By Michelle Yamamoto
 Perfectly spherical pearls have always commanded the highest prices in the market. They are the rarest of an already rare gem. Freshwater mussels can produce spherical pearls; however, the typical freshwater pearl is a freeform shape. The pearls can come out roughly spheroid, or even shaped like a teardrop, but others come out with a lovely furrowed texture and shapes that dont fit into any category.
Besides unique shapes, freshwater mussels produce pearls in a range of colors from a luminous dark grey through blue, lavender, green, pink, and champagne.
Furthermore, freshwater pearl jewelry sometimes has a price advantage due to the easw of gathering one hundred irregular pearls rather than one hundred round pearls of identical size. Not to mention, artists are finding great ways to create freshwater pearl jewelry that is truly one of a kind.
Necklaces
Chokers or collars made of tightly massed small seed pearls or pill-shaped pearls have already become a modern classic. They look like luminous pebbles, but without the matronly aspect
associated with round pearls.
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By Michelle Yamamoto
 Similar to the four Cs for judging the quality of a diamond, gemologists, jewelers, and connoisseurs have four traits they look for in a pearl, as well. The letters may not be as easy to remember as four Cs, but to figure out the value of a pearl bracelet, you will need to think about four factors.
Luster
According to Professional Jeweler Magazine, luster is the combination of a high, reflective sheen on the surface of a pearl combined with an almost three-dimensional glow that seems to emanate from within the heart of a pearl. Although this may sound a bit abstract, the concept is really rather simple. If you were to ask a jeweler to let you examine a very expensive pearl bracelet beside a less expensive one, the contrast would be obvious.
There is a chemistry involved with the different lusters. A pearl is made of layers of nacre, which is the substance an oyster secretes to form both pearls and mother-of-pearl. Nacre is, itself, made of layers of regularly arranged crystals. A |
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