Freshwater pearl, Cultured pearls and Mother of pearl - Differences

Used in jewelry since ancient times freshwater pearls and cultures are back in our jewelry boxes.
We cannot resist these pearls with their rough touch, with imperfect shapes conceived by nature.
What do they have in common? Mother of pearl - this is the very essence of a pearl.

What is mother of pearl?
It is an organic material with moire reflections from the interior coating of certain shells .
It is formed by the juxtaposition of aragonite and conchyoline crystals, both participating in the iridescent reflections of this material.
The mollusc synthesizes mother-of-pearl throughout its life; it is one of the parts of its shell that is most resistant to acids and heat, which is why mother-of-pearl is so solid!
Now that you know how mother-of-pearl is formed, let's move on to using it.

Where is mother-of-pearl found?
This material is very popular, it is used for making decorative objects, buttons , marquetry and also for making jewelry and pearls.
Generally iridescent white, it can also be tinted.

Gift idea : Know that if you have a 42 nd wedding anniversary it is the mother-of-pearl wedding !

How do you get a pearl?
Whether it's a natural pearl, a cultured pearl, a freshwater or saltwater pearl, the process is the same.
The mollusc in the presence of an irritating foreign element secretes mother- of- pearl layer after layer in order to neutralize it to protect itself.
This is how pearls are formed.

Difference between cultured pearl and freshwater pearl?
There are not any !
It is very rare to find natural pearls called fine pearls , the majority of pearls on the market are cultured pearls from pearl growers.
The pearl farmer reproduces this process of making mother-of-pearl by giving the mollusk the nucleus that will allow it to make a pearl.
However, there are different types of pearls in cultured pearls:

• Freshwater pearls or Chinese pearls
  They are made by a freshwater mollusc, the mussel.
  Of variable quality and sizes.
  These pearls are nucleated using organic matter, we generally use a shell fragment so that the pearl is made exclusively of mother-of-pearl.
  This is why it is very rare to find perfectly round freshwater pearls.
• Saltwater or seawater pearls
  Are from the oyster.
  They are nucleated from a ball.
  They tend to be brighter than freshwater pearls.
  The best known are Akoya pearls, Tahitian pearls, Australian pearls.

Now that you know everything, you're going to be able to make freshwater pearl jewelry
The timeless pearl necklace , the elegant earrings , the refined ring and the distinguished bracelet are yours .

Find all of our freshwater pearl jewelry tutorials as well as our mother-of-pearl jewelry and make original jewelry