Three Colour Freshwater Cultured Pearl Drop Earrings 18 Carat White Gold

Specifications
Metal - 18 Carat White Gold 
Fasten - Post and butterfly's 
Earring length - 45mm
Size - Top Pearls - 7mm, Hanging Pearls - 5.1mm to 5.3mm
Shape - Top Pearls - Button, Hanging Pearls - Drops 
Colour - White, Golden & Purplish Pink 
Luster - Very Good to Fair 
Surface - Clean to Lightly Spotted 
Weight in grams - 3.6g
 
Care and Cleaning
Pearls are organic gemstones which mean they come from a living organism. Pearls can be found in saltwater and freshwater mollusks. Saltwater mollusks produce fewer pearls than freshwater ones and they usually take longer to form. 
 
A mollusk will produce a pearl when an irritant enters its shell, the organism secretes an iridescent substance called nacre which coats the irritant layer upon layer upon layer.
The majority of pearls on the market today are cultured. This means that humans have introduced the irritant, called a nuclei,  that starts off the nacre process. Natural pearls (pearls that have not been interfered with by humans) are extremely rare and are usually only available for purchase through private auctions and can fetch tens of thousands of pounds. 
 
Pearls are delicate gems, with a hardness of 2.5 to 4 on the Mohs scale, they can scratch very easily so should always be stored away from other jewellery and extra care must be taken then wearing pearl rings and bracelets. 
 
Avoid high temperatures when wearing pearls as exposure to heat can burn cultured pearls, cause discolouration, splitting or cracking of the surface. 
Exposure to bright lights may also cause dehydration and cracking. Most pearls are fixed to posts by an adhesive, rather than held in place by claws, and prolonged exposure to heat can dissolve the adhesive. 
 
You should avoid chemicals and acids of all kinds when wearing pearls. Hair spray, perfume, make-up, lotions even acidic perspiration can damage the pearl nacre. Always put your pearl jewellery on after applying any of the above products and take your jewellery off before going swimming, doing any kind of cleaning or washing and during exercise. 
 
Pearls are commonly treated to enhance their apparent colour and surface quality. Bleaching will lighten any dark surface spots and is considered more of a standard process rather than a testament. This is a stable and undetectable enhancement. 
Dying is another very common treatment, especially in freshwater pearls. This is usually a stable (permanent) treatment, but some colours may fade is exposed to direct sunlight or heat from too long. 
Irradiation is another pearl treatment but this is less common. It produces black, grey and blue - grey colours from white pearls and is a stable treatment. 
 
Pearls should never be ultrasonic or steam cleaned and should never be submerged in gold or silver dips. The chemicals in these cleaners are too harsh for pearls and will cause them serious damage. Delicate gemstone dips are available and are advertised as safe for pearls but we would advise only using this cleaner very rarely. The best way to clean your pearls at home is with warm water and a very soft brush. If your pearls are strung make sure they dry completely before being worn again and avoid getting them wet on a regular basis, use a soft cloth to wipe down your pearls after wear instead of dipping them.
 
Education
If you would like to learn more about gemstone treatments, what these treatments are and what they do, as well as which treatments are stable and how to look after gemstones with unstable treatments, please visit our education page.