About pearls

I was chit chatting with Louise the other days. She was browsing through my latest handmade jewelry, and start asking me about the type of pearls I use for my design. I start thinking...ya...I need to understand more about pearls.

Pearl is made up of calcium carbonate produced within the soft tissue of a living shell. The ideal pearl has perfect round shape and smooth surface, however many other shapes of pearls are more common.

Adding pearls elements to jewelry design creating classic elegance to contemporary style. There are numerous type of pearls use for beading and jewelry design today.

1. Natural Pearls -very rare and most valuable, classified as gemstone

1.1. Salt water pearls

1.2. Fresh water pearls

2. Cultured or farm pearls - widely use in jewelry design today.

2.1. Akoya pearls - first cultered salt water pearls, originally cream white colour

2.2. Black pearls / Tahitian pearls - salt water pearls, originally black in colour

2.3. Fresh water pearls - popular choice due to it's cost

3. Faux pearls - appear in variety of size, shape and colours, hence more flexible in design.

3.1. Swarovski® Crystal Pearls - from Austria, highest quality

3.2. Bohemian Pearls - from Czech Republic

3.3. Hemalyke Magnetic Pearls

3.4. Acrylic Pearls


The above are only some of the information I gather, feel free to drop me comments ya!

How to purchase genuine Swarovski Crystal Beads

I've earlier shared about how Swarovski Crystals are made. Some of you may ask, are those crystal genuine from Swarovski? There may be companies that sell fake Swarovskis.

From my experience, always buy from reknown beading shop, check out for "Swarovski Create-Your-Style partner" in your area. Each type of swarovski crystal (size, shape etc) has it's code and the price is standard. Should you found the price goes very far cheaper, it could be a fake one.

Here are tips we may follow when buying Swarovski Crystal Beads.

• Swarovski crystals are sold by bulk (usually 10 gross), and not on string. Those that are sold on string will not be genuine crystals. They are sealed in quality envelopes, with the name, "Crystalized."
• Most Swarovski crystals that are crafted in Austria.
• Genuine crystal will not have any bubbles. The facets should be all facing in different directions. Almost appear as 3-D to the our eyes.
• Swarovski crystals' luster should outshine other crystals and beads.

Swarovski Crystal

I love to use Swarovski Crystal for my jewelry design. Out of curiosity, I search through the web to find out more about them. Sharing here are some of the knowledge I gain.

Founded by Daniel Swarovski in 1895 as a family business, it has since grow to a brand name today. They are the finest quality man-made crystal in the world as far as I know. Every single piece of crystal is so finely produce, its appearance and shimmering capabilities has the same characteristics as diamonds.

How Swarovski Crystals are made?

Man-made from natural minerals and pure quartz sand, they are combined and fired for an undisclosed period of time. Once removed from firing, they go through a very slow cooling process. The slow cooling process reduces flaws and imperfections in the final product.

These specialty crystals have a lead content of 32% which enables them to be categorized as full lead crystal. Lead was then added in order to maximize refraction, thus creating a better quality crystal. Chemical coatings are used to create the many different colors of the crystals. Clear crystals are more difficult to produce since they must be without impurities. Even though lead is a known toxin, the wearing of crystal jewelry containing lead does not pose any health risks.

The crystals are cut using a special cutting machine designed by Daniel Swarovski. This machine is able to cut crystals into as much as 100 mirrored facets in various directions. Hence, allowing light refraction to creating brilliant prisms and colors.

The direction of which the crystals are cut are determined by computer. They are cut using the same precision-cutting process in which diamonds are cut. Special metallic coatings may be painted on the crystals to capture a full spectrum of rainbow colors, and later polish to finish.

Reference:

How Is Swarovski Crystal Made?

By China Zmuida, eHow Editor