Pearls are gemstones formed by certain species of bivalve mollusks, like oysters and abalones, the only gemstones to be created by an animal and highly valued for their innate luster and iridescence. The process in which they are made is actually a manner of self-protection of the oyster. A foreign body enters or is introduced in the shell to irritate the oyster. The oyster then coats this intruder with nacre, also called mother-of-pearl, until the pearl itself comes to be. Though they are usually white, pearls come in different range of colors, such as pink, gold, blue, gray, green and black, depending on the species of the oyster that produced it.

Pearls are classified according to their origins, as well as according to their shape. Natural pearls are ones found in the wild. They are very rare and are, therefore, very valuable and expensive. On the other hand, cultured pearls are pearls formed by artificially inserting the irritant inside the oyster shell and then leaving the oyster to do its work for a certain period, as short as six months and as long as six years. The procedure of cultivating oysters for pearl harvesting was first developed in Japan by Kokichi Mikimoto in the late 19th century.

 Pearls can also be either freshwater or saltwater. As the name implies, a saltwater pearl is produced by a mollusk in the sea. A saltwater pearl can be a natural one or a cultured one. By contrast, a freshwater pearl is one that came from a mollusk living in a river or a lake.

While perfection in a pearl is not something that can easily be guaranteed, a perfectly round, spherical shape is the shape most desired on pearls. The rounder a pearl is, the more valuable and the heftier is its price. Pearls, however, can also come in other shapes, like teardrops and pears. These kinds of pearls are not round, but the symmetry they show is still considered beautiful. Baroque pearls, however, are irregularly-shaped pearls; they are unique and beautiful in their own way, but their shape has rendered them the least valuable among pearls.

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but pearls are the companion of an elegant and stately woman. They go well with almost anything, but most especially with the little black dress. A choker or a single strand of opera-length cultured pearls can become the dividing line between the ordinary and the stylish. It may be a bit of an investment, but in the end, it is all worth it.