Pearls come from oceans, lakes, and rivers from around the world. Pearls are organic gems that mainly grow inside living saltwater oysters or freshwater mussels. Natural pearls have been found for thousands of years. Natural pearls form when the mollusk secretes a substance called nacre around an irritant such as a piece of sand in its shell. Cultured pearls involve human intervention. A piece of mantle tissue (common for freshwater) or a mother-of-pearl shell bead (for saltwater) is placed into a host mollusk. The mollusk then covers the irritant with nacre, just like for a natural pearl.

Cultured pearls can be found in a wide variety of shapes, colors and sizes. The color of a pearl varies with the type of mullusk and the water. They can be white, cream, silver, pink, peach, green, blue, brown, and black. Black and brown Tahitian pearls are cultured in French Polynesia. Akoya pearls are primarily cultured in Japan and China farms. South Sea cultured pearls are farmed from the northern coast of Australia through Indonesia and the Philippines to the southern coast of Southeast Asia.

Pearls are 2.5 to 3.0 on the Mohs Scale of hardness. They are very compact, but a soft gem that requires special care. Store them separately from other gemstones and metal jewelry to prevent scratching. Never store in a plastic bag since plastic can emit a chemical that will damage their surface. Apply perfume, hair products and cosmetics before putting on your pearl jewelry. The best way to clean is to use a soft, damp cloth, ideally after each time the pearls are worn.

Mother-of-Pearl (“mother of the pearl”) is the iridescent nacreouse layer of the shell. It is basically white with the natural dark coming from Tahiti. The Mother-of-Pearl of New Zealand’s Paua abalone is iridescent blue and green.