Pearls have been respected and cherished by people since ancient times. They were highly appreciated in ancient Greece and Rome, and since then they have enjoyed a positive reputation as ornaments and objects of value from all over the world.

For centuries, there are still many known sources of natural pearls. Interestingly, no new discoveries in these regions have been added since then; any development in this area refers to cultured pearls (except perhaps the rare and rare natural pearls from gastropods and mollusks, rather than the traditional double Shell animals, these pearls have only attracted market attention in recent years). Nonetheless, if you intend to sell or use these precious items of historical significance, it is necessary to update the latest information on the origin of pearls.

Most oriental pearls still come from the traditional areas of the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. These areas have been famous since ancient times. From a European perspective, these areas are eastward (Figure 1). These pearls rarely exceed 7 mm (0.28 inches) in length, and are mainly derived from the small radiata pearl oyster, which is about 80 mm (3.15 inches) in length.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, the discovery of new east and west waterways led to more pearl production areas. In fact, on his third voyage to the Americas in 1498, Christopher Columbus encountered pearls on the Venezuelan coast today. Soon after, more pearl beaches were discovered in the western Atlantic and the Pacific coast. The new pearls were once called "Western pearls". They came from the same small mother-of-pearl species as Oriental pearls, and from Mazatlanica, which produces larger and deeper pearls. Alas, the bank no longer exists today.

Although natural pearls have always maintained high value (even during the Great Depression) and are at a different level from cultured pearls, the price of high-quality pearls has risen significantly in the past 15 years, reaching a price level close to that of pearls. Trade in 1850 The period of historical prosperity between 1930 and 1930.

Although mainly confined to a small international connoisseur market, the new demand for natural pearls may herald a new "golden time" coming soon. Again, this could explain the sudden interest in "exotic" pearls derived from marine gastropods or other non-Pinctada bivalve molluscs. However, contrary to Pinctada's pearls, exotic pearls usually have a non-nacreous structure.

Although the pink conch pearls from the Caribbean gastropod Strombus gigas were extremely popular during the Art Nouveau era, the price skyrocketed only a few years after 1995 (Figure 2). Recently, similar-looking pearls appeared in the so-called "horse conch" (Pleuroploca gigantea) in Baja California, Mexico.

Similarly, individual examples of blue-green abalone pearls (Haliotis genus) and orange melon pearls (Melo genus) were known before the 19th century, but did not attract attention (and demand high prices) until the 1990s. Abalone pearls are mainly produced in California, while melon pearls are one of the most expensive natural pearls on the market, produced in the South China Sea and the Mogui Islands.

Although Turbo (Turbo marmoratus) and Cassis (Cypraecassis rufa) pearl varieties have been widely known for many years, they have only recently appeared on the market.

What is completely novel is the pearl from Tutufa bubo (pictures 3 and 4)-or "giant frog snail"-a gastropod that appears in the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific.

There was a time when pearls from outside the Pinctada genus were considered weird; however, in the past two decades, this attitude has changed to treat these as expensive and rare items.

Some examples of these species found in Baja California include red and white lion claw pearls (Figure 5), which are found in the scallop Lyropecten subnodosus; black Atrina pearls from the needle shell of the genus Atrina; and spondylus pearls (Spondylus Princeps , Spondylus calcifer).

In addition, quahog pearls from the Venus clam Mercenaria mercenaria are abundant in New England. These species are called quahog shells locally, reminiscent of the colorful "wampum" shells used by the aborigines.

Finally, the white clam pearls larger than 14 mm (0.55 inch) come from giant clams found in the Pacific Ocean.

In Europe, freshwater pearls are no longer produced because the European pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera has been protected and has basically disappeared. Today's market is mainly concentrated on freshwater pearls from the United States, which still appear in various shapes and natural colors.

American pearls experienced their heyday during the "Pearl Wave" in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In this era, almost all states along the Mississippi River were frantically searching for pearls, and about 30 species of freshwater mussels were found to regularly produce pearls.

In the 75 years after the end of World War II, many major changes have taken place in the cultured pearl industry in Japan.

After reaching a climax in the 1960s (annual production was between 70,000 and 90,000 kg), a severe crisis occurred in the 1990s and the annual production dropped to about 15,000 kg. In recent years, we have seen the emphasis on natural colors, and the traditional Akoya market still enjoys traditional white pearls as large as 10 mm (0.39 inches), with high nacre thickness and pink tones.

Since the 1990s, Vietnam has also produced Akoya cultured pearls with a very good nacre thickness at a high yield. On the contrary, China no longer plays a role in this market. In fact, in the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, the coasts of India and Sri Lanka, and even on the east coast of Australia, attempts to establish Akoya pearl farms using local pearl oyster species have not yet achieved normal production.

It was not until the East China Sea route was established in the 16th century that pearls larger than 10 mm (0.39 inches) were recognized in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. These pearls originated from the huge mother-of-pearl. Renaissance goldsmiths already knew that these pearls were widely used in grotesque figurines in the 18th century.

The large shells of Pinctada maxima are 300 mm (12 inches) long and are very suitable for the mother-of-pearl industry around 1900. The development of cultured pearl production in Myanmar is based on the established structure of the industry, Indonesia, the Philippines and Australia since the late 1950s. These countries have since become independent producers of large-scale South China Sea cultured pearls.

In addition, Australia is still good at producing white, round and perfect pearls. This is due in part to highly sophisticated grafting and farming techniques (which also provide the added benefit of keeping the environment intact). Interestingly, the pearl oyster south of the equator tends to have white shells (called "white lips"), so its pearls are often white. At the same time, when it forms north of the equator, it encounters "golden lips" more frequently, producing golden pearls. The main producer of high-quality golden pearls is the Philippines, while Indonesia produces both white and golden pearls.

In the late 1970s, black cultured pearls of black mother-of-pearl (Pinctada margaritifera black-lipped species) produced in French Polynesia appeared on the market. These exhibit various black tones, interspersed with various overtones, and range in size from 8 to 18 mm (0.31 to 3.15 inches).

The price of this variety called "Tahiti cultured pearls" rose, and by the late 1980s, their prices had exceeded that of white South Sea cultured pearls. Since then, prices have fallen sharply because the industry has undergone a series of changes-these changes can best be summarized as the government's repeated efforts to control agricultural technology, quality requirements, export regulations, and marketing strategies. About half of the products are exported to Hong Kong, and the Tahiti Pearl Association of Hong Kong (TPAHK) actively supports promotional activities. Therefore, in the past five years, the prices of high-quality products have shown an upward trend, which has led to market stability.

In the 1990s, the Cook Islands achieved great success with the local Pinctada margarita species. However, the country has lost the top spot in Fiji's production. This is mainly due to J. Hunter Pearls Fiji, which produces a large number of shiny, large and colorful pearls. The company was also praised for its sustainable agricultural efforts.

At the same time, on the east side of the Pacific Ocean, Mexico has become another successful producer. Since 1995, marine biologists from Perlas del Mar de Cortez, a wholesale producer near Guaymas, have achieved regular production of brightly colored pearls from Pteria sterna (a species related to Pinctada).

China first publicized its cultured pearls in the second half of the 20th century. These pearls have irregular shapes because they are made by inserting small pieces of mantle epithelial cells from donated mussels, without mother-of-pearl beads. Mass production followed, and in the 1980s pearls (usually dyed by hand) were sold by kilograms.

The quality of these pearls improved further in the early 1990s, when farmers began to use Hyriopsis cumingii mussels; the shape became more rounded, producing natural colors of pink, purple, and orange.

In addition, by 2000, a new technology of inserting mother-of-pearl beads into Hyriopsis hyriopsis or hybrids of Hyriopsis japonica and Hyriopsis Japan was introduced. One method is to use the existing pearl pockets on both sides of the mantle and insert beads into the pearl pockets. Another alternative technique called the "in vivo" method inserts the drilled mother-of-pearl beads into the mussel's gonads. Although these two options can produce large and colorful pearls in a Baroque shape, the price of pearls produced using the latter technique is higher because only one or two pearls can be grown at the same time.

China remains the largest producer of freshwater cultured pearls. Various prices coexist, from low-quality artificial dyeing, to pretty round or baroque shapes, to perfect round boutiques. In recent years, production has declined, and more focused on improving quality, while prices have risen slightly.

Since 1993, Japan has begun small-scale production of high-quality pearls from Lake Kasumigaura, using the "in vivo" method (Figure 6). These pearls are up to 15 mm (0.59 inches) in size and have intense purple to pink and orange hues.

In addition, since 2010, China's Grace Pearls Jewellery Company has produced pearls with similar intense colors, called "Edison pearls."

Since the 1990s, some countries have been trying to produce cultured abalone pearls with some success. For example, Eyris Blue Pearls in New Zealand produces mabe pearls. In addition, Chile recently announced a pilot project. At the same time, only one project to produce conch pearls announced in Florida eight or nine years ago is known. So far, normal production has not been achieved.

Elisabeth Strack is a German gemologist who has his own diamond, gem and pearl testing laboratory in Hamburg since 1976. She is the author of the book "Pearl", which was published in English in 2006. Strack can contact the contact information via email @strack-gih.de.

Your email address will not be published. Required places have been marked *

Please check the box below to confirm that you would like to be added to Kenilworth Media's various e-mail communications (including electronic newsletters, digital versions of magazines, surveys from time to time, and quotations for the jewelry industry*).

*We will not sell your email address to a third party, we just forward their offer to you. Of course, if you change your mind in the future, you always have the right to unsubscribe from any communications you receive from us.

No, I now have all the knowledge I need