Pearls
Fun Facts And Care Tips
Fun Facts:
- Virtually any mollusk that has a shell can produce a pearl.
- Naturally occurring pearls are rare, found in about 1 in every 10,000 mollusks.
- Pearls are formed by a natural irritant such as food particle that gets into the mollusk. When the mollusk senses the irritant, it coats the particle with layers of aragonite and conchiolin, which are also the same materials the animal uses when building its shell.
- A pearl’s color depends on the type of mollusk that created it, and also the environment in which it lives, such as temperature.
- Humans have been interested in pearls throughout history. Archeologists have found remains of humans buried with a pearl pierced in their right hand over 6,000 years ago.
Care Tips:
- Pearls are softer than precious metals, so they can easily be scratched. Take care not to bump against hard objects when wearing pearls, especially bracelets.
- Some chemicals can cause the luster and color of a pearl to fade. Certain c hemicals to avoid when wearing pearls include:
- Sun block
- Cosmetics
- perfume
- hair spray
- body oils and perspiration
- household cleaners
- acid, alkaline, ammonia, alcohol, and chlorine
- Here are some tips to avoid unnecessary contact with these chemicals:
1. Remove pearl jewelry before exercising to avoid contact with perspiration.
2. Remove pearl earrings before applying lotions, sunblock, or hairspray.
3. Remember: When wearing pearls they are always, Last On, First Off.
