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| Color |
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Creamy Vanilla, peachy
Allspice, orangey Cinnamon, and lavender Eggplant
are the pastel hues of Spice Pearls®. |
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| Gem Family |
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Spice Pearls® are
freshwater cultured pearls. Pearls are organic gems,
created when a mollusk covers a foreign object with
beautiful layers of nacre, the mother of pearl.
Freshwater pearls are cultured in mussels: skilled
technicians implant bits of mantle, causing the
mussel to form a pearl around the irritant. Unlike
saltwater cultured pearls, which have a bead in
the center, Spice Pearls are solid nacre. |
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| Source |
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These glowing pastel
pearls are cultured in the lakes, rivers, and ponds
of three provinces in China: Zhejiang, Jianhsu,
and Hubei. |
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| Clarity |
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All Spice Pearls®
have a rich bright luster and must be free of serious
rings or blemishes. Less than one in a thousand
freshwater cultured pearls is fine enough to be
classified as Spice Pearls: they must have top luster,
smooth even surfaces, and be free of any blemish. |
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| Size Range |
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7.0-7.5mm and larger
for strands, 7.0-7.5mm for earrings, rings and pendants.
Some rare Spice pearls are as large as 12mm! |
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| Shapes Available |
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Spice Pearls® are
available in button, semi-round, drop, and egg shapes.
Because Spice Pearls are solid nacre with no round
bead in the center, perfectly spherical pearls are
rare. |
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| Enhancement |
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The glowing pastel colors
of Spice Pearls® are not enhanced in any way.
Like most white pearls, the Vanilla color is lightly
bleached to allow for better matching of earrings
and necklaces. Like most pearls, Spice Pearls are
tumbled after being removed from the shell to clean
them and bring out their luster. |
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| Lore & History |
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According to ancient
Chinese legend, the moon holds the power to create
pearls, instilling them with its celestial glow
and mystery. The ancient Greeks thought pearls were
dew from the moon collected by mollusks by opening
their shells at night. |
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| Toughness &
Hardness |
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Pearls have a hardness
of 2.5 to 4 on the Mohs scale. |
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| Care & Cleaning |
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The solid nacre of Spice
Pearls® makes them one of the most durable pearls.
However, pearls are organic and must be protected
from chemicals and oils. Always put pearls on after
you put on makeup, perfume, and hair products. Before
putting your pearls away after wearing them, wipe
them with a soft cloth to remove dust and oils.
Store them in a cloth-line box or pouch and keep
them away from other jewelry, which might scratch
them. All Spice Pearls necklaces and bracelets have
been individually knotted to keep them from rubbing
against each other when worn. If after years the
thread should ever become discolored, stretched,
or frayed, the pearls can easily be restrung and
reknotted. Never put any pearls in an ultrasonic
or steam cleaner. |
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| Price Range |
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$10 to $50 per pearl.
Strands range from $150 to $750. Exceptional strands
may be priced at $3,000 or more. |
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| Special Characteristics |
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It takes two to five
years to culture a freshwater pearl that is 7mm
in size. Freshwater cultured pearls above 8mm take
five to seven years to grow that large. These lustrous
globes take much longer to culture than saltwater
pearls but the beautiful colors and the luster of
the solid nacre are worth waiting for! Only one-tenth
of one percent of Chinese freshwater cultured pearls
have the quality and lovely natural colors to qualify
as Spice Pearls®. Although lower quality freshwater
pearls can be dyed to imitate them, they don't compare
in rarity, luster, or durability. |
