NEVER USE DETERGENTS, HOUSEHOLD CLEANERS, COMMERCIAL JEWELRY CLEANERS OR TARNISH REMOVERS ON PEARL JEWELRY. Never use your pearl cleaning brush for anything else, and store it where it will not become dusty or soiled. Pearls will naturally darken slightly with age and wear.
Pearl jewelry usually turns yellow as time passes because they dry out. If there is no air circulation and moisture where pearls are kept, their organic composition begins to change, which results in that yellowing.
You can clean or brighten new or vintage pearls at home using a mild detergent or dish soap. If your pearls have become yellow, try whitening them or restoring their shine with acetone. Acetone will not harm pearls, but never use ammonia, vinegar, or chlorine bleach near your pearls.
Guess what else causes oysters to create different color pearls? Well, there's an organic substance called conchiolin which holds or glues the layers of crystalline aragonite together. Within the conchiolin layer are microscopic pigments, from which pearls can inherit their colors.
Depending on the type of pearl, black pearls are either created using treatments(dyes, irradiation) or in the case of Tahitian pearls,the black-lipped Pinctada margaritifera is responsible for the mysterious dark coloration. Interestingly the color of pearl produced is influenced by the host oysters shell color.
*Pearls deteriorate over time, and even with proper care, the smaller ones generally last 150 to 200 years (depending on the thickness of that nacre)... but in 2012, scientists found a single pearl in a gravesite overseas, that was dated at 7500 years old.
Genuine pearls go yellow over time, even if you clean them regularly. To remove the yellowing, you can soak them for a while in water mixed with very mild soap. Once they've soaked a bit, take them out and dry them with a soft cloth.
The qualities that determine the overall value of a natural or cultured pearl or a piece of pearl jewelry are size, shape, color, luster, surface quality, nacre quality, and—for jewelry with two or more pearls—matching.
Do pearls lose their luster or become dull? It's possible that pearls can lose their shimmer and shine over time, but you can prevent it from happening by learning how to clean your cultured pearl necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings.
It's often assumed that because something's old it must be valuable. That's rarely true and certainly not for pearls. Advances in technology and culturing techniques mean you can buy a much better set of pearls for far less money than in grandma's time.
Cosmetics, sun block, perfume and hairspray all contain chemicals that can dramatically dull the luster of a pearl. The natural acids contained in body oils and perspiration can also damage pearls in the same way.
The lip determines the pearl color. While the white pearls are also priced by jewelers, the gold pearl variety is the most coveted color. The gold South sea pearl's color can range from creamy white to deep gold, and the darker the color, the more expensive it becomes.
Perhaps the best-loved gems of all time, pearls—both natural and modern cultured pearls—occur in a wide variety of colors. The most familiar colors are white and cream (a light yellowish brown). Black, gray, and silver are also fairly common, but the palette of pearl colors extends to every hue.
Pearls are organic gemstones that are vulnerable to acid, alkaline and extremes of humidity. To preserve your pearls' radiance, avoid letting them come into contact with cosmetics, hair spray, or perfume. Always put on your jewelry as a final touch, after applying make-up and styling hair.
Worn often and properly cared for, pearls can look as good in 50 years as they did the day they left the store. Pearls are not the most durable of gems. Most everyday items at home and in the office are tougher than pearls, so careless contact can cause damage them over time. Chemicals are the primary threat.
Some gemstones have a hardness a slightly higher on the Mohs scale, but they can still get surface abrasions if toothpaste is used to clean them. Pearls and opals should never be touched by toothpaste; it can destroy their colour and luster.
Wetting pearls is never a good idea, as it begins to destroy the jewel. Pearl necklaces are damaged when they get wet, because the water damages both the thread and the pearl . When wet, the thread that holds the beads together begins to stretch and lengthen, so it quickly loses the desired shape.
Genuine pearls are shinier than fake pearls. You can measure shine in luster, which is the intensity and softness of a pearl's surface, it generally has to do with how bright and clear a pearl looks. Natural pearls have more shine than artificial ones because they're made from natural materials.
Not just because of the unique color, size, shape, and place of origin, but also accounting for the fact that these gems are made by living oysters. The price of a pearl now averages between $300-1,500, and there are a few factors to consider when questioning both quality and value.
The Vinegar Test
A real pearl will dissolve in vinegar or show erosion where the vinegar drop meets its surface. This is because of the chemical reaction between the acid in the vinegar and calcium carbonate, the primary chemical that a real pearl is made of.