June - Pearls

Pearls are cherished as symbols of purity and perfection, elegance and affluence, they are unusual gems, created inside animals called mollusks. Occurring naturally in a wide range of sizes, shapes, and colors, pearls have long captured the attention of scientists and socialites. Throughout much of human history, people around the world have fashioned beautiful jewelry and decorative objects of natural pearls, collected from both freshwater and marine mollusks. More recently, though, people discovered how to induce pearl formation leading to the introduction of cultured pearls to the global market in the early 20th century. Quality natural pearls are very rare jewels. The actual value of a natural pearl is determined in the same way as it would be for other precious gems. The valuation factors include size, shape, quality of surface, orient and luster. In addition, pearls (especially cultured freshwater pearls) can be dyed yellow, green, blue, brown, pink, purple, or black.