• Inventory and Prices subject to change
Featured Gem PEARL
pearl

Perfect shining spheres. Lustrous baroque forms. Seductive strands, warm to the touch. Pearls are simply and purely organic.

Produced in the bodies of marine and freshwater mollusks naturally or cultured by people with great care. Lustrous, smooth, subtly-colored pearls are jewelry staples, especially as strands.

BIRTHSTONE: JUNE
overview
Perhaps the best-loved gems of all time, pearls-natural and cultured-occur in a wide variety of colors. The most familiar are white and cream, but the palette of colors extends to every hue. Natural pearls form around a microscopic irritant in the bodies of certain mollusks. Cultured pearls are the result of the deliberate insertion of a bead or piece of tissue that the mollusk coats with nacre.
 
Peridot Bracelet
Peridot Earring
Peridot Ring
2206 BC

A Chinese historian writes about pearls for the first time.

653 fifth avenue

In 1917, Pierre Cartier traded a double strand of natural pearls for a mansion on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

1893

QUALITY FACTORS 
An assessment of the following characteristics determines the value of each type of pearl.
color
Color Diamond

Although white is most classic, appreciation has grown for more unusual natural colors.

surface quality
Clarity Diamond

The number of blemishes on a pearl's surface is evaluated to judge quality.

shape
Cut Diamond

Spherical pearls are the most valued but symmetrical drops are also sought.

size
Carat Weight Diamond

Cultured pearls range from 2-16mm in diameter, depending on the mollusk used.

Saved Items (0)
  • Use this space to save the products you like. To add a product here, simply click the   icon.

The Van Cott Guarantee