The biggest of paspaley pearls

Amazing paspaley pearls are supported by the high status of actually being the best and most outstanding pearls on earth. The Paspaley family migrated to Australia in 1919. It was then that a keen interest and passion for the industry was developed throughout the family and the pearling lifestyle has carried on with wonderful results. Noted as the most perfect pearls because of their shape, lustre as well as size, pearl jewelry collectors and admirers have been graced by these perfect South Sea glimmering gems.

The biggest of paspaley pearl necklace jewelry was cultured in 2002, and documented as the largest sized pearl ever made. The oyster of choice, where such natural beauty originated, snuggled inside the Pinctada Maxima, presented this much-desired spherical marvel, weighing in at 12.188 grams, or 60.940 carats, and measuring a stunning.8 of an inch (20.4mm) in diameter. This astounding silver-white pearl having a touch of soft pink and satin lustre is still a valued and precious centrepiece of the Paspaley collection.

* Almost all available pearls are cultivated now. Natural pearls are usually so puny and misshapen that they're worth less than the oyster meat surrounding them.

* Black and grey saltwater pearls are grown off the coast of Tahiti. I've forgotten in which places the pink/peach pearls are grown, you'll just have to read the book!

* The freshwater pearls that I use in my jewelry (and that are the most commonly available) are cultivated in China in freshwater mussels.

* Pearl cultivation begins when Japanese scientists insert a small plastic bead wrapped in oyster mantle tissue in just the right spot of the oyster. For freshwater mussels, only a piece of mantle tissue is needed.

* A saltwater oyster produces one pearl and requires pristine, clean water, as well as a host of other factors (depth, sunlight, temperature) to produce beautiful pearls.

*A freshwater mussel can produce more than a DOZEN pearls of different colors (white, orangish, pink, grey) at the same time and actually thrives in water polluted by agricultural runoff. So much so that they add extra fertilizer to the water where they have the mussels growing.

* Almost all pearls (even the really high-end ones) go through some sort of dyeing/bleaching process to clear up imperfections.MORE:black tahitian pearl earring