Freshwater Pearls

Freshwater pearls do not have nucleons. They are made entirely of mother-of-pearl produced by mollusks. Did you know that freshwater pearls have been cultivated in China since the 13th century? That's right! These pearls fascinated ancient civilizations with their brilliance and strength.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

A long Chinese history. Chinese freshwater cultured pearls began spreading exponentially in the international market around 1970, but the reality is quite different: the cultivation of freshwater pearls started in China several centuries ago. In fact, from ancient Chinese manuscripts, it was shown that as early as the 13th century, blister pearl cultivation was widely practiced in the country.

Historians credit Yu Shun Yang with initiating blister pearl cultivation (using the Taihu Lake mollusk species called Cristaria plicata). The most surprising thing is that the cultivation methods used 700 years ago are very similar to those used today. At the time, producers used nacre spheres, metal fragments, or pre-formed lead shapes (usually representing a Buddha) for the nucleated mollusk.

At the time, the person responsible for the nucleation process used blunt-ended bamboo sticks to slightly open the two shells of the mollusk. The nuclei or nucleus were then inserted into a small passage created between the mantle and the shell. Once the sticks were removed, the mollusk closed, holding the nuclei inside.

Do you offer customized jewelry? fleche_faq | Kalinas Perles