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Along with the little black dress, every girl should have at least one strand of pearls in her closet. They're chic, classy, and versatile, and although fine pearls are of a class that could compete with the finest gemstones, they aren't the kind of gemstone where the term "not made by nature" equates to cheap. There are affordable quality pearls on the market, and they can even be had at a discounted price through the use of Holsted Jewelers coupons.
Pearls range in value, but there are two basic groups that a girl must keep in mind - investment grade pearls and non-investment grade pearls. The first kind, you buy for a small fortune and keep in the family, while the second kind will contain a range of pearls for many different occasions.
But first, a little history. All pearls begin inside a bivalve mollusk, such as an oyster. It begins as a tiny grain of sand or some similar irritant that gets inside the oyster's shell, and as a reaction to the annoyance, the oyster begins to coat it with nacre or mother of pearl. The process continues layer by layer until we get what we value as a pearl.
There are three types of pearls - natural, cultured, and imitation. Natural pearls are literally "found" pearls, discovered in mollusks that were not raised by humans for the sole purpose of producing a gem. These are very rare and very expensive. You almost can't get these anymore - if a seller says that the pearl you want is "natural" and it doesn't cost at least as much as a down payment on a small car, then what they mean is that it's probably cultured.
Cultured pearls are still valuable, but more attainable than natural pearls. They can also be quite expensive, but are relatively common enough for a reasonable amount of people to afford them. These pearls were born of an irritant that was intentionally placed inside a mollusk.
Finally, imitation pearls are made of either glass or plastic, which are then coated and polished. While they have no value, there are still well-made ones that are very beautiful.
The quality of pearls is determined by several factors: size, shape, luster, and flawlessness. A large, almost perfectly smooth, perfectly round gem that seems to glow when held up to the light will be far more costly than a smaller, irregular one with a few rough spots on its surface.
When choosing a piece of pearl jewelry, make sure that you know what you're buying, and don't e fooled by misleading prices. A pearl that is unbelievably inexpensive is probably fake, and you would be better off paying a little more for better quality.
On the other hand, don't discount bargains that can be had with pearls of true value. Some reputable stores offer discounts, even online. One such example is Holsted Jewelers coupons, which can be found online and used to lower the price of exquisite pieces of pearl jewelry.
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