Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald Charleston necklaces 80 cm

Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald Charleston necklaces 80 cm

Pearl Rings with lovely large freshwater pearls.

Pearl Rings with lovely large freshwater pearls.

Pearl chokers collection.

Every year we introduce during the great autumm fair a dozen self-designed necklaces, this year we presented 10 pearl chokers with combination gemstones. In four days sold more than 600 pieces. So we may speak about a great success.
Availability: In stock
SKU
1416
  • Buy 20 for €16.00 each and save 16%
Pearl chokers collection. is available to buy in increments of 1

CULTURED / FRESHWATER PEARLS

Underneath a small story about the production of freshwater pearls, at
Timmersgems your will
find the finest quality of pearls from Japan, China and other area's, Always
harvested and
produced on an ECO friendly way, with heart for nature and people.  

Cultured freshwater pearls are pearls that are farmed and created using
freshwater mussels. 
These pearls are produced in Japan and the United States on a limited scale,
but are now 
almost exclusively produced in China. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission
requires that farmed 
freshwater pearls be referred to as "freshwater cultured pearls" in
commerce. Quality of 
cultured freshwater pearls is evaluated through a grading system of a series
of A values, 
based on luster, shape, and other factors Pearls gathered in the wild from
the Holarctic freshwater pearl mussel were important sources of pearls for
medieval jewelry, with Scotland a major source; this species is
now endangered in most areas.

CURRENT AND HISTORIC INDUSTRY
Although the Japanese freshwater pearl industry has nearly ceased to exist,
it has a special 
historic place as the first country to cultivate whole freshwater pearls,
which it did in Lake Biwa, using the Biwa pearly mussel (Hyriopsis
schlegeli). The industry attempted a comeback with a mussel hybrid
(Hyriopsis schlegeli/Hyriopsis cumingi) in Lake Kasumigaura in the last
decade, but this venture also met with failure, with production ceasing in
2006. The pearl farm in Tennessee also holds special historic value as it is
the only freshwater pearl outside of Asia. Founded by the late John
Latendresse, it continues as a tourist attraction. Today China is the only
commercial producer of freshwater pearls, producing 1500 tons (2005) using
the triangle shell mussel (Hyriopsis cumingii) 

GRAFTING
The grafting process begins by choosing a suitable donor mussel and cutting
a strip of tissue from the mantle. This strip of tissue is then cut into
three-millimetre squares. These squares are delivered to a technician
who performs the operation. Unlike saltwater bead nucleation, this process
is not considered difficult, and technicians need only minimum training to
perform the operation. The technician creates small incisions on the upper
valve, and inserts the tissue piece. A small twist of the tissue upon
insertion is believed to create a higher ratio of round pearls. After the
maximum number of grafts have been performed, the mussel is flipped, and the
procedure is performed once again on the other valve of the shell. Chinese
freshwater mussels were once grafted up to 50 times per shell, or 25 times
per valve. This practice was 
common when the industry mussel was primarily the cockscomb pearl mussel
(Cristaria plicata). This mussel produced a high volume of low-quality
pearls that came to be known as "Rice Krispie pearls" in the 1970s and
1980s. More than a decade ago the freshwater pearl industry of China shifted
production from the cockscomb pearl mussel to the triangle shell mussel
(Hyriopsis cumingii). The triangle shell produced fewer pearls, accepting
only 12-16 grafts per valve for a total production of 24 to 32 pearls, but
produced pearls of better quality.

PROCESSING
Freshwater pearl harvests are typically bought while still in the shell.
After harvest the pearls are delivered to a first-stage factory, which is
responsible for cleaning and sorting the pearls by size and shape. After
this process has been completed, the pearls are considered ready material
for processing factories. The pearls are pre-treated (maeshori) in a warm
and cold chemical solution and then bleached. The pearls that exhibit strong
coloration only go 
through the maeshori and are not bleached or dyed. After the pearls are
treated, they are drilled and then polished with a mixture of cornmeal and
wax. Finally they are matched into temporary strands, which are then matched
again into hanks. Hanks are composed of 5 to 10 temporary strands and are
considered wholesale-ready.

  • Largest gemstone wholesaler in Europe
  • More than 165,000 various articles in stock
  • Fast delivery
  • Guaranteed competitive prices

Do you have a question? Please do not hesitate to contact us: