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Pearl Jewelry

Pearls are an especially exotic gemstone. True natural pearls are rare and hard to find. These pearls come from mollusks- mostly clams deep in the ocean. Usually a pearl is perfectly round and has a certain iridescent quality because of the calcium carbonate that the pearl is made from.

Most pearl jewelry is currently made from cultured pearls, meaning the mollusks are farmed and the pearls are grown in a controlled environment. These pearls are still valuable, although not as precious as the wild pearl. Cultured pearls are available in a wide variety of colors from chocolate to pink to black.

Beware of imitation pearl jewelry. Imitation pearls are usually easily spotted because of lack of the beautiful natural iridescence found in pearls. The beauty of the pearl lies in the many layers of the stone. The thinner and more abundant the layers are, the more lustrous the pearl is.

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