All about Pearls http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls Guide to pearls and jewelry deals Mon, 04 Dec 2006 20:18:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 en Tips for choosing good quality pearls http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/29/tips-for-choosing-good-quality-pearls/ http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/29/tips-for-choosing-good-quality-pearls/#comments Wed, 29 Nov 2006 00:02:12 +0000 Administrator Pearls Jewelry http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/29/tips-for-choosing-good-quality-pearls/ Choosing good quality pearls can be tricky for the uninitiated. The basic areas to look at are size, luster (shininess), shape, surface appearance (the fewer flaws, the better), and whether the pearls match. One trick to check a number of these factors easily is to take the strand of pearls and gently roll it back and forth on a clean, dry surface. Many imperfections in shape and surface appearance can be discovered by using this method that would not be immediately obvious when just viewing the pearl strand alone. By rolling the pearls back and forth, you can see all sides of the pearls, which is very helpful in checking for flaws, seeing how truly round the pearls are, and evaluating the luster of the pearls.

Another helpful technique in pearl evaluation is to drape the strand of pearls over your wrist to see how the color of the pearl matches your skin tone. This is much more accurate than holding the strand of pearls up to your neck and it also allows you to see the pearls from a much closer distance.

I learned these techniques in a pearl class I took in Beijing, China and they have helped me immensely in my work as a pearl buyer. If you are interested in checking out my wares, my online store is www.chinafinds.com. Happy pearl shopping!

Technorati tags


Technorati Profile

]]> http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/29/tips-for-choosing-good-quality-pearls/feed/ What is Chinese Red Coral? http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/what-is-chinese-red-coral/ http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/what-is-chinese-red-coral/#comments Mon, 27 Nov 2006 21:39:09 +0000 Administrator Coral Jewelry Jewelry http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/what-is-chinese-red-coral/ Chinese red coral is genuine coral that has been dyed in order to brighten the natural color of the coral or to give it greater color uniformity. It is real coral and it makes lovely jewelry.  Some coral is naturally red, but such coral is rare and commands a much higher price.  Dyed coral allows you to enjoy the beauty, texture and warmth of real coral without the hefty pricetag.

Interested in Chinese red coral? Check out great deals on coral necklaces on www.chinafinds.com.

Technorati tags:



]]> http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/what-is-chinese-red-coral/feed/ What is Cloisonne? http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/8/ http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/8/#comments Mon, 27 Nov 2006 21:36:45 +0000 Administrator Cloisonne Jewelry Jewelry http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/8/ Cloisonne is an ancient Chinese decorative technique that has delighted people for centuries. It is used in jewelry, but it is also used to create various decorative objects such as plates, bowls, boxes and vases. To create a cloisonne item, wires are first placed on the item in the desired design and then the spaces in between are filled with successive layers of colored enamel. Finally, the item is fired and polished. The result is a uniquely beautiful artwork with an Asian flair.
Interested in cloisonne? Check out cloisonne bracelets on www.chinafinds.com

Technorati tags

]]> http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/8/feed/ What is Cinnabar? http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/7/ http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/7/#comments Mon, 27 Nov 2006 21:26:00 +0000 Administrator Cinnabar Jewelry http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/7/ Cinnabar, also known as Chinese Lacquer, is a famous type of Chinese handicraft. Traditionally, cinnabar items were created by painting multiple layers of lacquer onto an item,letting the item dry between each coat, and then carving the resulting layers of lacquer into beautiful patterns. Cinnabar gets its name from the toxic red mineral cinnabar (mercury sulfide) that was once used to give the distinctive red color to the lacquer used in the process. Today, so-called cinnabar jewelry is formed from a dyed red resin that contains no harmful cinnabar. However, the look is largely the same.
Interested in cinnabar? Check out cinnabar bracelets on www.chinafinds.com.

Technorati tags


]]> http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/7/feed/ What’s the deal with pearl sizes? http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/whats-the-deal-with-pearl-sizes/ http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/whats-the-deal-with-pearl-sizes/#comments Mon, 27 Nov 2006 21:23:28 +0000 Administrator Pearls Jewelry http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/whats-the-deal-with-pearl-sizes/ Pearls are usually measured in millimeters (mm), and the measurement is of the diameter of the pearl. Because pearls are a natural product, sizes are not uniform, so a pearl necklace or bracelet is usually labeled as being within a certain range of millimeters, typically within 1 millimeter in size. The smallest freshwater pearls that you usually see for sale are 5 to 6 mm in diameter and the largest are 12 to 13 mm. At ChinaFinds, our related online jewelry store, we carry a variety of sizes, from smaller pearls at 6.5 - 7.5 mm to our larger, more substantial pearls in the 11 - 12 millimeter range. A nice, mid-level size are our popular 8.5 to 9.5 mm pearls.

Techorati tags:

]]> http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/whats-the-deal-with-pearl-sizes/feed/ What are the different kinds of pearl shapes? http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/pearl-shapes/ http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/pearl-shapes/#comments Mon, 27 Nov 2006 21:16:50 +0000 Administrator Pearls Jewelry http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/pearl-shapes/ Shapes are one of the areas where there is more room for variety. Roundness is always good, but other shapes of pearls are valued as well. Pearl shapes can be divided into three categories: spherical, symmetrical, and baroque.

  • Spherical pearls can be either perfectly round or so-called ‘near-round’ pearls. Saltwater cultured pearls, as they are seeded with a round bead to begin with, are much more likely to be perfectly round than freshwater cultured pearls. Perfectly round freshwater pearls are very uncommon, but there are many ‘near-round’ freshwater cultured pearls. Near-round pearls may be slightly flattened or slightly elongated in shape.
  • Symmetrical pearls include oval pearls, drop pearls and button pearls. Oval pearls, as their name suggests, are oval in shape and can be particularly stunning when used in a long rope of pearls. Drop pearls are best described as pear shaped or teardrop shaped and are frequently used in earrings. Button pearls are flattened and coin shaped and are also often used in earrings.
  • Baroque pearls are pearls that have grown into asymmetrical, irregular shapes. They are usually the least expensive of all pearls, but some people find their unique shapes to have a charm all their own.

Technorati tags

]]> http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/pearl-shapes/feed/ What are the different lengths of pearl necklaces? http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/pearl-necklace-lengths/ http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/pearl-necklace-lengths/#comments Mon, 27 Nov 2006 21:16:34 +0000 Administrator Pearls Jewelry http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/pearl-necklace-lengths/ According to most sources, the classic pearl necklace lengths are:

  • Choker: 14-16 inches long
  • Princess: 16-18 inches long
  • Matinee: 20-25 inches long
  • Opera: 28-36 inches long
  • Rope: 37 inches long or longer

At www.chinafinds.com, you can find variety of lengths to suit various occasions and outfits.

Technorati tags

]]> http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/11/27/pearl-necklace-lengths/feed/ What’s the difference between freshwater and saltwater cultured pearls? http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/10/29/whats-the-difference-between-freshwater-and-saltwater-cultured-pearls/ http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/10/29/whats-the-difference-between-freshwater-and-saltwater-cultured-pearls/#comments Sun, 29 Oct 2006 21:59:51 +0000 Administrator Pearls Jewelry http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/10/29/whats-the-difference-between-freshwater-and-saltwater-cultured-pearls/ Freshwater pearls are grown inside freshwater mollusks and saltwater cultured pearls are grown inside saltwater mollusks. Both saltwater pearls and freshwater pearls are real pearls–they are just grown in different mediums. They are both termed ‘cultured’ pearls because they have a human hand in their development. A so-called ‘natural’ pearl is the result of a random irritant getting caught inside a mussel (in the case of freshwater pearls) or oyster shell (in the case of saltwater pearls) and the irritant getting coated with its nacre (the material that pearls are made from) in order to deal with the source of the irritation. Jewelry-grade natural pearls are extremely rare and exceedingly expensive–most people are unlikely to encounter them. Fortunately, the process of culturing pearls–both saltwater and freshwater–has brought real pearls to a much wider market.

Culturing pearls, both saltwater and freshwater, involves an irritant being deliberately introduced into mollusks so that pearls will (hopefully) form. Because the freshwater mussel can produce many more pearls in its lifetime than its saltwater cousin, the oyster, freshwater pearls are typically less expensive than saltwater ones. However, unlike saltwater pearls, freshwater pearls are composed of nacre (the ‘pearl’ material) all the way through, while saltwater pearls are composed of many layers of nacre covering the small round bead that was the original irritant that the saltwater pearl was formed around. For freshwater pearls, the irritant that is introduced into the mussel is a piece of mussel tissue and it gets absorbed back into the mussel during the pearl-growing process, leaving a pearl made of solid nacre in its wake.

Which are better–freshwater or saltwater pearls? Saltwater pearls are certainly more expensive, due to their greater scarcity, and because they are created by seeding oysters with small, round beads onto which to secrete nacre, they tend to be rounder than freshwater pearls. However, as they are not solid nacre throughout, as freshwater pearls are, their nacre may eventually wear off after a great many years. In my opinion, there are a lot of beautiful freshwater pearls on the market that are very reasonably priced and that provide an excellent alternative to their more expensive saltwater cousins.

Technorati tags

]]> http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/10/29/whats-the-difference-between-freshwater-and-saltwater-cultured-pearls/feed/ Hello from the Pearl Lady! http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/10/29/hello-world/ http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/10/29/hello-world/#comments Sun, 29 Oct 2006 13:33:04 +0000 Administrator Pearls Jewelry Why do I call myself the pearl lady? Well, up until recently I was living in Beijing, China–home to the famous Hongqiao Pearl Market–and I became quite fascinated with the ins and outs of the pearl business as a result. China is the largest producer of freshwater pearls in the world and although the quality of their pearls was rather poor when they started pearl farming 20 years ago, they learned quickly from their mistakes and are now producing large numbers of excellent freshwater pearls every year. As a result, pearl prices have come down considerably, and beautiful pearls are now within reach of many more consumers.

A visit to the Hongqiao Pearl Market in Beijing is quite an experience. The pearl section of the market occupies three floors and consists of a multitude of small stall owners eagerly trying to sell you their wares. The sheer number of pearls there was amazing to me. A stall typically has fifty or a hundred strands of pearls on display (usually of fairly poor quality) but when you ask to see the better quality stuff, they start pulling out hundreds more to show you. Usually, after the fifth or sixth bunch they bring out, you are looking at some pretty nice merchandise. The prices are very low by western standards, particularly if you know some Chinese and bargain hard. That is certainly what I did and I even ended up taking a class on pearls when I was in Beijing so that I would know how to judge the quality of the wares I was considering buying. All in all, it proved to be a fascinating experience and after my year and a half in Beijing, I was hooked on pearls.

Technorati tags




]]> http://site.chinafinds.com/pearls/2006/10/29/hello-world/feed/