STORY B SHEUNG PearlTalk: Taking the buzz out of the symmetrical.
The common belief is that pearls are round. In fact, this is a myth, or to put it better, it is the ultimate dream of every pearl farmer to grow the perfect round. In reality, pearls are more often off-round, oval, or in drop, button or fancy shapes.
In natural pearls, only one or two out of a thousand are truly round. In cultured pearls, after a century of trial and error in pursuit of the ideal pearl, man is able to grow a higher number of rounds.
How to grow a round pearl? To grow a pearl, a piece of mantle tissue is inserted, often together with a round shell bead, into a pearl oyster. While the mantle tissue is essential for nacre growth, the bead maximises the chance of obtaining a spherical pearl.
The shell bead and the mantle tissue must be positioned at the ideal place in the oyster, where the tissue is soft and the space ample for the full development of a pearl. The movements of the oyster can exert pressure and affect the pearl being formed, making it irregular or even with circled furrows and ridges. Turning the freshly operated oysters in the initial weeks of pearl formation is believed to counter the force of gravity, and helps the pearl stay in the ideal place instead of shifting down.
The skill of technicians in inserting the bead and mantle tissue into the oysters impacts significantly on pearl shapes. A skilful technician who performs a neat operation will have a higher chance of obtaining a pearl in regular shapes.
The proportion of round pearls in a crop of freshwater pearls is often lower than in a harvest of marine pearls. This has much to do with a basic difference in the cultivation methods. Freshwater mussels generally do not tolerate the implant of shell beads, so only tissue cells are grafted onto each side of the mussel mantle. Since they are not bead-nucleated like marine pearls, most freshwater pearls are off-round, oval or button in shape.
While man proposes, nature disposes. After all the efforts chasing after the ideal round, a pearl crop still yields pearls in various shapes. Why?
In some circumstances, vigorous oysters can expel or displace the inserted bead. A pearl will then form around the remaining mantle tissue. Pearls formed without the round bead, referred to as keshi, are often irregular.
Other factors impacting on pearl shapes Time exerts an influence on pearl shapes – the longer the pearl grows inside the oyster, the higher the chance that the pearl will become off-round. The health of the oysters also impacts on pearl shapes. Healthy oysters give a higher yield of symmetrical pearls.
The pearl oyster has not delivered all its secrets, and it remains a mystery why pearls take up the various fanciful forms despite man’s pursuit of the symmetrical. All we know is that all human and natural factors have to be in harmony before we see the birth of the ideal pearl.
Are rounds the best for pearls? Round pearls are generally sold at higher prices than other shapes. The logic is straight-forward. Prices depend on supply and demand. As demand is focused on the round, and the yield of rounds is limited, round pearls are more expensive than other shapes.
Drop shapes come second on the price list. Pearls in the shape of a tear drop, with sensual and fluid lines, are ideal for setting into dangling earrings and enticing pendants. A matching pair of drops can sometimes command a higher price than a matching pair of rounds as it can be challenging to find a good match in drops.
Pearls in button shapes are the best bargains when worn as ear studs. At a fraction of the price of rounds, button pearls have a flat base that fits perfectly on the earlobes, and give a domed surface.
Does high market value imply that round pearls are the best pearls? Certainly not. It is all a question of personal preference. I personally adore everything that is oval – oval watches, oval mirrors, oval plates, oval pearls, oval faces… I have some artist friends who dislike flashy, showy jewellery, but simply find irregular keshi pearls irresistible in their untamed, natural beauty.
Whatever its shape, pearls are an organic marvel from nature, and should be treasured as such. S
