Pearls have been treasured for their lustrous, creamy textures and their subtle iridescent reflections since the dawn of humankind. Because natural Pearls are so very rare and so very difficult to recover from the ocean's depths, man invented the technique of "culturing" salt and freshwater Pearls from mollusk carefully seeded with irritants similar to those, produced by Nature. This painstaking effort of "culturing" is one of the most dramatic examples of man's quest to coax beauty from Nature.

    One of the earliest known methods to enhance a Pearl's color and luster required that a chicken swallow the Pearl. The belief at that time (400 AD) was that the chicken's digestive system would soften the Pearl's blemishes and even the color. Today, cultured, freshwater and saltwater Pearls are often bleached to achieve a uniform color. They may also be polished in tumblers to clean and improve their luster.

    Naturally colored cultured Pearls are in short supply. Some cultured Pearls are dyed and/or irradiated to achieve the rich blacks, grayish blues, pinks and golden hues that are now so much in demand. To care for your cultured Pearls, avoid using perfume, hairspray, abrasives, solvents and polish removers while wearing them. Ask your jeweler for further instructions regarding their care.