Chinese freshwater pearls are gorgeous additions to a jewelry-maker’s repertoire. They are of great quality, rivaling that of expensive natural pearls, yet they are much less pricey even than cultured pearls; in fact, freshwater pearls are available at wholesale prices from jewelry suppliers who import them directly from China. This means that jewelry artists can make pieces featuring luxurious-looking pearls in earrings, necklaces, pendants, bracelets, and rings available to their customers at reasonable prices. The pearl is the birthstone for those born in June and pearl jewelry is popular with brides and as a graduation gift.
The first record of pearls in China is from 2206 B.C. Pearls were used by the wealthy and privileged in many Chinese ceremonies. In an Imperial funerary rite, a pearl was placed in the mouth of the deceased to keep the body from decomposing. Additional pearls and other jewelry were placed in the coffin with the deceased. China now leads the world in freshwater pearl production. Freshwater pearls take from three to six years to be ready to harvest; farming techniques are constantly being refined to remain competitive in the industry. Most pearls go to Hong Kong, where they are sold in huge marketplaces amid fierce competition.
Both freshwater and saltwater pearls are fascinating because they are the only gem to come from living animals. Freshwater pearls occur in mussels and saltwater pearls come from oysters; both types are formed in a similar fashion. Some irritant enters the mussel and, unable to eject it, the animal coats the irritant with a secretion called nacre (also used for shell-building), eventually forming the pearl.
Freshwater pearls are composed entirely of nacre, giving them a luminous quality comparable to natural pearls. They can be purchased half-drilled for rings, pendants and earrings, or full-drilled for necklaces and bracelets. They require no cutting or polishing and since they are made of shells and thus very durable, they do not chip easily or wear down quickly. They are available in many colors besides the traditional white, including pink, gold, black, green, peacock blue, and orange-pink. They are also available in many different shapes including the familiar round and smooth to those with rougher, more natural-looking textures in shapes including biwa (a crooked oblong shape), button (round with one flat side), coin, diamond, rectangle, star, teardrop, and many more. The diversity of colors, textures, and shapes allows for great creativity on the part of the jewelry-maker, and the relatively inexpensive price makes combining different styles in one piece of jewelry feasible.