Introduction
Let us first of all examine what a pearl is. A pearl is a stone-like substance formed inside some varieties of oysters. These stones are formed from the hardening of some secretions the oysters produce to protect their soft flesh from grit that has entered their shells.
Most pearls come in white, off-white and pale pink shades. Black pearls are a rare variety that comes in darker shades. Black pearls are often not really black, but dark gray with shades of blue, green and purple overlapping the gray.
Real and Fake
Black pearls have been very valued for centuries by virtue of their rarity. It is possible to ‘dye’ white pearls to make them black colored, using a solution of silver nitrates. But expert eyes can easily make out these fake black shades.
However, the science of cultivating pearls has developed in recent times and with it, real black pearls are also becoming more common. The trend has seen a lowering of prices to make black pearls a little more affordable.
Pearl Culturing
The art and science of pearl culturing started about a hundred years back. The earlier method was to simply harvest oysters and let them grow pearls naturally. In culturing, a small amount of grit is artificially introduced into the oyster. The oyster then generates some secretions to coat over the grit, so that it doesn’t irritate the oyster’s flesh. The coating takes about two to three years to form. The color of the coating is the same as the lining (called nacre or mother of pearl ) on the oyster’s shell.
It is usually the species Pinctada margaritifera (giant blacklipped oyster) from the Polynesian Islands that produces black pearls by culturing.
Black Pearls in Jewelry
Black pearls can be of many different colors, hues and iridescence (Iridescence is the ability of the gem to display different colors when viewed from different angles).
Black pearls are a hot item in contemporary jewelry making. Black pearls of different shades and iridescence are often pieced together in a jewelry item. Jewelry makers also bring out items with perfectly matched black pearls. But these are on the very expensive side, as it is pretty difficult to find identical black pearls.
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