We've gathered together such a spectacular array of pearls from the oceans, seas and rivers from around the world that you can leave your diving suit at home!
Tahitian and South Sea pearls will always steal the show, they come in a fantasy of different colours; black, golden, peacock green, silver blue, aubergine and pink blushed white. If an entire row is a little too rich for you then dive in and choose a single pearl. Every one is truly individual and once you have chosen, they lend themselves to our creativity and one off designs.
Akoya pearls are the all time classic. Versatile, understated and rather cultured, though at WHY you'll discover diamonds and precious metals wrought around these little wonders in a spectacle of contemporary designs.
Chinese freshwater pearls were once the poor relations but now we're seeing amazing colours and shapes, often in bigger and bolder sizes, and yet they're still such good value, one struggles to think of a reason why not to.
At WHY we care deeply about quality and there are a number of criteria that pearls must meet to merit joining our range.
Lustre. This is a meaure of how reflective the surface of the pearl is. We only select pearls of the highest lustre as this gives the stunning sheen and glow for which our pearls are renowned.
Orient. This is where the pearl exhibits a colour overtone in addition to its body colour, perhaps a pink or green hue over a black pearl. Only the finest most lustrous pearls show orient and this factor is a priority when we are selecting pearls.
Colour. A matter of personal taste as the best pearls occur in a fantastic range of colours.
An Akoya pearl should be white to pink white and not have a yellow hue, while the best Tahitian pearls will exhibit an incredible range of colours. Choose the colour you love!
Surface perfection. The very rarest pearls will have a smooth and unblemished surface.
But this factor is secondary to lustre and orient; it is far better to have a lustrous pearl with an occasional surface mark than a totally smooth but dull, lifeless pearl. (Rest assured you wont find any of these in our collections!)
Shape. The highest value pearls are totally round, but one of the joys of pearls is the amazing shapes they can assume, whether drop shape, oval, or the fascinating Baroque shapes, all adding to their individuality.
Size. This is a price factor more than a quality factor, and different types of pearls will occur in different size ranges. As a rule the larger the pearl the higher the value, but choose the size you favour that gives the look you want.
Pearls are a miracle of nature, and the oysters that produce them flourish in only the most pristine and stable environmental conditions. They are the finger on the pulse of the environment so lets hope that we never have to say "hurry while stocks last!"
All this without getting your feet wet!
Please browse some of our Pearl Jewellery using the numbered links below.
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