My Lifestyle Blog

Most people like to but wholesale freshwater pearls because they’re considerably cheaper by the bulk. However, it’s important to note that not all types of pearls can be bought this way. For instance, natural pearls, or pearls that have been formed without human aid or manipulation, are too rare to be sold or bought by the hundreds. So before biting into the sales pitches of dealers hook, line, and sinker, think again.

What most wholesale pearl dealers call “natural” are actually authentic but cultivated pearl pieces. These cost a lot more than imitation or synthetic pearl beads made from plastic or glass, but they should, in no way, be sold as much as a rare natural pearl.

Test driving your pearls

To put your pearls to the test, you have two options. You can either have them sent to a lab for x-rays, or trust the foolhardy instincts of your front tooth. When rubbed against teeth, natural pearls feel a bit gritty, while cultured pearls are more perfect and are therefore smoother.

How cultured pearls are honed

Pearls are formed when an alien matter enters an oyster. The folds of the oyster’s meat will then try to calcify the “intruder” to protect its self from any imperfections. Natural pearl formation takes years. The cultured pearls, on the other hand, which make up a vast majority of your wholesale freshwater pearls, are “initiated” by human effort. Pearl farmers insert “beads” onto farm oysters so they can form pearls. However, because of the shape of the initial beads, the finish of cultured pearls is smoother. While they don’t lack luster and shine compared to natural pearls, they are more abundant and therefore a lot cheaper.

Deciphering cultured from synthetic

To make sure that the strands you are purchasing are not synthetic beads made from glass or plastic, have the dealer “slice” off a pearl bead with a knife. If it’s synthetic pearl, the paint should wear off and reveal the glass or plastic core. If the pearl bead is cultured, the debris should look like white or gray powder.

The article is contributed by a professional content writer, having experiences of working in different industries. For further information on wholesale freshwater pearls and Freshwater pearls please visit http://www.alohapearls.com/

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/jewelry-articles/beauty-of-wholesale-freshwater-pearls-827093.html

Related articles by Zemanta

• chez adrideo: pasta with pearls (gorgeoux.com)
• Little Wire Bird Nests (justsomethingimade.blogspot.com)
• Put some colours (pearltrees.com)
• Nikki Sayavanh for nikster™ Wins the Best Eco-creative Swimwear Designer Poll (feelgoodstyle.com)
• The Pearl-men and their webbing mutations (pearltrees.com)

Related Posts

• How-To Make Bottle Cap Earrings, Threadbanger
• Pharrell Williams for Louis Vuitton - Blason Jewelry
• How to solder jewelry - Jewelry Making
• Art Jewelry - Forge your own ear wires
• Jewelry - One More Time MV

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 21st, 2009 at 3:10 pm and is filed under Jewelry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.