South Sea Pearls
In the History of Cultured Pearls.... the Queen of Cultured Pearls... are the Pearls from the South Seas. The North West of Australia, near Broome, in the seas around Indonesia, have long proved to be, the ideal home for the growth of the Pinctada maxima oyster. Voluminous, feminine and warm, a South Sea Pearl is one type of pearl that pearl connoisseurs go nacre about; these types of pearls are just so flattering to a woman's beauty!
These types of pearl ladies owe much of their beauty to the pristine waters hosting them and the skill of the pearl farmer. The following south sea pearl information will bring you up to speed concerning our voluptuous larger size ladies of the sea! The chart below shows you the range of SS pearl shapes. Non-drilled keepsake pearls are also available in the marketplace. But they don't come cheap. One large, perfectly round gem of 12 millimeters can cost several thousand dollars. Baroque, ring or nonstandard shapes of freshwater keepsake pearls could sell for just a few hundred dollars. As you move from left to right in this south sea shape chart, the pearls become less expensive.
How the Name - "South Seas Pearls" Originated First up, "South Seas" is technically not correct, in particular when it comes to Australia's "South Sea" orbs. Australia isn't just famous for its Argyle Pink Diamonds! Facts about Australia, say, that the waters around Broome in Western Australia produce some of the finest pearls in the world and Broome, is nowhere near the South Seas. Founder of Mikimoto pearls, Kokichi Mikimoto, was the first person who thought Broome might be a great location for pearl farming. Mikimoto considered anything south of Japan, as the South Seas. And so that is how the name "South Seas" - stuck. Mikimoto once said, "I would like to adorn the necks of all the women of the world with pearls" and he certainly did for a great many woman. Mikimoto's perfecting of the cultured pearling technique made pearls an affordable alternative to Natural Pearls. Where Are the Pearl Islands?
The following ar some of the world's finest producers of these pearls:
The Shades of Pinctada MaximaThe species of oyster and the environment in which they grow, are the main factors behind determining a pearl's color and complexion. Australia is known to produce the best white SS pearls in the world and that is why Australia does not have much competition for their white pearls and more or less can ask whatever prices they want for these high quality beauties.These pearls are highly coveted for their rich varied colors. Pearls from the Pinctada maxima oyster come in shades of white, ivory, silver, blue, yellow and rich gold. Pearls from the Pinctada margaritifera oyster (referred to as Tahitian or black pearls) come in the shades of aubergine, blue, greeen and grey, all with various hues. Every pearl refects color in a different way, either boldly on the surface or hinting at hues from whithin layers of nacre. SS pearls often show beauiful iridescent overtones, especially in the pinks and greens.
South Sea Pearl SizeBig girls love big pearls! Renowned for their large sizes, the pinctada maxima oyster is the largest species of oyster of producing a pearl. Measured in millimeters, they commonly range form 9-20+mm with the majority falling within a range of 10-17-mm. To understand south sea pearls think in terms of size. They are most notable for their large sizes. This is because the oysters (Pinctada Maxima for Australia, Indonesian and Myanmar pearls and Silver Lip for Tahiti) are the largest species of mollusk cabable of producing a pearl. In contrast, the Akoya oyster which produces the Japanese Akoya pearls tops out at 10mm, the white south sea pearls from Australia, the black pearls from Tahiti (the primary island of French Polynesia) and the golden pearls from Indonesia and Myanmar have a minimum size of 10mm and a maximum of 20mm! It is rare to to find pearls smaller than 10mm and larger than 16mm in the south seas. Though very rare, the irregularly shaped baroque pearl can reach sizes up to 40-mm or more. All types of pearls are generally measured using what is called a milligauge which can measure the pearl within 0.01m accuracy. In recent years the market has seen an increase in south sea pearls under 10mm. These smaller pearls, 8 millimeter and 9 millimeter pearls are used in "baby south sea necklaces." The chart below provides the size range of white south sea pearls from Australia and the Tahitian black pearls.
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The girl with the Pearl necklace, congresswomen Nancy Pelosi, appreciates the magnificence and timeless classicism that voluptuous cultured pearls evoke. Nancy is wearing an 11-14 mm pearl necklace strand consisting of a contrasting combination of
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