Customer Question:  What are shell pearls. Do you sell these pearls? I looked at your multi-colored necklace and bracelet. Are they the shell?  They are soooo pretty. Thanks,  Julie Answer:  We do not carry shell pearls.  We only carry the finest cultured Freshwater and Saltwater pearls.  Shell pearls are actually a simulated, man-made pearl-jewelry-type that has been around for many, many years.  They are faux pearls.

Mallorca pearls are the most popular and oldest brand that comes to mind first.  The process involved in creating a Shell Pearl involves many steps and attention to detail in order to arrive at the finished product. Shell pearls are actually formed around a coated mother of pearl bead nucleus like a cultured pearl, to give it a round form.  The nucleus is then gradually coated with many layers of pulverized oyster shell, and a fish scale mixture called “essence d’orient” to give the pearls a more lustrous appearance.  Successive layers are applied to the nucleus and are set to dry and then polished to erase any bumps or imperfections. 

You can usually spot a shell-pearl necklace by its’ total surface perfection and uniformity.  They also have a very shiny surface that looks like it has lacquer on it.  The majority of cultured pearls that come from Freshwater mussels and Saltwater oysters will contain a flaw or blemish of some sort, just as any natural gemstone found in the earth will.  Nature does not create flawlessness in many of her treasures, which I believe should make them all the more unique and beautiful!  Shell pearls are of little value and are more of a costume jewelry.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 27th, 2007 at 3:57 pm and is filed under FAQ, Pearl Science, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.