The least expensive cultured pearl available today equals or surpasses the most expensive natural pearls in history. The beautiful freshwater pearls available from China today offer an amazing array of sizes, shapes and colors that could have only been dreamed about in the past. Pearls are formed when a mollusk (most commonly oysters and mussels ) has a foreign object like a food morsel or parasite enter the interior flesh. Unable to eject the material, the mollusk starts to coat the object with layers of nacre to prevent it from causing damage. Naturally occurring pearls are extremely rare, found in perhaps 1 of every 10,000 mollusks. Of these, very few are suitable for jewelry. Freshwater pearls are pearls that are grown in freshwater mollusks like mussels. Like natural (not cultured) saltwater pearls, cultured freshwater pearls are almost all nacre, since the base material inserted into the mussel is live tissue from another mussel. Cultured saltwater pearls generally have a piece of shell or other foreign object as a base, resulting in a generally thinner layer of nacre. Pearl “luster” results from the reflection of light rays off the layers of nacre. Since a pearl is round, it acts as a convex mirror, making the reflected light appear to come from inside the pearl. The light reflected off the layers of nacre also produce the iridescent (also known as “orient”) sheen. Freshwater pearls occur in many colors and are often treated to produce more evenly colored strands. Peaches, pinks, lavenders, blues and greens are but a few examples of the range of colors available today. The type of organic material used to form the nacre layers can result in various colors, which may also be enhanced with dyes or other treatments after the pearl is harvested. Shape and size are two important elements in pricing pearls; perfectly round pearls are relatively rare and consequently command a much higher price. The larger the pearl size the higher the price as well, as it can take five years or more to grow a larger size pearl.At dx*designs, I am able to continue my life long love affair with pearls. I spend hours searching for sources of quality yet reasonably priced pearls. It sometimes feels like I spend more time searching for pearls than I do in actually making the jewelry! I also offer a wide range of man made glass based pearls. These high quality pearls have met my rigorous standards, and in many cases are a better choice than natural pearls. When precise color and shape are essential, like bridal wear, “cultura” pearls may fit the bill. After all, if it is good enough for Hollywood, isn’t it good enough for you? (Almost all films use costume jewelry and glass pearls instead of the natural items because they photograph many times better!). | 
