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Pearl Necklaces and Jewellery

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Pearls are the sea’s great gift to the jewellery designer and collector.

Available in an array of colours, shapes and sizes, pearl jewellery offers something to suit every client no matter what age or occasion. At Metal Urges we work exclusively with white and gold South Sea pearls from Australia, black and green pearls from French Polynesia and the Cook islands and Japanese Akoya pearls for smaller items that require delicacy and fine quality. We are also proud to offer a range of Keshi and Baroque pearls from a variety of locations.

Akoya Japanese Pearls

When a smaller fine quality pearl is required, the Japanese Akoya pearl  the gem of choice. Producing a high luster and perfectly round shape, these pearls come from the Pinctada Fucata shellfish found mainly in Japanese saltwater bays and inlets.

The shellfish only grows one pearl in its lifetime with water quality dictating the size and end value of each pearl. Sizes start at one or two millimeters and go up to a maximum of around 10mm. These are perfect for use as classic pearl earring studs or fine quality strands in both tapered and untapered necklaces.

Black Pearls

Found in colours such as green and golden, black pearls come from the beautiful Pinctada Margaritifera or black lipped pearl oyster. Also cultivated in Indonesian ocean waters as well as coral reef areas across select Pacific Islands.

Black pearls run slightly smaller compared to white south sea pearls with individual gems larger than 16mm in diameter considered rare. Fine quality colourings often display a stunning variance in each pearl with an almost peacock shimmer to the colouration. The black lipped shellfish also only produces one pearl at a time but can produce several over a lifetime.

South Sea Pearls

Australian and Indonesian pearl oysters form the largest pearls,  the most common being the  mighty Pinctada Maxima. Due to its large adult size and lifespan this shellfish is without a doubt the champion of the large white pearl industry. Pearls larger than 10mm are the norm with rare gems measuring up to 20mm in diameter.

The oyster itself can range in size up to 30cm in diameter and produces a strong and beautiful white lustered pearl. Each shellfish can produce one pearl at a time but over a lifetime can produce between three and five pearls. Each pearl is larger than the last as the shellfish grows in size.

Freshwater pearls

As the name suggests these pearls are grown in freshwater using several different freshwater mussel species. In recent years there have been significant improvements in quality however the resultant pearls are not considered rare or highly valuable, particularly as asingle shellfish can produce up to 40 pearls in a single harvest.

Freshwater pearls fill an important commercial role in the jewellery industry but due to their abundance aren’t sought after among rare pearl collectors or clients seeking a timeless or unique jewellery item.

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