Pearl Jewellery
Gold Arts specialises in the most magnificent Akoya and Tahitian pearls, selecting pearls with best lustre and natural colours. We offer a pearl restringing and re-designing service, so you can re-vamp old pearls into modern beautiful styles.
Cultured Pearl Facts
The term ‘cultured’ refers to pearls that have been harvested on pearl farms. The 2 main types are saltwater and freshwater.
Cultured Saltwater Pearls derive from the Akoya Oyster and are mainly from Japan. They are formed when a bead, called the ‘nucleus’ is inserted inside the Akoya oyster. The nucleus stimulates the secretion of a milky fluid called nacre or mother of pearl which covers the nucleus forming a pearl. This is known as ‘culturing’ and takes approximately three years. Akoya pearls are spherical in shape.Their natural colour is white, but they can have a pink or cream lustre. They can also be dyed with silver nitrate to produce black or grey pearls.
Cultured South Sea Pearls are found in the larger white-lipped variety of oyster. They are nucleated and have the same cultivation process as other salt-water pearls, however their sensitivity to climate changes, and the larger size makes this type of pearl much rarer and more valuable.
Cultured Freshwater Pearls are found in mussels and are predominantly from China. They are produced within the mussel with no bead inside. As they are non-nucleated, they are lighter in weight than saltwater pearls. The culturing process is far quicker: about twelve months. Freshwater pearls are produced in many shapes and can be dyed to shades of pink, peach, mauve, black and grey.
