Gemstone and Pearl Quality from Shimmerlings Jewelry


	Gemstone Clarity and Gem Grading Gems are usually graded by a type (1, 2,or 3) and by clarity (VVS, VS, SI, etc.). Below are the grading criteria used by the Gemological Institute of America for colored gems: Type 1 gemstones are stones that are usually free of inclusions. This group includes gems in the quartz family, like amethyst and citrine, topaz, zircon, and beryls, like aquamarine. Clarity in the type 1 group is classified as VVS (minute to detectable), VS (minor), SI1 (noticeable), SI2 (obvious) or I (included). Type 2 gemstones include garnet, iolite, alexandrite, ruby, sapphire, or peridot. Clarity in the type 2 group is classified as VVS (minor), VS (noticeable), SI1 (obvious), SI2 (prominent), or I (prominent, affecting appearance). Type 3 gemstones are stones that almost always have inclusions. This group includes emerald and red tourmaline. Clarity in the type 3 group is classified as VVS (noticeable), VS (Obvious), SI1 (prominent), SI2 (more prominent), or I1 (affecting appearance or durability). For example, if you are looking at a stone that is VVS type 2, that means that it is a type 2 stone with minute inclusions that may be visible only under 10x magnification. On the other hand, A VS type 3 has inclusions that are easily visible to the naked eye. Some sellers may use simpler terms to describe the clarity of their gemstones. For example: Clean - no inclusions visible under 10x magnification. Eye-clean - inclusions not visible to the naked eye. VVS, VS, or SI - Inclusions visible to the naked eye, but still a beautiful gem. Included - numerous inclusions that affect the beauty of the gem. Knowing this terminology will help you make an informed decision when buying colored gemstones from a jeweler. There are several great books on gemstones and gemstone buying on the market. For more information, check out "Gemstones of the World" by Walter Schumann, and "Jewelry and Gems, the Buying Guide" by Matlins and Bonano. Both of these books are a great resource for learning about gemstones. Our gemstones lean to the more natural states of stones, tumbled, pebbles or made into beads. We at Shimmerlings do not work a great deal with simply setting stones into our creations. [back up top] Determining Pearl Quality Pearls are unique among gemstones in that they are natural, organic products of living creatures, so naturally they have their own set of grading standards. With this in mind, below in an illustrated guide to help answer some of the most common questions about pearls. Equipped with a basic understanding of what factors come together to determine pearl quality, you can make a much more educated decision about buying pearls. Pearls, unlike diamonds, do not have a universally standardized grading system. Shimmerlings applies the most commonly used and internationally recognized ranking system: D, C, B, A, A+, AA, AA+, and AAA to grade the pearls featured in our creations. On this scale, AAA is gem-quality--you should expect a flawless, brilliant pearl with high luster, high shine, and a perfectly unblemished surface. Most often our pearls at Shimmerlings are A or B grade unless otherwise indicated. Margherite enjoys working with the more organic shapes, it is the specific blemishes and such that lend character to her remarkable pieces. But please read further to learn more about the highest quality of pearls, one can never be too informed! There are six factors used to determine the quality, value, and aesthetic appeal of high quality pearls: nacre, luster, surface, shape, color and size. Type of Pearl The first step is to identify the type of pearl�freshwater, Akoya, or South Sea, the three main pearl types used in jewelry. Each type of pearl is produced by a different species of oyster, and each oyster lives in a different region of the world under very specific climatic conditions. More Information below... PEARL NACRE Nacre is the natural substance that the mollusk secretes to protect its sensitive flesh from irritants such as shell fragments or implanted beads. This is the same beautiful iridescent material that lines the inner surface of the oyster shells, aptly named mother-of-pearl. As a rule, the thicker the nacre, the higher quality the pearl is. PEARL LUSTER Luster is a combination of surface brilliance and a deep glow. The luster of good quality pearls should be bright. You should be able to see your reflection clearly on the surface of a pearl. Any pearl that appears too white, dull or chalky is of lower quality. PEARL SURFACE The cleaner the surface of the pearl, the more valuable it is. Look for an absence of disfiguring spots, bumps or cracks on the surface of a pearl, also known as �cleanliness.� Notice that the highest quality pearls have a sharp, mirror-like reflection. PEARL SHAPE It is very rare to find a perfectly round pearl. The rounder the pearl, the more valuable it is. Baroque pearls, which are not symmetrical in shape, can be lustrous and appealing, and often cost less than round pearls. Margherite chooses mostly "off-round" or button pearls in her handcrafted jewelry creations. "They feel more fluid to me and seem to work better in my designs." PEARL COLOR Pearls come in a variety of colors, from white to black and every shade in between. It is important to distinguish between color and overtone. For example, some naturally occurring colors are white, champagne, aqua, green, golden, and black. Within each color category, there are a number of common overtones, or subtle variations in the surface iridescence. Choosing your preferred overtone is a matter of taste, although ros� or white overtones tend to look best on fair skin, while cream and gold-toned pearls are flattering to those with darker complexions. But let us not forget the wider range of colors that have been added in the past few years. Pearls have been dye the most beautiful (and the most horrendous) colors! Cranberry and lighter shades of green for example are simply fabulous in many of Margherite's designs. Although these colors are not naturally occurring, the finished product is no less stunning when paired with sterling silver and other gemstones. PEARL SIZE Pearls are measured by their diameter in millimeters. Tiny seed pearls can be smaller than 1 millimeter, while South Sea pearls as large as 20 millimeters have been found. If all other factors (nacre, luster, surface, shape and color) are equal, the size of a pearl will determine its value. Only a 1.0mm increase in pearl size is a substantial jump in both appearance and value. The average pearl sold today is between 6.5mm and 7.0mm. At Shimmerlings, we scour different vendors, as well as haunt the vintage shops and auctions to acquire the larger pearls if we are able. We were once so lucky to find a antique bracelet made of 12mm pearls, with very good quality. They made incredible gifts as earrings to the wedding party of a friend of Margherite's! When and if we find these treasures, they are always passed on to our customers! [back up top] Different Types of Pearls FRESHWATER PEARLS Freshwater Pearls are small, often irregularly shaped pearls that are grown in various species of freshwater mussel. They are made by introducing twenty or more tiny tissue grafts into the thick mantle of a live mussel. The results vary according to species. Freshwater pearls generally have a lower proportion of organic material in their nacre than pearls from marine pearl oysters. This give freshwater pearls a glassy luster. Which is not to say that they are not a wonderful alternative to paying $100 or more 'per pearl' to have a strand created for yourself. With the freshwater pearl, in grade A or AA, a full strand could be as inexpensive as $400.O One reason for this is that several hundred tons of freshwater pearls are grown in China each year. They are one of the least expensive pearls available and can look very attractive when a good grade and luster are available. A popular way to use them is in rope necklaces made of several strands twisted together. Margherite chooses to intersperse her pieces with pearls. Mostly freshwater, of different shapes and sizes...it is the naturalness of the product, not how it is created that entices her designs. [back up top] NATURAL PEARLS Natural Pearls - What about natural pearls? It's probably the most asked question of all and the fact is that the South Seas still produce pearls without any human help but a lifetime of searching won't necessarily find enough pearls to make a strand. Being so very rare, they are extremely expensive. Only an X-ray image can reveal the difference between the natural pearl and the naturally cultivated South Sea Pearl. Although even with an x-ray it is a difficult determination between what was placed by nature in the oyster and what might have been placed by man. IMITATION PEARLS Imitation Pearls are marketed under many names such as 'Majorca pearls', ''shell based pearl" and a host of brand names. They are glass or plastic beads, lacquered or painted with a synthetic 'pearl essence' similar to nail polish, or dipped in a paste of fish scales and glue. They have never been inside a pearl oyster. The first imitation pearls were made last century in Spain and Portugal using an iridescent extract from sardine scales mixed with varnish. It is simple to tell the difference between synthetic and real pearls. When scraped gently against the biting edge of the teeth, imitation pearls are smooth and waxy in texture, compared to the rough texture of real pearls caused by the overlapping layers of nacre. A cultured or natural pearl will also make a slight grating sound when drawn this way over the teeth. Shimmerlings uses freshwater pearls in most of it's creations. And the type of pearl is always indicated in the description of the piece that they were used in. We have used some of the new Swarovski Crystal pearls which look fantastic and have a glorious 'weightiness' to them. They will also be indicated as part of the description. Margherite and Shimmerlings would never intentionally mislead our customers in any way with regards to the naturalness of our products. It is precisely the natural energy that makes Margherite's pieces sing to the potential wearer that leads them to just the right creations at just the right time! [back up top] AUSTRALIAN SOUTH SEA PEARLS Australian South Sea Pearls, also called 'Broome pearls' are grown in the silver or gold-lipped pearl oyster, Pinctada maxima. The most highly prized and the most valuable of all pearls the Pinctada maxima is the world's largest pearl mother and is considered by experts to produce the best pearls in the world. Australian South Sea Pearls are usually white or silver colored, but they can also come in shades of yellow or blue-gray. Iridescent overtones are mostly pink or green. Their sizes range from 10 to 20 millimeters, but pearls larger than 16 millimeters are rare. Prices of Australian South Sea Pearls vary from $100 for a 10 millimeter baroque to several tens of thousands for a perfect 17 millimeter round pearl. A necklace of moderate quality pearls might cost around $10,000, but a strand of good quality would cost several times more. Extremely rare strands of 13 to 16 millimeter spherical, silver-pink pearls of perfect quality can bear price tags of hundreds of thousands of dollars. BLACK SOUTH SEA PEARLS South Sea Pearls, also called 'Tahitian pearls', are grown in the black-lipped pearl oyster, Pinctada margaritifera. This species is found in the atolls of Polynesia and other Pacific Islands. The culture of the black pearls began in Tahiti less than thirty years ago; prior to that, the extremely rare natural black pearls were worth a king's ransom. Because of the numerous protected atoll lagoons in the Pacific, the pearl culturing process of growing black pearls is simpler and less costly than for white pearls. Black South Sea pearls are generally smaller than the white ones in size and range from 9 to 13 millimeters. There is a great variety of color in the black pearls from the highly sought after peacock green color to aubergine, purple, green, black and shades from gray to cream and even white. Prices of black pearls are usually lower than for white South Sea Pearls. Individual pearls of reasonable quality retail from $100 or so for a 9 millimeter pearl to a few thousand dollars for one that is 12 or 13 millimeters in diameter and of gem quality. [back up top] AKOYA OR JAPANESE PEARLS Akoya or Japanese Pearls are grown in the Japanese pearl oyster, Pinctada fucata martensil. Most Akoya pearls are still produced in Japan but now some are also grown on an increasing scale in China and India. The Akoya pearl oyster measures only six to nine centimeters across - less than half the size of Australia's silver-lipped pearl oyster. Smaller nuclei are implanted so the resulting pearls are smaller than Australian pearls, ranging from three to nine millimeters in diameter. Akoya pearls are usually harvested earlier than Australian pearls, sometimes in as little as six to nine months. Such an early harvest means that the nacre is thinner - frequently less than half a millimeter thick and is less likely to withstand normal wear and tear. Akoya pearls are well situated to earrings and brooches. The Akoya pearls that are allowed to grow for at least four years are very good quality but are also very expensive. Almost all Akoya pearls are chemically treated after harvest to enhance their color and lustre. Unfortunately, the treatments are not always stable, so the strand matched for color today may not look as uniform in a few years time. The real advantage of Akoya pearls is their affordability. A necklace can be purchased for several hundred dollars, rather than the many thousands of dollars needed for a South Sea strand. KESHI PEARLS Keshi Pearls or seed pearls appear identical to natural pearls, and are a by-product of pearl culture. The international term keshi means 'poppy seed' in Japanese, and is a reference to the small size of these pearls, which are seldom more than a few millimetres in diameter. Keshi pearls are popular because they are made of solid nacre and usually have a bright luster. Their irregular shape can be a stimulus and challenge to jewelry designers and some of the most innovative jewelry is made using them. [back up top] MABE PEARLS Mabe Pearls, or half - blister pearls as they are known in the jewelry trade, are made by glueing several hemispherical plastic beads to the inside of pearl oyster shells. Mabe is the Japanese name for the winged oyster, Pteria penguin, in which these pearls are commonly grown. They are also grown in silver-lipped pearl oysters (Pinctada maxima) that have already grown round pearls. The half pearls, about one millimeter thick, are drilled off the shell using a diamond-tipped hole saw and the nucleus is removed. The half pearl now resembles half an empty egg shell. The inside is then scraped to remove any brown organic stain and sometimes it is painted to enhance color and lustre. It is then filled with resin, backed with discs of mother-of-pearl and joined edges ground smooth. The resulting product is a mabe pearl. Mabe pearls have thinner nacre than many other pearls and the mother-of-pearl disc that backs it is attached with glue. This means that mabe pearls are not as robust as round pearls and should be treated with care to keep them from coming apart. Mabe pearls are only a fraction of the price of whole pearls. A pair of good quality mabe, processed and ready to set into jewelry, can be bought for $100 or so. The size of mabe pearls varies from 12 to 20 millimeters in diameter. Most are round to shape but drops, hearts, and ovals are also made. MORE INFORMATION There is a great deal of more information to be had on pearls, and I suggest these sites for your learning experience: American Museum of Natural History The Pearl Guide Pearl Paradise Asian Pearls - A Tutorial

Gemstone Clarity and Gem Grading

Determining Pearl Quality

Different Types of Pearls