Pearls are the birthstone for June, so if anyone special has a birthday coming up, they would make a perfect gift! Though even if their birthday isn't in June, everyone deserves to have pearls of their own.
As everyone knows, pearls are produced by oysters and other similar molluscs. What you might not know is that they are a minute cristalline form of Calcium Carbonate - CaCO3 for any sciency types out there. But although they share their chemical formula with chalk, they are certainly nothing like it!
Known as the "Queen of Gems", the Pearl has a history which goes back centuries, we have had a fixation with them for quite some time! Natural pearls were treasured by both the Egyptians and the Romans, and pearls also feature in several religious texts, so they are truly highly valued.
In 1917, after collecting them for years, Pierre Cartier sold a double strand of natural pearls in exchange for a mansion on Fifth Avenue, New York - now the Cartier store. At the time, they were valued at $1m!
Natural pearls are therefore obviously pretty hard to come by these days, and would be extremely expensive to acquire any way! However, the process of producing 'cultured pearls' was perfected in 1916 by Japanese researchers. This process has made pearls far more accessible to those of us who aren't royalty or very rich!
Here at The Diamond Studio, we stock Jersey Pearl, a stunning collection featuring lots of different styles, so you will definitely find something to your liking!
Come in and see us, or you can always arrange a private appointment if you would prefer!
