Women adore to wear pearl jewelry. If you are about to buy the first pearl strand then it is wise to get educated on the types and proper maintenance. It will help to choose appropriate pearl bracelet, rings, earrings or necklace.

Main types of pearl

Pearls can be categorized into –

• Saltwater pearl
• Fresh water pearl
• Cultured pearl
• South sea pearl

The first two are naturally formed in water without human intervention. Saltwater pearl is found from the sea and freshwater pearl is discovered in river, lake or pond. On the other hand, cultured pearls are farmed manually. A tissue is inserted inside a mollusk that is placed in control water until pearl grows. This process is suitable in saltwater and fresh water.

Natural pearl is rare to find and very pricey. Jewelers create beautiful necklaces and earrings from cultured nugget. Pearl can be cultured or occur naturally in freshwater or saltwater, there are several names used to identify every nugget. Common names you can hear are –

• Akoya pearl are round shaped, white/off-white colored Japanese pearl
• South Sea pearl – Largest saltwater pearls harvested from Philippines, Australia, and Indonesia
• Mabe pearl – Flat pearl preferred to design earrings, rings, and pendants
• Tahitian pearl – Unique and rainbow-colored pearl

South Sea pearl comes from white lipped or gold lipped large oysters. These have thick nacre layers and are satiny in look. Baroque pearl [not round but irregular in shape] necklaces are rare, so its price is rising up. They have their personal shape and size, making them perfect for trendy women.

Pearl maintenance tips

Proper maintenance for every kind of gemstone can make them last long, even pearls. Maintenance is easy but care needs to be taken when you wear the pearl earrings or necklace and store them.

Avoid wearing pearl jewelry in the sun or at the beach or in the swimming pool. Actually, the top coat is shiny and to maintain its integrity consider the conditions before wearing them.

Store pearl jewelry in a box with soft area. Make sure that they don’t rub against other jewelry pieces. You may notice pearl scratch and try to clean it. Remember application of potent chemical solution can damage the pearl coating. If you need to clean them then rub the jewelry gently with soft, damp cloth. Never use cleaners. To be on the safe side take it to a jewelry store for professional cleaning.