Pearly whites

A new obsession?

It might just be the coming of age….. or if you like OLD age.
Ok, one might have to be above a certain age to wear pearls but that age limit doesn’t have to be 90 as previously thought.
Really.

Got your trendy nerdy glasses and your notepad? I think it’s time we educate ourselves about these beauties

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Natural Pearls

Right, like you, I loveeeeee the real deal. However, if finding one is like looking to get a free pair of this season’s Manolos, then I suggest we look for alternatives. Natural pearls are formed in the deep deep sea naturally – read, no human meddling. And boy are they hard to come by; Three or four pearls to be found in three tonnes , YES tonnes of oysters from the, did I mention DEEEEPP deep sea. And apparently, only an X-ray can tell the difference between these real gems to their cultured cousins.

Cultured Pearls

These are pearls deliberately grown in oysters. I know, it sounds cheap and fake but they are not really. Out of all the oysters experimented on, only half will even come up with a pearl, and out of that 50% , only 5% would make the ever scrutinising eye of the pearl quality-control officer.

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Saltwater Pearls vs Freshwater Pearls

Freshwater pearls come from lakes, rivers, ponds but most come from China. They are cheaper and more can be produced at any one time. Saltwater pearls come from oysters which live in oceans. There are 3 main types of Saltwater Pearls ; akoya, South sea and Tahitian.

Which colour should I get?

Which colour pearl you get will depend on which colour (read: type) oyster you have. The Tahitian pearl is mostly black and beautiful, although they range from silver to purple. The South Sea pearl can be anything from pink to gold. They are also the Big Mamas of the Pearl family, reaching the size of 23mm in diameter.

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So…. I have this string of pearls and I think they are fake

Test it. Run them along the biting bit of your front tooth ( it helps if you still have them) ; the real ones feel gritty and the fake glass ones will feel smooth. I tried it and can’t tell for sure. But apparently this is how some jewellery thieves do their research.

Clever Cartier

In 1917, Mr Cartier bought a piece of real estate with double stranded natural pearls valued at 1 million USD. This piece of real estate later became his US company headquarters, and if I must highlight the glaringly obvious, makes him millions and millions. Too bad for the other guy, his double stranded natural pearl was sold 40 years later at a mere 150, 000. Tragic. The new found love for cultured pearls was later blamed.

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Necklace

Like our school pinafore hems, pearl necklaces come in different lengths. And thankfully, different names.
The collar : sits at the throat
The choker : base of the neck
Princess pearls : top of the chest
Matinee of pearls : above the breast
Opera length : at the breast bone

They say Pearls are the only gems produced by an animal, I say it depends on your definition of an animal.

“Chanel is composed of only a few elements, white camellias, quilted bags and Austrian doorman’s jackets, pearls, chains, shoes with black toes. I use these elements like notes to play with.”
- Karl Lagerfeld

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*Written by Miss Not Ascertainable. She writes for RA, about fashion, style & sorts, every Thursday.