Pearl
jewelry is always loved and form great gifts for the bride
or the mother of the bride or groom. Pearl necklaces and
pearl earrings are also perfect for anniversaries,
birthdays and other special days. The most popular type of
pearl jewelry is the pearl necklace. Other types of pearl
jewelry include bracelets, earrings, rings etc. These
exquisite pieces of perfection look prestigious but their
cultivation is characterized by long periods, great care
and fewer survival rates. Less than 1% of cultured pearls
have perfect smooth surfaces. Otherwise all of them have
some or the other flaws i.e. pits, irregular surfaces,
imperfect shape etc. The Japanese farmers harvested nearly
430 million mollusks in the year 1999, which produced
approximately 21 million quality pearls. Pearl jewelry
shopping demands knowledge and understanding about the
varieties of pearls available. Here are certain
considerations to be kept in mind when you shop for pearl
jewelry.
Certain Internet pearl sites call the Chinese freshwater
pearls as Biwa pearls, but Biwa pearls originally are
produced only in Japan. They were produced in the Japan’s
largest fresh water lake, Biwa, but the production stopped
in that lake due to the increasing pollution. We call Biwa
pearls only to the pearls that come from Japan and not the
Chinese freshwater pearls. Secondly a universal grading
system is not present for all the pearls. Each pearl
trader, pearl farm, or jeweler have his or her individual
grading system which makes pearl comparison somewhat
difficult.
