Thanks to aggressive publicity campaigns sponsored by the diamond industry, anyone buying a diamond can confidently go into the transaction armed with enough information to ask the right questions. In the pre-purchase stage, you’ll likely query the seller about the five C’s: carat, cut, clarity, color and cost. As long as you trust the jeweler, you can be confident about the value of the gem you’re interested in based on his or her answers. But what about pearls? What questions do you ask? What does a high quality pearl look like? What are traits to avoid? Here we’ll tell you what makes a pearl valuable. We’ll also give you questions to ask your jeweler and tools to judge these lustrous gems yourself.

Pearl Value Factors

While there is no international standard for grading pearls, there is a system that is commonly used to evaluate these beautiful colored gemstones. Developed by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the world’s largest non-profit institute of gemological research and learning, this grading system considers seven pearl traits when determining value. They are: size, shape, color, luster, surface quality, nacre quality, and matching. Let’s take a look at each one as it relates to the beautiful cultured pearl.

One of the largest natural pearls in the world will go on display tomorrow at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

The marvelous piece of nature’s gift named ‘Pearl of Sheikha Fatima’ is one of the rarest pearls found so far.

The exhibition is organized by the Abu Dhabi-based Pearl Revival Committee (PRC) under the patronage of HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairperson of General Women’s Union (GWA) and Supreme Chairperson of the Family Development Foundation.

The exceptionally rare pearl will be the major attraction of the Natural Pearl Display, which is being held in from 25th January 2010. The Display, which PRC is organizing with the support of Robert Wan, “the emperor of pearl”, will also feature a number of the world’s rarest natural pearls and pearling master collections, including a showcase from K.C. Bell, one of the world’s leading experts on pearls.

A natural salt-water nacreous baroque pearl – length of 4 inches (10.2 cm), circumference of 6 inches (15.2 cm) and 856.58 carats (171.3 gram) in weight – the pearl is almost twice as large as the Hope pearl, which is displayed at the British Museum of Natural History, and almost 11 carats heavier than the Burma pearl. It has been incorporated into the design of a stunning sculptural jewel of a Centaur, a Greek mythological creature that was believed to be half man and half horse; the pearl forms the torso of the Centaur, with the remaining parts sculptured in gold.

Are all Tahitian pearls black? What’s the difference between a cultured pearl and a natural pearl? Are freshwater pearls inferior to saltwater pearls? Are South Sea pearls really golden?

Good questions. With all the different pearl colors and types out there, it can be difficult to know just what you’re looking at. For those interested in buying pearls, or for gem enthusiasts who wish to learn more, here are answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about pearls.

(Nov. 5, 2009) — For more than 25 years, all attempts at culturing pearls from the queen conch (Strombus gigas) have been unsuccessful — until now. For the first time, novel and proprietary seeding techniques to produce beaded (nucleated) and non-beaded cultured pearls from the queen conch have been developed by scientists from Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI).

With less than two years of research and experimentation, Drs. Héctor Acosta-Salmón and Megan Davis, co-inventors, have produced more than 200 cultured pearls using the techniques they developed. Prior to this breakthrough, no high-quality queen conch pearl had been cultured. This discovery opens up a unique opportunity to introduce a new gem to the industry. This significant accomplishment is comparable to that of the Japanese in the 1920s when they commercially applied the original pearl culture techniques developed for pearl oysters.

Adornment around the neck continues as the key trend in jewelry this season, the easiest way to update a look. Moreover, in these economic times, shoppers want value for their money, so the more versatility that can be wrung from a single item of jewelry, the more its perceived value. The result is that a single necklace or a single combination of necklaces is often burdened with the task of updating many ensembles in a wardrobe.

A necklace, more than any other item of jewelry, needs to be chosen with consideration of the garments with which it will be worn. Almost any necklace, long or short, complex or simple, can work with a simple sheath dress, a garment that lives for adornment. But with the cooler weather arrive styles of garments that are not as forgiving in their requirements.

One of the trickiest of such garments is the blouse. Created from a soft, even fluid, fabric such as silk, a blouse is too fragile to support the weight of a brooch, let alone recover from the puncture marks it would cause. Long (or long-ish) sleeves limit the number of bracelets that can be worn. And thus the necklace becomes the adornment of choice.

Jewel-neck blouses, like sheath dresses, love adornment. So long as the necklace(s) are visually dominant over the short neckline of such a blouse, any style necklace, long or short, works well. When a jewel-neck blouse is layered under a blazer or jacket, that third piece will guide the placement of a necklace.

Blouses with collars, ruffles and button fronts are much trickier to adorn with necklaces, and several recent items in the fashion magazines demonstrate this point.

Your jewelry is an important investment, and it retains its appearance and value longer if it is properly cared for. Here are some tips to ensure the long life of your gems.

How to Clean Gold Jewelry

Gold is tarnish-resistant, although it can get smudged and grimy. Lotions, powders, soaps, even natural skin oils can cover your jewelry and cut down on its brilliance. Jewelry cleaning removes this residue and restores the original luster of your jewelry.

Even though many commercial products are available to clean gold jewelry, a basic solution of detergent and water goes a long way to restore the radiance of gold, and a soft brush helps to gently clean intricate filigree designs and stones. Every now and again it can be helpful to soak the gold jewelry in a mixure of 1 portion ammonia and 6 parts water for about a minute. Make sure to dry and polish your gold jewelry with a soft cloth or chamois afterwards.

Professional jewelry polishing cloths are an efficacious and inexpensive way of keeping your gold collection glittering and radiant. These treated cotton cloths help to dislodge tarnish and to buff jewelry to a brilliant shine.

We here at TMJ think that the best place to start when making plans for your wedding is turn to your dreams. Let’s face it, we are women, and we’ve had a picture painted in our minds of how this day “should be” since we could pick buds and blooms from our mothers’ rose bushes and pretend that we were brides. So we’ve had a pretty good idea of what we are looking for long before we actually set ourselves free in the endless sea of choices in styles, colors, themes, and even textures of the wedding world.

Learn how to choose your jewelry color and style based on your perfect wedding dress. From simple to elaborate, learn the right factors to consider. Cultured Pearl necklaces, Pearl & Sapphire Necklaces, Pearl & Diamond Necklaces……..

Mikimoto, the legendary pearling pioneer and renowned jeweler, proudly introduces their high end jewelery collection. These pieces showcase Mikimoto’s leading expertise in craftsmanship and design of nature’s most precious gift, the pearl.

There are three main types of cultured saltwater pearls: akoya, Tahitian, and South Sea. Pearls can be cultured in fresh water as well. Each type has distinct characteristics, and each is very beautiful in its own way. Like with most things, individual tastes determine pearl preferences.

Of all precious stones the diamond has the simplest composition; it is merely crystallized carbon. Carbon is present in every plant, mineral and animal on earth.
An emerald is almost certainly the rarest of all precious stones and is measured by some to be even more valuable than the diamond.

Our fascination with pearls is thousands of years old—no other gem has been so loved, for so long, by so many. But is today’s pearl industry in danger of becoming a victim of its own success?

Just like all the other gemstones, pearls carry a meaning. Historically, the glowing white orbs have been associated with the moon. With the high luster and deep color of pearls, it is no wonder why these natural gemstones have been held in such high regard for thousands of years.

Many of history’s influential women have favored pearls and pearl jewelry over jewels made with other gems. These women include Elizabeth I of England, who was said to have been buried in a dress and shoes sewn to the inch with pearls; Coco Chanel, who famously wore strings of opera-length pearls with whatever outfit [...]

Things are not always as they seem. This is especially true for the conch “pearl” and the melo melo “pearl,” two types of gemstones that aren’t really pearls at all. Confusing? Yes, as these “pearls” resemble true pearls in more ways than one. Both the melo melo and the conch “pearl” are rare natural gems [...]