Not all pearls are created equally. When people buy a pearl necklace or a pearl ring at the jewelry store, they often believe that they are getting a natural pearl that’s grown on its own in the sea somewhere. While that might be a half truth, it doesn’t tell the whole truth about harvesting pearls. Cultured pearls are what most pearl owners actually have. That’s not to say that cultured pearls aren’t natural pearls. They are natural; they just aren’t as rare and valuable as uncultured pearls.

Cultured pearls can be distinguished form uncultured pearls through a look through an x-ray. Since pearls only grow naturally in the wild very rarely, pearl harvesters have found a way to manipulate the pearl growth process by imbedding something into the clam shell that will encourage pearl growth. When the pearl is harvested after its full growth, a film remains on the cultured pearl that can only be seen through an x-ray. The only other almost noticeable difference is that cultured pearls are not completely round, while uncultured pearls are perfectly round.

There are many different types of cultured pearls. The black pearl, which comes from Tahiti, is thought to be the most valuable form of cultured pearl in the world. Its dark color and large size are a function of the warm lagoon waters surrounding Tahiti and only a few of these can be harvested from there. While the harvesting of freshwater pearls has been brought to an exact science, no such mass production is possible with the large black pearl. That is why this type of cultured pearl remains so valuable.

In the past, there were some pearls that were harvested from the ocean that were said to be completely natural. Throughout the 18th century, there were a large number of completely natural pearls that were found in the East Asian sea. Folks who harvested pearls off of the coast of Japan were said to have found some large natural pearls during that time. The largest uncultured pearl in the world was found off of the coast of the Philippines in 1934. That pearl was completely natural and weighed over fourteen pounds. Today, that pearl is known as the Pearl of Lao-Tzu and remains the largest pearl to ever be found.

Now that the pearl harvesting process has become so mechanized, none of those monster pearls are being found. The process for getting a cultured pearl is something that one might expect to see on an assembly line. Producers are forcing the pearls to develop instead of letting them grow to their natural size. This means that more cultured pearls are available to be put into jewelry, but those pearls are smaller in size. This seems alright to consumers, who are liking the smaller pearls in their necklaces and bracelets. As many more younger women begin to buy pearls and acquire them, small pearls will continue to be popular. With the harvesting process being as easy as it is, pearls will continue to go down in price as they become less rare.

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