What are freshwater pearls:
A freshwater pearl is the product of a defense mechanism, which in this case freshwater mussels have, which means that if the mussels accidentally get a foreign body into the shell and it settles on the mussel's mantle tissue, the mussel begins a process where mother of pearl is produced in the mussel's mantle tissue which engulfs the foreign body and voila, within 2-7 years the mussel has produced the finest freshwater pearl.
It is important to emphasize that there are natural freshwater pearls and cultured freshwater pearls. The natural freshwater pearls are pearls that have been produced in nature without human hands.
Cultured freshwater pearls are produced with the help of humans. Today, the vast majority of freshwater pearls you come across are cultured pearls grown on large mussel farms around the world.
How to make freshwater pearls:
Are you missing a recipe for how to make freshwater pearls yourself? - it requires patience and many years of work ;-)
Or if you are just curious, here is the recipe for how to make freshwater pearls.
The first thing to use is a mussel, preferably of the species Hyriopsis Cumingi or Hyriopsis Schlegeli, which today are the two most popular mussel species for producing freshwater pearls. You must also have a basin with clean fresh water, which you must keep a close eye on so that there is no contamination of the water. Freshwater pearls and pearls in general are incredibly sensitive to even the slightest contamination.
Then it's time to find your inner surgeon, because now you have to insert 24-32 small pieces of mussel shell into the mussel that will produce your freshwater pearls. When this is done, it is the starting point for the mussel to excrete nacre, which creates a reaction inside the mussel and a calcium carbonate compound is now formed which, over the next 2-7 years, turns into the finest freshwater pearls, which can be used for various jewellery.
Where are freshwater pearls produced:
In the past it was actually not unusual to find freshwater pearls in Northern Europe, unfortunately like so much else today, we have polluted the water to such an extent that it is no longer seen as likely to find pearls in the Northern European oceans.
Freshwater pearls are now grown largely only in Asia, and here China in particular is a superpower in the production of freshwater pearls. The majority of Chinese freshwater pearls are produced in the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hunan, Juangxi and Fujian.
Other countries that also have their own freshwater pearl production are Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, India and the USA.
What is a freshwater pearl worth?
The price of freshwater pearls varies greatly in value depending on their quality. It is of great importance for the pearls, for example. are natural freshwater pearls or whether they are cultured freshwater pearls. It goes without saying that the natural freshwater pearls for natural reasons ;-) - will be worth more than cultured freshwater pearls.
In addition, the pearls are judged based on 6 other factors which are:
- Pearl type
- Pearl size
- Pearl color
- Pearl shape
- Pearl luster
- The pearl's surface quality
These 6 factors determine a pearl's quality and value. Over time, individual freshwater pearls have been sold for up to $2,000 - equivalent to approx. 13,500 Danish kroner.
Did you know that freshwater pearls need to be cared for? - No, here is some advice:
Freshwater pearls require care, fortunately the care and cleaning of freshwater pearls is relatively easy and simple. The best care you can give your pearls is by wearing them. It helps the pearls retain their natural moisture, which helps to give them their shine.
Freshwater pearls cannot withstand being stored in very dry places. They also cannot tolerate large temperature fluctuations, which can help to destroy the pearls' natural shine.
Freshwater pearls are porous and this means that the pearls absorb the liquids they come into contact with. Therefore, it is important that you always put your freshwater pearls on after the perfume and hairspray have evaporated. These can completely destroy your freshwater pearls as they cannot withstand the varnish from the hairspray and the substances found in perfume.
You can also choose to put your freshwater pearls in lukewarm, boiled water. This will also clean the pearls.