Small is Beautiful - What are Seed Pearls?
The use of seed pearls in fine jewellery throughout the latter part of the 19th century was immensely popular. Elaborately decorated brooches, tiara...
Saltwater pearls
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Freshwater pearls or saltwater pearls?
Freshwater pearls or saltwater pearls?
Here is a simple question. How many freshwater pearls are there in this image ? Pearls have fascinated us for hundreds of years with their colours,...
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How long does it take to grow a real cultured pearl?
How long does it take to grow a real cultured pearl?
Have you wondered how long it takes to grow a real cultured pearl? Is it a month, a year or perhaps longer? The answer? Of course it depends... The...
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Discovering the Treasure of Golden Pearls
Discovering the Treasure of Golden Pearls
Biologists may tell us about warning colours in nature and how we are all programmed from birth to be frightened of stripey snakes or red spiders. B...
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In Search of Black Pearls
In Search of Black Pearls
2011 is the 50th anniversary of the first successful experiment to grow cultured pearls in French Polynesia. Jean-Marie Domard, a Frenchman who had...
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Where are Japanese Akoya Pearls farmed ?
Where are Japanese Akoya Pearls farmed ?
White Akoya pearls are loved for the high quality of their lustre, their exquisitely round shapes and their pink overtone. An Akoya pearl necklace ...
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Diving for Pearls
Diving for Pearls
The industry of diving for pearls largely disappeared with the invention of a method for producing a cultured pearl in the early 20th century. Altho...
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Buying Pearls in Hong Kong
Buying Pearls in Hong Kong
The historic Star Ferry has ploughed its way across Hong Kong harbour since the late 1880s. The crossing is named by National Geographic Traveler as...
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Natural Pearls
Natural Pearls
If you hear a pearl described as real or natural, remember that there is a significant difference in meaning. A natural pearl is a real pearl formed...
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The Beauty of South Sea Pearls
The Beauty of South Sea Pearls
Naturally occurring South Sea pearls are virtually unknown today on the world market. Although experiments in culturing South Sea pearls began as ea...