Beads
When I turned 30, I received two wonderful books as birthday gifts - including the book "Perler - pragt, prestige og perspektiver" by Nina Hald. A completely fantastic book that I actually finished almost at this very moment. It has given me a great deal of knowledge and insight into the world of pearls and at the same time given me a real taste for working even more with these beautiful creatures in my jewelry making. It is not my intention to recreate the book here, as there is no room for that either. But together with the knowledge from this, as well as the wonderful internet and reliable sources, I have chosen to highlight some things that I would like to enrich you with. Some knowledge that I think is almost essential ... but then again, I think almost everything about pearls is;-) I will do my best to keep it brief and make it exciting and easy to understand. But where should I even begin? Let's start with what a pearl actually is..
Pearls?
Broadly speaking, I personally categorize pearls into 4 categories. It can certainly be that not everyone agrees. But there are natural pearls, including both saltwater pearls and freshwater pearls - there are also cultured pearls, also including saltwater pearls and freshwater pearls.
The difference between a natural pearl and a cultured pearl is that a natural pearl has not been influenced by humans at all. It has formed naturally by, for example, a grain of sand or foreign body being forced into a mussel, and thereby becoming the building block for a pearl.
A cultured pearl, on the other hand, is a "man-made" pearl, meaning that the pearls have been created with human intervention, by actively inserting foreign bodies into the mussels.
Within both freshwater pearls and saltwater pearls, there is a vast array of pearls. I primarily work with cultured freshwater pearls and occasionally cultured saltwater pearls (though rarely the latter).
Quality
If there is one thing that can vary enormously from pearl to pearl and supplier to supplier, it is the quality of the pearls. The 5 parameters a pearl's quality is assessed by are Shine (Luster), Surface, Shade (Color), Shape, and Size. Under each parameter, there are again different degrees of quality. One parameter I am particularly interested in is shape. I use incredibly many different ones in my production. I actually used to think that a keshi pearl came from a specific place, or a specific type of mussel - and the same with a baroque pearl. But this is not the case at all. Keshi is a term used for a kernel-less pearl, while a baroque pearl is a general term for an irregular and asymmetrical pearl. Each shape has a specific name, which actually makes a lot of sense. Rice, for example, are the "rice-shaped" pearls, which is also in the name.
Formation
Today, the majority of the world's production of cultured freshwater pearls is in Asia. They are formed by a foreign body being carried into the mussel, and it then begins to cover it with nacre to protect itself. It is a pure defense mechanism. The majority of all freshwater pearls today are cultured pearls, which, as mentioned, would mean that the foreign bodies in the mussels are introduced by humans. There are different procedures for this, depending entirely on the desired pearl type and mussel species. Some mussels can form several pearls at a time, but these are primarily freshwater mussels, while saltwater mussels typically form 1 at a time. This also has something to do with the fact that the value of saltwater pearls is higher than that of freshwater pearls. There is a very big difference in when the pearls are "harvested". It depends on both the mussel species, how old it is, the temperature, the water quality, etc.
Symbolism and superstition
Like many of the beautiful gemstones, there is also a great deal of superstition and symbolism associated with pearls. Pearls symbolize beauty and are believed to have rejuvenating properties. The spiritual properties of the pearl are honesty, integrity, wisdom, faith, and purity. It helps to give a focused mind. It is said that the pearl can tell about your health. It becomes dull if there are signs of illness. It helps to strengthen the bones and is fever-reducing. The pearl strengthens the white and red blood cells and can help with high blood pressure.