All of the many forms of pearls have always held a special attraction for B J and I. Perhaps we have been drawn to them because of their natural organically natural form or the mystical depth and inner light glowing from their surface. Whatever the attraction may be, we – like centuries of others before us – are drawn to their inherent beauty and rich history within the jewelry field.

Our pearls, as essentially all pearls used today, are cultured, grown on pearl farms located across the world. Natural pearls are, for all purposes, practically nonexistent due to generations of man exhausting the potential yield of nature’s oyster beds. However, you should rest assured that due to the efforts of the worldwide pearl industry, today’s cultured pearls have reached an unparalleled level of quality and beauty.

Essentially, a quality-cultured pearl is almost impossible to distinguish from natural pearls as both are created similarly. In either case the host mollusk is utilizing a protective process of coating with a calcite-based secretion (nacre) a foreign invasive seed or nucleus. This coating process is continuous, building a thicker and thicker nacre layer until the pearl is harvested. Depending on the location of the pearl farm and species of mollusk being used, the growing time to create a quality pearl can range from one to several years. The fully formed pearls whether spherical or very irregular in shape, are created when the nucleus is implanted in the mollusk tissue. Mabe and blister pearls are essentially formed in the same manner as the fully formed pearls except that when being seeded the nucleus is attached to the inner surface of the mollusk shell, the resulting pearl coating covering both the nucleus and surrounding shell area. In the case of the blister pearl, we utilize it just as it is harvested. The mabe, after harvesting, goes through an additional process, splitting the nacre coating from the host shell, removing the nucleus and replacing it with resin and recovering the back with a mother of pearl cap.

In our jewelry, we use both freshwater and saltwater genuine cultured pearls and are constantly concerned with offering only the finest quality. As you will note, we are particularly drawn to the mabe and blister pearls that, by their nature, tend to form into distinctive individual shapes, thereby dictating that each piece of jewelry takes on a unique hand crafted design.