Pearl accessories: GALLERY

A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusc.

The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other shapes of pearls (baroque pearls) occur.

The finest quality natural pearls have been highly valued as gemstones and objects of beauty for many centuries, and because of this, the word pearl has become a metaphor for something very rare, fine, admirable, and valuable.

The most valuable pearls occur spontaneously in the wild, but they are extremely rare.

Cultured or farmed pearls from pearl oysters make up the majority of those that are currently sold.

Pearls from the sea are valued more highly than freshwater pearls. Imitation or fake pearls are also widely sold in inexpensive jewellery, but the quality of their iridescence is usually very poor, and generally speaking, artificial pearls are easily distinguished from genuine pearls.

Pearls have been harvested and cultivated primarily for use in jewellery, but in the past they were also stitched onto lavish clothing.

Pearls have also been crushed and used in cosmetics, medicines, and in paint formulations.

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