Jewelry Pearls

For the first 10 years of married life my husband and I lived in the house that once belonged to my grandparents. Moving into a house with an already full attic can be a challenge, but to me it was also an experience I had been looking forward to for a long time.

Most of the family keepsakes were in that attic. As soon as we were settled I ascended the stairs and entered the attic to begin my project. Memories from my childhood flooded back with the musty smell and the sight of the old pictures hanging on nails, haphazardly nailed into the beams. My grandfather’s hammock was propped in a corner, now moth eaten and a skeleton of its former self, but still where my grandfather’s hands placed it so many years ago.

I selected a box from under the eaves in the back of the attic. I opened up the cardboard box and found it filled with items wrapped in newspapers from the early 1960’s. My pulse quickened with the excitement of my new discovery.

I found a small porcelain figure of a cocker spaniel, an oval mirror, a jewelry box and a very small bible. I have always loved vintage jewelry, so I opened the jewelry box first. Inside, there were some strands of beads and some clip on earrings, typical “old lady” style jewelry. Not the antiques I was hoping to find.

Thinking the box was empty, I turned it over to dump out the old crumpled newspapers, I heard a metallic “ping” as an object hit the floor. I tossed the scraps of paper back into the box and tried to find what made that sound. What I found was an antique rose gold wedding ring. It was about a quarter of an inch wide with a swirling leaf design across the center of the band. Inside were the initials A.B.B. and O.E.B.: the initials of my great grandparents.

I went back to the tiny bible and sure enough, it was inscribed to “Alice, from your Sunday School Teacher. 1893″ I was certain this entire box of items belonged to my great-grandmother.

I sat on the floor of the attic with my great grandmother’s wedding band in my hand and looked at it. The engraving of the leaf pattern had faded and part of the band was worn thin. From what I knew about my great grandmother, this ring was a good representation of her life.

Alice came to the United States from Liverpool England as a child. She grew up in Massachusetts as the much-loved daughter of a mill worker and married my great grandfather, who was a farmer. She gave birth to three sons and endured her youngest dying in her arms at the age of five. She survived the Great Depression, World War II and all of the joy and pain of this world until she died in her sleep in 1962. I heard stories about my great grandmother all my life but I never knew her, until I saw her life etched by time on that ring she wore until the day she died.

Wearing jewelry has been a way of life for ages. If you look at the early cave paintings, you will find people wearing jewelry that were crudely fashioned from bones of wild animals hunted down. However, as we learnt the use of metal, metallic ornaments started to rule for a while till precious metals were discovered. And then came precious and semi-precious stones and pearls. Slowly pearls began to appear in ornaments that were worn by ladies and young girls. These pearls became a hot favorite with them. Unlike metallic objects or stones, pearls were neither dug out of earth nor were they part of any substance that was physically obtained or chemically produced by man. Pearls can only be found inside a living creature, an oyster. Technically however, it is incorrect to say that oysters are the only variety of mollusk that can produce pearls since clams and mussels are also capable of turning out pearls. However such occurrences are rare.

The birth of pearls is the consequence of a biological process - the oyster’s way of protecting itself from foreign substances entering into its body. To understand the progression, let us take a look into the oyster’s basic anatomy that consists of two shells that are held together by an elastic ligament. The shells function as valves that can open or close at will. Under normal conditions, the valves are kept open for the oyster’s nourishments. An organ called the Mantle is responsible for the growth of the oyster’s shell that uses minerals from the oyster’s food. The material created by the Mantle is known as Nacre that lines the inside of the shells of the oyster.

The formation of pearls begins as soon as foreign bodies slip into the oyster between the Mantle and the shell that irritates the Mantle. The oyster’s natural reaction is to cover up the irritant and as a result, the Mantle covers the irritant with layers of Nacre that eventually forms pearls. Pearls are therefore nothing but a foreign substance that has been covered with multiple layers of Nacre inside an oyster.

Pearls come in various sizes, shapes and colors - white, black, gray, blue, red and green. Pearls are found all over the world, the black variety though, is indigenous to the South Pacific region.

Pearls can be generalized into two varieties. Natural pearls and cultured pearls. The second variety is created through the same principle but requires a little bit of manipulation by the harvester who opens the live oyster shell and cuts a small slit in the mantle tissue to insert an irritant. The rest is the oyster’s job. In fresh water cultured pearls however, no irritants are required, a mere cut in the mantle is enough to induce Nacre secretion for the pearl to develop.

Though there is not much difference in the quality of natural and cultured pearls, natural pearls are more in demand as these pearls are more difficult to obtain.

If you ask Oscar-winning actress Shirley MacLaine about her favorite costume jewelry, she would come out with one reply - the Tahitian black pearl necklace. The sheen, elegance and visual appeal in black pearl necklaces are so spontaneous that few can close the eyes to them.

Compared to diamonds, pearl necklaces might not have the sparkle and flare, but they give the wearer a warm, subtle touch of class and grace that snatch people’s attention on the spot. There are quite a few types of pearl necklaces available in the market.

Collar pearl necklaces measure 10″ to 13″ in length and are just about right for the neck of a lady. These pearl necklaces are highly recommended and go well with tight fitting attires. Choker pearl necklaces measure between 14″ to 16″ - these items are intended to wrap closely round a woman’s neck. These pearl necklaces are ideal for low cut necklines or turtle neck tops. Princess pearl necklaces measures between 17″ and 20″ and these items are indeed fit for a princess. Matinee pearl necklaces are of a rather longer length (20″ to 24″). They look great with summer or more casual dresses. Opera pearl necklaces vary between 28″ and 34″ and are good for loose fitting dresses or sweaters. Rope pearl necklaces measure 45″ or more and are in fact huge strands of pearls that are worn wrapped round in several loops or in knots.

If you are seriously thinking of buying pearl necklaces for your girl or want to present one to your wife or partner, please do not rush. There are a few things to consider before you make a purchase.

First of all, establish a price range that you are likely going to spend. Secondly, decide on the type of pearls that attracts you most - whether you want Akoya, Freshwater, South Sea or Tahitian. Mind you, each type is unique in color, shape, size and price. However as a thumb rule, South Sea is more expensive than Freshwater. Your next decision should be on the length of the pearl necklaces, a brief account of which has already been given above.

A word of caution: Price of pearl necklaces need not depend on its length only; there are other factors that determine the selling price of pearl necklaces.

Your final decision would be on color, size, shape and quality that are likely to meet your price range. Remember, the color and luster is the two vitally important qualities that require special attention. Also, there are various grading systems to identify the surface quality of pearls and a reputable jeweler would not hesitate to acquaint you with them. Armed thus, you may take a deep breath and plunge headlong.

The finest pearl necklaces await you.