminor quantities.

• Natural pearls form without human help, but pearl culturing involves humanintervention and care. A key step is nucleation. The type, number, and sizes ofnuclei inserted depend on the mollusk. Saltwater pearls are bead-nucleated.Most freshwater pearls are tissue-nucleated. Growing periods and successrates vary, but every cultured pearl represents years of skilled labor andtriumph over great odds.

• After harvest, cultured pearls are processed to improve their appearance. Mostpearls are washed and buffed. Akoyas and freshwater pearls are oftenbleached, and may be color-treated. Pearls for necklaces must be drilled,sorted, and strung. Expert work adds to quality and value at each step.

• Six factors that affect the value of cultured pearls are size, shape, color , luster,surface, and nacre. Matching is important for pearls in necklaces and manyother jewelry styles. Different kinds of pearls have differing potentials withregard to most of these factors, so highlighting individual possibilities isessential in sales presentations.

• Cultured pearls and pearl jewelry offer customers endless choices of beautyand value. As a result, wardrobing is a concept that works very well withpearls. By starting with versatile basics and adding new items over time,customers can build a collection that allows them to express every mood andrise to every occasion with the timeless beauty of pearls.

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LESSON 5 FOLLOW-UP CHECKLIST

____ Make a list of the pearl jewelry in your showcases. Compare featuresof different kinds of pearls and create benefits for each feature. Thenrole-play a brief presentation for each kind. (Keep your statementspositive and non-judgmental, so the customer will be confident abouther decision, whatever it may be.)

___ Develop and practice an explanation of pearl culturing and prepara-tion. Focus on facts that build appreciation for pearls’ beauty, rarity,and value.

____ Review the full text of the FTC Guides on pearls. Discuss any ques-tions with your manager. With coworkers, role-play explaining thedifference between cultured and natural pearls.

____ Visit these websites for additional facts, images, and inspirations: Cultured Pearl Association of America: pearlinfo.comGIE Perles de Tahiti: www.tahiti-blackpearl.comSouth Sea Pearl Consortium: www.sspc.net

Lesson 5 Self-Test

This lesson also includes a Self-Test that’s designed to help you gauge your comprehension of the lesson material. The test is an important part of the learning process, so be sure to complete it.

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