Legend has it that pearls are the teardrops of an angel weeping for joy: far be it from us to argue with so delightful a notion.

Natural, beautiful and delicate, pearls must be handled with care. They should be stored separately from your other jewellery and, to keep them in pristine condition, wiped over with a damp cloth after wearing to remove any residues of cosmetics, perfume etc. Never use jewellery cleaner on pearls, as it will spoil the beads.

Abrasive stringing materials can also cause serious damage. Our pearls are strung on the best quality pure silk pearl thread, with each bead knotted individually into place: this is done both for security and to ensure that the necklace hangs perfectly. Silk will naturally break down over time, and we recommend that you have your pearls re-strung every 3-5 years, depending on how often they are worn. We will be happy to re-string them for you for a nominal charge.

Pearl Qualities

The quality, and therefore the value, of a pearl is determined by a number of factors.

Lustre is one of the most important factors in determining a pearl's quality. Lustre refers to both the pearl's brilliance (the way its surface reflects light) and its inner glow (the way it refracts light from the layers of nacre within). High-lustre pearls are bright with a deep glow.

Nacre thickness is important in the case of seawater pearls, which have a shell bead at their core. If the nacre coating is too thin, the core bead may be visible and the nacre can split or flake. Nacre thickness is not an issue with freshwater pearls. These are created by the insertion of a small piece of mantle tissue from another mussel to stimulate nacre secretion. The tissue subsequently desiccates, leaving solid pearl.

Blemishes occur in most pearls. Small imperfections are acceptable, even desirable, as these are the indicator that it is a genuine, natural, pearl rather than an imitation. Perfectly round, perfectly clean, high lustre pearls are rare, and are referred to as gem quality. Unacceptable blemishes include surface cracks, holes and flaking nacre.

Shape is another important factor in pearl quality. Pearls develop in a variety of shapes, but round pearls are the most highly prized. Very few, however, are perfect spheres.

Matching is extremely important. Pearls naturally occur in a wide variety of colours, black pearls being generally most highly prized. Whilst the actual colour is purely a matter of personal taste, what is important is the matching of the pearls in a necklace. Again, as they are a natural product there will be differences, but the differences should be slight.

The table below shows how a string of pearls is graded.