Pearls

Pearls are probably the oldest gem known to man. There are pearls from antiquity in museums throughout the world.

There is a common belief that pearls are very delicate and that they must be treated with the utmost care.

There are many types and qualities of pearls and each one may require different care. Australian and Tahitian South Sea pearls have a thicker pearl layer and are by far the highest quality. They can tolerate more handling than is the case with Japanese pearls.

Australian South Sea Pearls

The turquoise waters of our tropical region, especially near to Broome in the North-West, are renowned for producing the largest, most lustrous and prestigious South Sea pearls.

The Australian silver-lip oyster, Pinctada maxima, is the largest pearl oyster in the world. Australian South Sea pearls generally range from 10 to 16 millimetres in diameter and their colour varies from white and silver-pink through to cream and yellow to a rare deep golden colour.

Natural pearls are formed when a grain of sand or other irritant randomly enters the body of a pearl oyster. To protect itself from this intrusion the oyster coats the irritant with nacre: the same pearly matter of which the interior lining of the pearl oyster is composed.

Rather than leaving this process to chance, with natural pearl recovery a great rarity, pearls are now cultivated in undersea 'farms'. We instigate the irritation by implanting a spherical bead made of mother-of-pearl shell into each oyster. The seeded pearl oysters are then placed in special mesh panels and carefully nurtured for at least two years until the pearls are ready for harvest.

Tahitian Pearls

The atolls of the Pacific, particularly Tahiti and the Cook Islands, produce what are often termed 'black pearls.' They are grown in the black-lip pearl oyster, Pinctada margaritifera. These pearls are only rarely black; rather they exhibit a wondrous range of hues, from a lighter shade of grey through fancy green to an iridescent purplish peacock colour.

Linneys have long-established relationships with the best pearl producers in Australia and Tahiti which enables us to select from many hundreds of thousands of pearls to create or enhance a beautiful piece of jewellery.

Golden Pearls

Found in colours ranging from creamy lemon to a deep golden honey, the magnificent golden South Sea pearls are prized by collectors and designers alike.

Grown in the gold lipped oyster the lustrous golden pearl is rich and luxurious.