Pearl Education

There are a wide variety of pearls available on the market today. Our pearl education will guide you in the right direction. Below you will find exclusive information provided by PurePearls.com to give you a better idea of what's available, and to help you better educate yourself on your pearl purchases. Knowing more about pearls, thier types, colors and overtones, will help you make an educated decision on the best pearl jewelry purchase for you. We engcourage you to read through our many pearl categories to familiarize yourself with the amazing, precious pearl.

Pearl Origins

Spanning over five thousand years of recorded history, from the legend of Cleopatra to the breathtaking creations of Kokichi Mikimoto, the pearl’s raw, organic simplicity and delicately shimmering glow remain unrivaled in beauty, and unique in the world of precious gemstones. There is no one single place in the world that the pearl may call home exclusively; from the famous pearling beds of the Persian Gulf and the rich waters of India, to the Aztec empire and the American South, pearls have been found in all shapes and sizes, colors and qualities imaginable. Learn more in our Pearl Origins section.

Pearl Types

Every lover of cultured pearl jewelry can benefit from learning the basics about one of the most secretive and least understood gems in the jewelry industry. Our Pearl Education Guide can make sure you get started in the right direction. Beneath the surface of every pearl there is a world of myth, history, science and adventure. The beloved white Akoya, the durable and affordable Freshwater pearl, the exotic natural black Tahitians and the ultimate in luxury, White and Golden South Sea pearls all have their own unique histories that make them a treasure in their own right. Come with the Pearl Education Team at PurePearls.com as we delve into the origins of the cultured pearl and explore what the pearl market has to offer today!

Let PurePearls.com reveal some of the pearl’s most closely guarded secrets; our pearl experts have access to literally thousands of pearls on a daily basis, and our Pearl Education Guide contains the exclusive, insider’s tips on how to evaluate pearls and determine exactly what you’re looking for, get the best price for it and come away from the online purchasing experience a satisfied customer. The first step in learning more about pearls, is to get familiar with the different types of pearls.

Pearl Colors

As dazzling and complex as the rainbow itself, the variety of colors and hues that can be found in pearls today is simply astonishing. The art of accurately describing the exact shade, tone or a specific saturation level of a pearl has evolved over time to become a precise language used among dealers and connoisseurs. We’ve created a brief guide dedicated to Pearl Colors: how to identify primary and secondary colors, overtones and saturation levels, and other color-specific terminology tips that will help you become more fluent in the language of color.

Pearl Overtones

What is the difference between a pearl’s body color and overtone? Our Pearl Overtone Guide easily illustrates the degrees between Rose and Aubergine, Peacock and Aquamarine, and every thing in between! You’ll learn how to tell the difference between Deep and Medium Gold tones for the legendary Golden South Sea pearls, the three main overtones in the famous white Akoya and Freshwater pearls, and how to correctly identify and separate pearl overtones from body color in our selection of black Tahitian pearls, and much more!

Pearl Sizes

The rarity of a pearl is often elegantly expressed in the size it attains; size is one of the most important values of a pearl, and the only attribute that can be described in exact measurements. From antiquity to modern times natural pearls have all been measured in carats or grains. However, the advent of cultured pearls required a new language and new ways to grade, sort, match and create fine pearl jewelry meant for an international market. Take a peek inside our Pearl Sizing Guide for the latest on how the various pearl types we offer measure up.

Pearl Identification

Pearl identification can be a tricky job if you don’t know what to look for, and with the sheer amount and variety of fine cultured pearl jewelry available today, the job is more overwhelming than ever! Welcome to our Pearl Identification Guide - an insider’s guide at spotting the differences between the various pearl types, qualities, and perhaps most importantly, how to answer the age-old questions: Is it a cultured, natural or synthetic pearl, and just what exactly are the differences between them, anyways?

Pearl Grading Guide

Pearl dealers have yet to attain the ideal universal grading guide that everyone can agree on. That may sound daunting to the beginning buyer, but using our comprehensive Pearl Grading Guide makes that job much easier! Our Grading Guide separates the four main pearl types, Akoya, Freshwater, Tahitian and South Sea pearls into their own categories and breaks down their individual grading criteria in an easy to understand format.

Pearl History

Beginning with the very first pearl ever noticed gleaming quietly under the rippling surface of the water, the raw, pure beauty of this organic gem has fascinated the world. With a history that reads more like a fairy tale featuring high stakes adventure, heartbreak and numerous royal decrees to pursue these precious gems to the very ends of the earth. Learn more about the very exciting history of the pearl.

Pearl Farming

One of the hardest, most time consuming and delicate ventures one could ever dream of taking on would be pearl farming. Fraught with danger and risk, pearl cultivation is an exacting science in which even the temperature of the surrounding water is carefully measured daily. Come visit our guide on Pearl Farming to learn more about the exacting nature of pearl cultivation.

Pearl Fashion Trends

Jewelry trends may come and go, like those shoulder-duster earrings? So 1999! But just like diamonds are forever, pearls will always be a chic, elegant and timeless gem that can be treasured for a lifetime. Many older pearl jewelry fashion trends have been given a new start, like the resurgent popularity of the Opera length pearl necklace, and still others have become modern classics in their own right, like the fresh and casual Tin Cup Necklace. From iconic classics like Audrey Hepurn’s multi-strand pearl choker to the enduring Coco Chanel-inspired designs that still keep female hearts a-flutter to this day, there is something for everyone to love about pearls.

Pearl Jewelry Types

Throughout the years as pearl jewelry fashion has evolved, so has the lexicon used to describe the various pearl jewelry styles favored at the time. Here to help you navigate through the pearl arcana is our Illustrated Pearl Jewelry Guide, which will walk you through the most popular necklace lengths found today and yesterday, and easily communicate the differences between a Choker and a Princess, a Rope and an Opera length necklace so that you can easily and quickly find the type of pearl jewelry you’re looking for, and come away from the shopping experience an informed and satisfied customer!

Pearl Gifts

Giving the gift of pearls is a way of showing your love and respect to that special person in your life. The tradition of pearl gift giving dates back centuries where the pearl was a revered gift passed between monarchs and lords. Today, the precious pearl can be given to a loved one as an anniversary gift, wedding gift, mother’s day gift or simply a gift to the one you love. Learn more about the pearl gifts that Pure Pearls has to offer.