Pearl Beads
Pearl beads are freshwater pearls, layers of nacre laid down by a mussel around a graft placed inside it, then harvested and drilled for stringing. Nearly all pearls sold today are cultured this way, and freshwater pearls from China make up most of the market. This collection holds freshwater pearls in white and in color, in a range of shapes for bracelets, necklaces and earrings.
Appearance
White is the natural color of most freshwater pearls, from a bright white to a warm cream, and shapes range from near-round through button and drop to the irregular baroque forms that show how each pearl grew. Freshwater pearls are solid nacre nearly all the way through, so they take wear better than thinly coated saltwater pearls.
Luster, the depth of reflection on the surface, varies more than color: a high-luster pearl shows a sharp, mirror-like reflection and a softer one looks satiny. Nacre is 2.5 to 4.5 on the Mohs scale and organic: perfume, hairspray, sweat and acids dull it, and hard stones scratch it. Put pearls on last and take them off first, wipe them after wearing, and restring knotted strands when the silk wears.
Formation and origin
A pearl forms when a mollusk coats a foreign object with the same nacre it uses to line its shell, in thousands of thin layers of aragonite and protein. Natural pearls, formed by accident, are rare enough that nearly all pearls sold are cultured: a farmer inserts a small piece of mantle tissue, or a bead nucleus, into a freshwater mussel and returns it to the water for 2 to 6 years. China's lakes and rivers produce the great majority of freshwater pearls. Saltwater pearls, Akoya, Tahitian and South Sea, grow in oysters and are a different product.
Pairings
Tanzanite beads: violet-blue faceted stones between white pearls, a soft palette; knot between them so the harder tanzanite does not rub the nacre.
Sapphire beads: blue sapphire and white pearl is a classic combination; use knots or spacers so the harder stone does not rub the nacre.
Aquamarine beads: pale blue with white pearl in the same soft, watery range, a long-standing bridal pairing.
Meaning and Metaphysical Beliefs
Pearls have long been symbols of purity and wisdom. Ancient Persian myth called them tears of the gods, Chinese tradition linked them with dragons and the moon, and they are the birthstone for June. In crystal traditions pearls are associated with integrity, calm and the feminine, and they are sometimes placed with the crown or sacral chakra. These are traditional beliefs, not claims of physical effect.
