I will be teaching a Pearl Knotting Class at Aurea Gems & Essential Luxuries at 614 Johnson St., Victoria, BC.  Learn to string an elegant pearl bracelet using a traditional knotting method that places individual knots between each pearl.  Students will use silk thread, French wire and pearls & clasp of their own choosing. The class is two hours and runs from 10:00 A.M. until noon on Sunday, November 13, 2011.  To register, please contact Aurea directly at 250-381-6260.  Hope to see you there.

I will be teaching a Pearl Knotting Class at Monterey Recreation Centre at 1442 Monterey Avenue, Victoria, BC.  Learn to string an elegant pearl bracelet using a traditional knotting method that places individual knots between each pearl.  Students will use silk thread, French wire, freshwater pearls and a sterling silver or gold filled clasp.  The class is three hours and runs from 9:00 A.M. until noon on Saturday, October 29, 2011.  To register, please contact Monterey Centre directly at 250-370-7300.  Hope to see you there.

Learn what gives a pearl value and how to care for this delicate gem on Wednesday, April 13th at the Olive Grove Restaurant.  Join me for a Pearl Talk at a Roaring Women lunch meeting. Everyone is welcome: members and non-members. Hope to see you there!  Click the link to register. http://bit.ly/huWprD

Surface Quality: a pearl value factor

My last post was about colour and its importance as a value factor. As you can imagine, surface quality plays a very important role in determining value because of its direct impact on lustre.  A clean pearl (blemish-free) is a rare treat indeed.

Surface quality is divided into four classifications:

Clean – as mentioned above, blemish-free or blemishes so small that they’re very hard to see, even with a trained eye

Lightly Blemished – minor surface imperfections; still not easy to detect

Moderately blemished – noticeable imperfections

Heavily blemished – obvious imperfections; they jump right out at you

Here are some examples of Surface Characteristics (AKA flaws), most of which are self-explanatory:

• Abrasion
• Bump
• Chip
• Crack
• Flat (a small flat area that doesn’t affect the shape too much)
• Gap (where the nacre doesn’t completely cover the bead nucleus)
• Pit
• Scratch
• Spot
• Wrinkle (yes, pearls have them too)

Flaws such as chips, gaps and cracks are considered to be serious because they not only affect the beauty of the pearl, but may also affect durability. These flaws can lower the value of pearls significantly.

Unlike diamonds, pearls are always graded with the naked eye rather than under magnification. A pearl is, after all, the product of a living creature, and for that we allow a certain latitude.

Interesting fact: small imperfections are often located by the drill holes of pearls in a necklace so they’re not as noticeable, or hidden completely by the setting as in a ring, earrings or pendant.

Remaining pearl value factors will be discussed in future blogs. Stay tuned next month when I’ll cover Nacre Quality and how it relates to value. Until then, live long and wear pearls! (My apologies to Mr. Spock)

Colour: a pearl value factor

October’s post was about shape and its importance as a value factor. Colour is another factor where your own personal taste should influence your buying decision rather than what’s the most valuable – but that’s just my opinion. Everyone has their own priorities, and that, as Martha would say, is a good thing.

Here are the characteristics of pearl colour.

Body colour – the overall, dominant colour

Body colour is the first thing you notice about a pearl’s colour. It may be a neutral colour like white, grey or black; or near-neutral like silver, cream or brown; or subtle hues of pink, purple, yellow, orange, green or blue. Natural pearl hues are never vivid or intense, but soft and muted. Often a deeper hue may result in a more valuable colour because of the rarity aspect: rarity equals monetary value – not always, of course, just mostly.

If you see a fuchsia, lime green or navy blue pearl, trust me, it’s dyed. And there’s nothing at all wrong with a dyed pearl just as long as you know it’s dyed when you buy it, and you pay accordingly. All other factors being equal, a dyed pearl will always be less expensive than a natural-coloured pearl.

Overtone – a subtle, translucent colour or colours that appear on the surface

Overtone is a soft blush of colour that allows the body colour to be seen beneath.  Overtones may be blue, green, silver or pink, which is known as rosé.  Some pearls have a combination of overtones, and some display none at all. A rosé overtone may add to value.

Orient – iridescent hues across the surface

Orient is more intense than overtone; it’s like the rainbow of colours you see on a soap bubble.  You’re more likely to see orient on baroque pearls with an irregular surface and on pearls with a thick layer of nacre. Technically, it’s a prismatic effect caused by a combination of light reflection, refraction and diffraction. I really try not to wade too deeply into scientific waters, but sometimes I can’t help myself.

Colour as a value factor can be any colour that appeals to the consumer. Rarity, fashion trends and cultural preferences all play roles in colour value.  Overtone and orient are usually a plus, but not always. So there you have it, as a value factor it’s not as clearly defined as lustre and shape. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: buy the pearl jewellery you’re drawn to and you’ll be happy with your purchase.

Remaining pearl value factors will be discussed in future blogs. Stay tuned next month when I’ll cover Surface Quality and how it relates to value.

Interesting fact: almost every white pearl on the market today has been bleached to make it so.