Finding The Perfect Pearls For Your Wedding
by Penny Bazinet
http://www.atpearls.com
If you are in the midst of making wedding plans, one
important detail will be choice of jewelry, both for the
bride and for her attendants. A string of lovely white
pearls would set off a sophisticated wedding gown
perfectly. Pearls would also be a great choice to give the
women in the wedding party. Picture the glowing bride in a
double strand, and the attendants in single strands of
cultured or freshwater pearls. This would add a special
touch to an already momentous occasion.
Pearls are a gift from Mother Nature, growing as they do in
oysters and other bi-valve shell fish. It starts with a bit
of sand or tiny rock lodging under the shell. The mollusk
or oyster has a natural system built in for dealing with
the painful friction. It releases a shiny coating called
nacre which coats the source of irritation. As time goes by
the sand will receive thousands of layers of nacre, and the
pearl will be ready for harvest in seven or eight years.
The pearls that are worth the most are evenly shaped, good-
sized, and appear to glow. These pearls are totally
natural. In the case of cultured pearls, humans do
intervene. They put a piece of mother-of-pearl in the
oyster or some other mollusk. These are also lovely but
there shape is not symmetrical. Freshwater pearls are just
what the name implies. They are made in fresh water. They
too are beautiful, but considered more ordinary and they
cost less than the other varieties.
Brides have been donning pearls at their weddings for
hundreds of years. It's a custom based in the belief that
pearls bring happiness from the day of the wedding and
throughout the marriage. They are well-suited for weddings
as they are classic in style, refined, and stylish. The
three most traditional and outstanding pearls are the
Akoya, South Sea, and Tahitian. They are incredibly
beautiful and worth a lot of money. Brides generally select
Akoya thanks to their vibrant color, perfect shape, and
splendid finish.
Like diamonds, pearls are rated, albeit with a different
system. Their rating begins with A and goes on from there
to AA, AA+, AAA, and AAA+. The highest in quality and price
are the AAA and AAA+. The next level, AA and AA+, are
slightly less in quality and price, but still very
attractive.
When comparing pearls, look closely for shimmer, smooth
coating, nacre, perfect shaping, color, size, and how well
they set off your wedding gown. Nacre is usually the most
important aspect because it makes up the thickness of the
pearl. If you want fine quality, don~t buy anything that is
less than 0.4mm of nacre. Since the shine and glowing
effect are also important, try to find pearls that seem to
shine and reflect well.
As for color, think of your gown and your complexion.
You~ll want them to be complimentary to both. Pearls come
in many sizes and some people just want the biggest that
they can afford. In reality you should think about what
kind of fine details went into the design of your wedding
dress, and also your own build. You want to create a whole
look, and not have your accessories take away from your own
beauty.
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