5 Facts about Pearls

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Everyone knows pearls are a beautiful accessory, but do you know these facts about the pearl?

1. Pearl collection goes back as far as the Han Dynasty, when the Chinese dove for pearls in the South China Sea.

2. Diving, or using a net to retrieve oysters from the river or ocean floor were the most common ways to hunt pearls in the past.  The diver or fisher would then check each oyster manually for pearls, netting as little as 3-4 perfect pearls for every 3 tons of oysters collected.  This was an arduous process and led to pearls being for only the upper classes.

3. Currently, most pearls are cultured, bringing their price down enough that regular people, and not just royalty can own these little undersea gems.

4. Not all pearls are perfect spheres – in fact, most cultured pearls are “baroque” in shape – that is, shaped like an egg.

5. The majority of traditional pearl divers in Japan are women, and they dive without breathing equipment.  They are called ‘ama’ in Japanese.