Pearl Wedding Jewelry
Akoya, Freshwater and Tahitian Pearls are Bridal Wedding Favorites
Pearl necklaces, earrings and bracelets or any combination of the three are very appropriate and popular choices for wedding jewelry.
In addition to diamonds, pearls are a very popular choice for wedding jewelry. The reason for the popularity of pearls is three fold:
- Many weddings take place in June and pearls are a symbol of that month.
- Pearls traditionally symbolize purity.
- The luster of pearls visually goes very well with the sheen of silk or satin wedding gowns.
How pearls are made: Pearls are not gemstones. Like amber, coral and jet, pearls are a by-product of a living creature. Natural pearls formed by mollusks are no longer readily available. All pearls currently available retail are cultured by placing a small piece of shell into a living oyster. This irritates the oyster and in turn the oyster then forms nacre (white lustrous coating) around the shell. Over time the nacre builds up and voila – a pearl.
Types of Pearls:
- Akoya pearls can come from China or Japan and are salt water pearls. These pearls are small, white, round and are what most shoppers visualize when they think about buying pearls. Akoya pearls are very expensive as compared to freshwater pearls. Akoya pearls are of a higher quality than freshwater. Additionally, akoya pearls from Japan are thought to be of higher quality than those from China. The thickness of the nacre, lack of surface blemishes and the luster of the pearl will dictate its quality. Natural akoyas usually have either a silver or pink overtone – so select the strand with the overtone that compliments your particular facial tones.
- Freshwater pearls are cultured in lakes and rivers in China and to a lesser extent the United States. Freshwater pearls are sold in many different shapes: nearly round, potato-shaped, teardrop shaped, rice shaped to name a few and are extremely inexpensive. Akoya and freshwater pearls can be bleached to present a more pure white color. They are also dyed. Some commonly found colors are peach, pink, lavender and peacock (a cost effective alternative to Tahitian pearls). Most bridal jewelry made with freshwater pearls will be either white or peach colored.
- Black (Tahitian) pearls are very expensive due to the fact that the Tahitian government limits the exporting of its pearls to those that have at least .8mm nacre thickness. Most Tahitian pearls come from French Polynesia, which is a part of the island of Tahiti. And while Tahitian pearls will have varying colored undertones the most expensive of Tahitian pearls will have one that is greenish. Black pearls might not be suitable to be worn with a white wedding gown but they would certainly combine very well and be quite stylish worn with a non-white wedding dress - pearl gray or taupe for example.
The copyright of the article Pearl Wedding Jewelry in Jewelry is owned by Maire Loughran. Permission to republish Pearl Wedding Jewelry must be granted by the author in writing.
