Welcome to Touch Of Pearls
Touch of Pearls is all about pearls...pearl facts, pearl science, pearl history...anything regarding pearls. We even have a buying guide to show you how to shop for pearls. However, if you've come here looking to actually purchase pearls, you should know that this is not an online store. Rather, you should try PearlsOfJoy.com. It is a fabulous online store for buying very rare and exquisite pearls.
The mystique ring. A ring that features a South Sea pearl.
This mystique ring is available at
PearlsOfJoy.com
What is a Pearl?
A pearl is a generally spherical collection of concentric layers of minute crystals of calcium carbonate. They are produced within the mantle of shelled mollusks, such as oysters and mussels, when an irritating microscopic object gets trapped there. Every kind of shelled mollusk is capable of producing such an object, but only pearls produced by pearl oysters or pearl muscles have any kind of value as a gemstone. As a result, most pearls have no value and are referred to as calcareous concentrations.
The type that does have value is called the nacreous pearl. This is what most people are referring to when they talk about pearls. Nacreous pearls are composed of layers of nacre, which is just the technical term for mother of pearl. Nacre is the same substance that lines the inside of an oyster's shell. Nacreous pearls are what this site is about.
A History of Pearls
Humans have collected pearls since before recorded history. The oldest known instance of humans possessing pearls is fount in burials that are more than 6000 years old. These were found in Middle East near the Persian Gulf where bodies appeared to have been buried with a pierced pearl clutched in the right hand.
Since that time pearls have stood as a symbol of wealth and status. At times, pearls have even held religious significance.
Pearls as Jewerly
Pearls can be incorporated into nearly every form of jewelry. Not only can a pearl be treated like a gemstone, but it can also be drilled and treated like a bead. Indeed it is the only kind of bead that has the value of a precious stone. The pearl necklace is, of course, the most popular type of pearl jewelry, but they can also be used to make rings, bracelets, earrings, anklets, pendants, toe rings, and tiaras.
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