Pearls & Other Stones
Pearls are organic gems grown within oysters and a few other mollusks, such as mussels. Pearls are formed when a foreign object (like a tiny stone) has made its way into the mollusk's shell. The mollusk secretes nacre, a lustrous substance that coats the intruding object. As thousands of layers of nacre coat the intruder, a pearl is formed; this process takes up to seven or eight years (an oyster's useful life span). "Cultured" pearls are those in which man implants the intruding material and the mollusks are cared for in a protective environment ("farm") while it does its coating work (6 months to 4 years, the longer the time the bigger the pearl will be).
Practically all pearls available today are "cultured" pearls. The oysters that have produced these pearls had man's help in getting the pearl started, and are kept and cared for in commercial pearl farms. Natural (ALL natural) pearls are quite rare and quite valuable. The word "pearl" should be understood as "cultured pearl" unless noted otherwise.
Pearl is the birthstone for the month of June. It is also the accepted anniversary gemstone for the 3rd and 30th years of marriage. Pearls have been recognized as the emblem of modesty, chastity and purity. They have come to symbolize a happy marriage.
Please see www.jkpearls.com for a full selection - postage can be combined - contact me for details.
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 | Pair 6-6.5 mm White Half Drilled Button Pearls AAA
A pair of matched 6-6.5 mm AAA graded, white half drilled button pearls (cultured, freshwater pearls), which are round in the front and relatively flat at the back, and are perfect for making classic earstuds, ...
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 | Pair 8-8.5 mm Pink Half Drilled Button Pearls AAA
A pair of matched 8 - 8.5 mm AAA graded, pink half drilled button pearls (cultured, freshwater pearls), which are round in the front and relatively flat at the back, and are perfect for making classic earstuds,...
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| Pair of Matched 5 - 6 mm Pink Half Drilled Button Pearls
A pair of matched 5 - 6 mm AAA graded, pink half drilled button pearls (cultured, freshwater pearls), which are round in the front and relatively flat at the back, and are perfect for making classic earstuds, r...
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