Real pearls are beautiful, expensive, and have a long legacy, but do they peel?
Real pearls can – and do – peel under certain circumstances. They’re made up of layers of nacre, a composite material otherwise known as ‘mother-of-pearl’. If these layers are thin or any damage occurs to them, they can effectively peel from the surface of the pearl.
Read on to learn more about pearls and the place they claim in the jewelry world.
Beauty In The Ocean
Pearls are equal parts beautiful and mysterious, having been cherished by humans for over four thousand years. They’ve enjoyed a storied legacy and have been dubbed one of ‘nature’s greatest miracles’.
Ancient Chinese royalty adored pearls and frequently gave them as gifts. Thousands of years later, the Romans classed them as one of the most prominent symbols of luxury.
In fact, it’s said that Julius Caesar put a law into effect that would permit only the elite to wear pearls, in any form. An article in thejewelleryeditor.com explains at length how pearls came to be known as the ‘Queen of Gems’.
However, pearls aren’t as typical a ‘gem’ as you might imagine. They’re not mined from the Earth, but instead, they’re ‘manufactured’ by various types of marine oysters and mussels.
They’re intensely unique, as the majority of the things we take from the ocean are for consumption, not fashion. One exception might be the shell of abalone, which are various types of sea snail found all around the world.
Abalone has shells that are lined with nacre, the same material that oysters and mussels create to form pearls. However, abalone shells are often prized for their value as decorative possessions, and they’re rarely turned into jewelry.
Oysters and mussels secrete materials known as conchiolin and aragonite. It’s these materials that bind together to form ‘mother-of-pearl’, the material we know as nacre.
Now, when an irritant or foreign body enters the shell of the oyster or mussel, these materials effectively encapsulate it. As the irritant is encased, layers of nacre form around it, ultimately shaping it into a pearl.
Owing to the nature of their occurrence, pearls won’t always be completely spherical, and maybe have some defects or flaws. Also, if an oyster is in particularly intrusive waters, there’s no real end to the number of pearls they can make.
In 2008, a couple were dining on oysters in a restaurant and were shocked to discover twenty-six pearls inside one of them. However, it was later discovered that the pearls weren’t fine enough to be worth much.
Pearl Of The Market
Fine pearls have a considerable value, but they won’t ever be worth as much as a diamond, ruby, emerald, or sapphire, for example. An article on thepearlsource.com discusses the value of pearls and explains that a ‘strand’ of white pearls can range anywhere from $100 to $10,000 or more.
However, there are exceptions to that rule, as the article explains. There are different varieties of pearl that offer various shapes, strengths, colors, and even ‘finishes’, depending on where you are in the world.
Allegedly, a South Sea pearl is the most valuable and potentially the largest found in ‘the wild’. Although, they’re not the biggest – that title is awarded to an enormous pearl discovered in 2006 in the Philippines.
This pearl was the largest ever to be found, weighing an incredible seventy-five pounds, and measuring two feet in length. It was estimated to worth a mind-blowing one hundred million dollars.
There hasn’t been a pearl since that has come close to that figure.
Protect The Pearls
As with many items of jewelry, pearls need constant care otherwise they might diminish or become damaged. This is especially true with authentic pearls, as the mere nature of their occurrence leaves them open to ‘peeling’.
If the layers of nacre are quite thin, they can peel off or chip if the pearl itself is struck or impacted in any way. It’s said that you shouldn’t let them dry out, and the oils from your skin will help keep them ‘lubricated’.
They shouldn’t be stored in an airtight environment, nor they should be immersed in water, not even for cleaning. Real pearls should also be kept away from chemicals and cleaning products.
If you follow the rules laid out by pearlsonly.co.uk, you’re likely to keep your pearls from peeling and retain their freshness for many years to come.