Cultured Pearl Jewelry
Q.I was heard that: "Freshwater pearls are from mussels grown in the freshwater streams of China. Most of the freshwater pearls coming out of China are excellent, the technology has improved a great deal and the prices are very good. This site has some good info: http://www.gracepearl.com/aboutfwpearls.htm Cultured pearls are no less 'real' than a wild pearl which are very rare nowadays. Australia has a huge south-sea pearling industry (Kallis Bros, Paspaley). These are all farmed pearls. Diving for wild pearls killed many divers in the early days, in Broome WA we have a memorial to the mainly Japanese divers who paid with their lives for these treasures. These days, it is safer and more economical to farm pearls. Someone mentioned paying $50 for a cultured pearl. These must be Japanese. A large single, A grade south sea pearl will set you back to the tune of thousands. These are all seeded with MOP. When I was in the industry I had the good fortune to wear (for one evening) a south sea strand worth $130K!! " What's your thought?
A.Cultured pearls have not always been considered "real pearls". Fully natural, or "wild", pearls are now so rare that for practical purposes "real pearls" means cultured. And after all, it's the same process as an oyster getting irritated by a grain of sand (etc) and coating it with narce. And the $50 for a pearl is just a very rough estimate of what the higher quality pearl in my daughter's ring would have cost in a $295 ring. And of course that was a simple pearl, and purchased 10 years ago. I'm not willing to take the care a pearl needs and deserved, so I'm not all that knowledgeable. Just trying to give some very rough numbers. A dorm-mate in college was from a royal Chinese family. She had a single all natural black pearl which was indescribable to the kid I was, and jade that looked like emeralds. Once you see something like that, it's hard to forget.
Other Questions :
Diamonds can now be made in laboratories by Scientists???
Diamonds can now be made in laboratories by Scientists???If it should ever come to that, diamond lenses would become the lightest and highest index lens material. The would impervious to scratching. The biggest drawback would be the design and ap...
Pay tag price for Tiffany engagement ring ?
I am considering purchase of an engagement ring from Tiffany. Does anyone know if they will bargain off the tag price, and by how much ?We looked at rings at Tiffany. All I can say is: If you want to haggle on the price, you're at the wrong pl...
the silver jewelry storage problem ?
The redoubtable Karen, known already to Seattle Metalheads members, has been collecting Native American silver jewelry for a few years now. She's a great gal. Consider for a moment. When I bought a knuckle boom truck to bring home m...
Fashion High Jewelry Wholesale
Lets say I buy a diamond ring for say 10k, and had it insured for replacement value. Let's say the ring was lost/stolen almost immediatly after I bought it. My insurance company is able to get a suitable replacement, yet they only pay...
Antique Style Wedding Ring, Platinum Engagement Ring ?
My fiancee (soon-to-be) and I are planning on using the diamond from his mother's wedding ring (she passed away when he was six years old) in my engagement ring. I'm really touched by what we're doing--the ring will become an important heirloom...